Have you ever struggled with finding gifted leaders? What if there was a pool of trained and called leaders to draw from; a place to find potential applicants for an internship or even a permanent member of your staff?
One of USMB Youth’s passions is to develop up-and-coming leaders who are equipped, empowered, and ready to rise up and make a big impact for the Kingdom of God. So, after years of dreaming and planning, we are very close to launching a new national leadership development program.
Where did this come from?
The dream first came to the national youth conference planning team (now called USMB Youth) when they were planning for the 2015 and 2019 YouthCon gatherings. The team noticed a huge turnover rate in the youth pastors and lead youth workers between conferences. This meant new connections had to be reestablished with churches through a new youth worker. Most of these new youth workers were hired from outside of the denomination which meant many had no experience or connection with their districts nor national events. Curiosity and a little investigation uncovered the need for a leadership pool where churches and organizations can draw from in the Mennonite Brethren world. A new focus on leadership development rose to the top of USMB Youth’s priorities. Let’s raise up the next generation of leaders to make a greater impact for the Kingdom of God.
Introducing the Leadership Pipeline…
This is the first step in a grand vision of identifying, investing in, and empowering leaders for vocational ministry by providing real-world ministry experiences through working with churches and organizations throughout the US. The Pipeline will begin by providing a national summer internship program designed for college students and young adults. The plan is to then expand training to include year-long residency positions and potentially the addition of working with high school students to help them confirm their call to vocational ministry.
Launching in early 2022 will be a national summer internship program for churches and candidates who sign up. Our goal is to expand the opportunities in the years following.
How does it work?
Churches and organizations create internship openings. Undergraduate students then apply for the openings. The goal is to connect churches and organizations with students who are seeking career-building experiences through internships. During these short-term internships, weekly training will be provided by the Pipeline in the desired ministry areas.
For Churches and Employers:
By creating an organization profile and posting your internship opportunities, you can reach a talented pool of interns gathered from our educational institutions, churches, and other areas across the nation. These candidates will be approved and background checked by The Pipeline.
For Students Seeking Ministry Experience:
The Pipeline provides a one-stop portal to opportunities posted by churches and faith-based organizations from all over the United States. These paid internships may be offered in a variety of ministry related fields including youth, worship, kids, education, arts, finance, tech, and more! Just create your candidate profile and get connected through our internship search.
What does it cost to sign up?
There is no cost for churches or potential interns to sign up! All internships will be paid so there will be an expectation of some form of financial investment by the churches and organizations that secure an intern. Funds may be available to help the hiring church or organization through grants and scholarships from our ministry partners.
What is the goal?
Our goal is to raise up the next generation of leaders by creating a leadership pool of qualified and trained leaders for our churches to draw from and fill positions for years to come.
When will this launch?
The website to sign up will be launched in January 2022. With that launch, churches, organizations, and potential interns will be able to start signing up and getting matched. The included online training will happen during the summer internships on a weekly basis.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at info@usmbyouth.com.
But wait there is more…
We need your help!
We are hiring 2 part-time positions to help launch and grow this new program. These National Leadership Mobilizers will work 5-7 hours a week recruiting, overseeing, and leading this pipeline. We are taking applications right now!
