Rural Re-evangelization Summer Internship

Purpose

The purpose of this internship is to provide a mentored, immersive, cross-cultural ministry experience for young people discerning the shape of their contribution to the re-evangelization of the post-Christian West.

Growth focuses 

• Skills for immersive cross-cultural ministry, applicable in any setting
• Familiarization with a functional language learning model
• Developing tools for asset-based community development
• Interpersonal skills for partnered and team-based mission
• Dependence upon the leading and equipping of the Holy Spirit
• Application of Bible teaching and theological reflection to practical ministry
• Guided vocational discernment for service in either the church or the world

Mission field

The location of this internship is Central Estonia. Estonia is one of Europe’s most secular countries frequently citing professing and practicing Christians at less than 5%. Evangelistic and church planting efforts have been ongoing, especially since Estonia reclaimed independence in 1991 after 50 years of occupation by the Soviet Union. Most of this attention has been focused on urban areas and contexts with institutional advantage.

However, a significant portion of the Estonian population lives in rural areas and even urban dwellers retreat to the countryside for community and leisure. In recent years young families have begun to look again to the countryside for a stable, sustainable, connected lifestyle not afforded in urban settings. After more than 20 years of service in Estonia’s rural areas, we are not unaware of the difficulties of mission in these places but are convinced that a successful rural mission strategy is an essential part of any evangelization effort.

For these reasons, this internship joins a decades long effort to develop a missional strategy for reaching underrepresented and institutionally disadvantaged rural spaces and contributing to the development of local, connectional, adaptable, and sustainable church-based movements in rural areas.

Internship design

This internship pairs each qualified international with a same-sex Estonian partner in ministry teams for a summer of cross-cultural ministry immersion. Estonian partners will provide cultural familiarity and function while international partners provide companionship and fresh perspective.

Each 2-person team will be deployed from one to three times over the course of the summer to join different rural congregations in their efforts to declare and demonstrate the Gospel of the Kingdom in their locale.

The internship will begin with 2 weeks of orientation and practical training. Each deployment will build incrementally on this foundation with a 2-week immersion in a local-church context followed by 1 week of mentored debriefing, training and rest at home-base with other ministry teams. The internship will conclude with 1 week of debriefing and reflective vacation and conclude with a commissioning event.

3 Deployment Sample Schedule

W1      Orientation Week: arrival, team building, cultural observation and language learning

W2-3   Deployments (1 to 3): supervised preparation week, team ministry week, debrief

W4      Debriefing Week: Wrap-up, Vision Quest, Debriefing, Commissioning

Proposed Schedule for Summer 2025

• June 29 – July 06             Training Week
• July 04 – July 06                Estonian National Song Festival
• July 7 – July 13                  Ministry Week #1
• July 14 – July 20                Ministry Week #2
• July 21, 22                         Debriefing Days
• July 23 – July 28                Circuit Rider Pilgrimage Hike
• July 29 – July 30                Vision Quest & Commissioning

Daily rhythms

• Soul care, spiritual rhythms and partnered discipleship
• Morning immersive routine (with an Estonian helper)
  • LAMP language learning method
  • Mission Mapping method & church team
• Ministry activities and assignments
• Vlog check-in questions
  • Summarize your day. What did you discover? What victories? What struggles?
  • How are you getting along with your partner, hosts, helpers?
  • Have you met anybody new or learned something new about people you know?
  • How are feeling emotionally? Do you have the resources you need to cope?
  • Do you anticipate needing help anytime soon?

If you are interested in applying for this internship or know of some one who might be, please get in touch via email (matthew dot edmister at gmail dot com).