What is Vision and Call?
Generously funded by the Murdock Trust, The Vision & Call ministry internships are designed as a senior capstone experience for students who have completed their ministry coursework, including the 3-credit internship, and are confident in their call to post-collegiate ministry. The internships will provide these students with a valuable opportunity for a ministry experience of greater depth and rigor than is allowed by the parameters of a 3-credit internship. In conjunction with the Vision & Call internship, students will be required to write a senior thesis that: a) includes a theological question; b) relates to their second field of study, if they have one; c) integrates the two disciplines within a ministerial context; and d) uses the student’s direct experience doing ministry work as a case study supporting the thesis’ conclusions. Their thesis work will be advised by a theology faculty mentor, and the students will be encouraged to present their work at the Carroll College Student Undergraduate Research Festival (SURF) that is held annually in April.
Who Can Apply to Vision and Call?
Theology majors who have completed their ministry credits may apply at the conclusion of their junior year. Three internship sites will be selected in advance; information about those sites will be provided to interested applicants, and as part of their application they will rate their interest, from 1-3, in working at the available sites. Applicants will be asked to complete two essay questions related to their level of discernment for a ministerial career and the reasons behind their interest in a specific area of ministry (e.g. youth ministry, service to the poor, etc.). GPA will be considered in the selection process, as will an evaluation from the site supervisor of their for-credit internship. The proposed supervisor at each internship site will participate in the selection process. At the start of the academic year, the interns, their site supervisors and the project director will participate in a two-hour orientation retreat to share personal and organizational goals for the internship experiences and to reflect on ways that the work of the interns and of the organization plays into “God’s mission to the world.”
What Happens in Vision and Call?
Each intern will be assigned to a supervisor who has direct oversight of the ministry in which the intern will be working. This supervisor will assign work tasks and monitor work performance, will meet regularly with the intern to answer questions and provide mentoring/guidance, and will submit monthly activity reports to the project director. Each intern will also have a faculty mentor advising their thesis work. These mentors will guide the students in integrating their work experience with their academic study through the exploration of a theological question. In this role, the mentor will be alert for challenges the intern may be facing and will be prepared to take action as required to resolve any internship-related conflicts and/or solicit additional training for the intern.