Summer Internship Program

Charter Oak Church Summer Internships 

Charter Oak Church is seeking interns for our Summer 2025 Internship Program.

As a growing church with multiple ministries, four campuses and a dedicated team that seriously invests into each of our relationships, we have the unique opportunity to craft personalized internships that fit your interests, skills, gifts, and passions. Whether you are exploring a call for vocational ministry, seeking in-depth exposure into a specific area, or wanting to gain a greater focus of multiple ministries, we are committed to helping develop the next generation of leaders who have chosen to be disciples of Jesus. 

What can you expect to gain from an internship at Charter Oak Church? A unified team that will help you succeed in gaining real-world, practical skills, people skills, and communication skills. Seasoned leaders will mentor, support, and challenge you, intentionally invest in you for leadership development, and deepen your comprehension of what work is like in ministry. Perhaps you have interest in exploring Kids Ministry, Student Ministry, Worship Arts, Missions, First Impressions, Communications, or you want exposure to other aspects such as Facility Management, Business Operations, Connections, Outreach Ministries, or are curious about Campus Pastor Leadership. 

Your hands-on experience at Charter Oak Church will assure professional development, greater self-confidence and the knowledge of what it’s like being part of a healthy work and ministry team that is mission and vision focused.

We encourage you to apply if you are in college and you have a love for Jesus coupled with a desire to serve others with excellence.

Applications are rolling with a deadline of April 1, 2025. Zoom or in-person interviews will occur throughout the application period up through the first two weeks of April. Final decisions will be relayed by the middle of April.

Internship Ministry Descriptions

Following are broad summaries of individual ministry areas within Charter Oak Church. Our aim is to craft a customized experience from these ministries for each intern and match their interests, skills, gifts, and passion to discern a possible future vocational ministry or continued ministry engagement. 

Connections

Connections oversees and manages the relationship our church creates and nurtures with our church family. It encompasses first experiences and first impressions to weekly and future follow-ups. It includes managing and leading volunteers and various teams that focus on meeting, greeting and sharing information expressed on Sunday mornings, as well as encouraging others to participate in opportunities and classes to deepen their connection to our church, and help support their faith journey.

Kids Ministry

Kids ministry only exists through the dedication and commitment of numerous volunteers. Paramount is the coordination, overseeing and training of the volunteers in different aspects for weekly Sunday services from instructors to classroom kids, worship teams to tech operators, every aspect creates an impactful, fun experience for our youngest believers. Our kids ministry also sponsors planned monthly events, outreach and week-long experiences during the summer beyond a Sunday morning. Identifying curriculum, knowing clearances, managing check-ins, communications, and gathering input through staff and team meetings is critical to this fulfilling, engaging ministry.

Outreach

Outreach comprises interactions with different organizations and internal services that minister to specific needs. Each campus is unique in the kinds of outreach and services offered. At our Frye Farm campus outreach comprises a large food pantry service with monthly coordination and distribution, the collection and distribution cared-for clothing through our clothes closet, gift bag giving during specific holidays to children and kids of Big Brothers / Big Sisters, and the coordination of an onsite Red Cross blood drive which reoccurs every six weeks. Outreach ministry demands strong attention to detail and an individual with a passion for serving our community who thrives on regular communication and interaction with volunteers and area organizations.

Worship Arts

Worship Arts encompasses the music of worship, the collaboration of musicians, and the posture of worship for front-of-house worship experiences. It also involves critical knowledge of technical elements including visual graphics, sound, and lighting for a seamless, professional worship experience. The capacity for handling numerous details and having strong people skills are necessary to manage diverse tasks such as song selection, service order, managing weekly rehearsals, the scheduled rotation of musicians and vocalists, those comprising the tech team for in-house sound and lighting as well as the various live streaming platforms. It is highly recommended that interns desiring to serve in this ministry be able to sing and/or play an instrument.

Student Ministry

Student ministry supports our Middle School and High School students and meets regularly on Sunday evening. It is supported by many volunteers under a team leader who coordinates general meetings, small group teams and student worship. Participation may include studying and instructing curriculum, helping with dinner, leading games/ice breakers, assisting or leading with guy’s and girl’s small groups, worship rehearsals, song selection, sound tech/multimedia. Additional engagement with events, retreats, baptisms, newsletters, and social media may be incorporated.

Business Office

This area of service is integral to the function of all ministries. The Business Office maintains and manages everything related to payroll, taxes, and accounting. All financial giving and expenses flow through here and are recorded into various systems for budgeting and reporting to the multiple campuses. All volunteer records for safety and security clearances are processed and maintained through this position and this area assists with handling all the printing needs from the various campuses and kids ministries.

Communications

Communications serves as a gateway for all visual and written representations of our church. As a regular beehive of activity, this area serves to safeguard consistency in language and style, and to ensure that what is distributed is in alignment with our vision. Items generated here include planned announcements, slides, monthly video updates; digital publications such as E-newsletters, website material, Church Center app items, events and registration information; as well as social media updates and all print publications, graphic design items and all photography and videography. 

Facilities

Facilities is responsible for the maintenance, care, and presentation of our physical church buildings and critical to our Sunday morning experience and weekly events. Facilities can be broken up into two categories: facility care (janitorial setups, building presentation) and maintenance (mechanical, electrical, plumbing; and preventative). It includes scheduling and executing electrical, mechanical or plumbing work, communicating with subcontractors, and managing the inventory for cleaning supplies and materials. Additional responsibilities include facilitating room set-up for various weekly events at Frye Farm and routinely inspecting campuses for preventative maintenance.

Missions

As a church we are blessed to have someone engaged in this role full time. This allows us to explore and develop various missional opportunities as well as evaluate existing and recurring ones. Serving in this area enables one to learn how vision is cast for missions, how to equip mission team leaders and how to lead prayer movements across campuses. Partake in monthly meetings with our church missionaries to understand their needs, to challenge and encourage them, and to communicate needed information. Stepping into this area also means assisting with specific classes geared toward those seeking to learn more about missions.

Campus Pastor

Clearly there is not enough space to elaborate on the numerous tasks necessary in this ministry. An overview will include understanding rules for effective ministry such as having a rule of life, spiritual disciplines, calendaring, and administrating; vision creation and fulfillment, team leadership and development, effective delegation, caring for your team, recruiting others, managing your emotional health, leadership anxiety, and handling criticism and resistance. Participation may include efforts of preparation for Sunday morning worship and sermon writing, joining in weekly campus pastor team meetings, staff meetings, and sitting in on weekly one-on-one meetings with ministry area leaders. Other opportunities may include accompanying pastor on hospital visits, meetings with congregants, planning fellowship opportunities, attending community events/festivals, meetings with community leaders, and funerals/weddings.