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DCE Internship

The DCE Internship (CEd 490) is a directed and supervised, academic, one-year training program for those students in the DCE program. It enables the students to experience as many aspects of the educational ministries in a congregation as possible, especially in the area of life-span Christian education: part-time instructional agencies, youth ministry, family life, adult education, counseling, evangelism, and in some cases, church music.

The internship is designed to be a mutually cooperative ministry relationship between students, congregations, and the university that will meet the needs of the field work experience, additional staff, and provide a structured learning laboratory.

The Pastor, DCE, or another called worker serves as the intern’s mentor and is responsible to advise, oversee, and evaluate the work of the intern, and report their observations and conclusions to the CUI DCE program director. The intern is expected to gain exposure through a wide variety of congregational experiences to better prepare him/her spiritually, practically, and academically for his/her first call as a Director of Christian Education.

Goals

The professional laboratory of CEd 490 Internship has been designed to:

  1. Enable the intern to mature as a person and as a professional-in-training;
  2. Develop instructional and administrative skills which may only be gained by experience;
  3. Help the intern gain a better understanding of the purpose of mission and ministry of a congregation and the administrative structure which supports overall congregational programming;
  4. Have the intern experience a team relationship with the pastor(s) and other professional staff, as well as other area professional church workers in circuit, district and Synod;
  5. Give the intern an opportunity to relate classroom theory to real ministries experiences;
  6. Make a contribution to the ongoing ministry of a congregation;
  7. Clarify future learning needs through real ministry assessment and evaluation;
  8. Help the intern develop an appreciation for and sense of commitment toward the ministry of the church as a DCE; and,
  9. Increase self-confidence and a sense of security to the point where the intern can enter his/her first DCE position with competent skills and confident feelings to the call of ministry.

Resources for Congregations

The application deadline for congregations is February 1.

The cost to apply for an intern is $250.

Contact Carrie Donohoe at 949-214-3389 or [email protected] for a DCE Internship Site application.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about the DCE Program, please contact the Director, Prof. Rebecca Duport '98.

Prof. Rebecca Duport
Program Director
(949) 214-3621
[email protected]

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