Justin Carlson is a fourth-generation member of the First Christian Church in Minneapolis. However, being deeply engaged in the life of a congregation—and in his home region, the Upper Midwest—is not the same as having the chance to minister with and learn in a congregation full-time. The partnership of First Christian Church in Tacoma, Washington, and the savvy mentorship of senior minister Doug Collins, together with DDH’s sponsorship, made that experience possible.

Visual, liturgical, and musical arts enrich Sunday worship at FCC Tacoma. A synergy with the Center for Spirituality & the Arts, which includes art studios on the church’s campus, and Doug Collins’s artistic vision ensure and foster that. Carlson brought his own training as a musician and dancer to the mix. For example, when some members recounted previous experiences with handbells in worship, he worked with them to restart a handbell choir. He designed lectern and pulpit coverings for changing liturgical seasons, and he worked with the Center for Spirituality & the Arts as they adopted a new name: The Orchard on 6th.

Preaching once a month allowed sustained reflection on accountability to the biblical text and to the congregation. Carlson asks how “our scientific explorations and deep observations of this universe can illuminate the scriptures we’ve preserved and shared.” His final sermon on June 9, 2024 interpreted Jesus’ teachings while drawing on his love of the insect world and his appreciation for the wild beauty of Puget Sound.

The church’s ministry includes a Tiny House Village and other opportunities for working and learning with the wider Tacoma community. Collins and congregants provided on-going mentorship and keen, imaginative examples of ministry and community engagement. At the concluding worship service, Collins commented, “Justin has a knack for showing up and being present with the people he finds; he has a heart for creative wonderings, a sense of humor that keeps everyone in touch with their playfulness, and a way of asking questions that inspires awe and marveling at the mystery of our God.”

Carlson is back in Chicago for his final year of study.

The idea of the internship is to provide a Disciples Divinity House Scholar with an exceptional setting of ministry where the student can explore her or his vocation of ministry and leadership and hone abilities. Diverse opportunities are possible, from new congregations to venerable ones, and in regional, general, and ecumenical ministries. We look for innovative congregations and church-related organizations that have strong lay and pastoral leadership and that will provide opportunities for ministry and learning that would not be available if the student remained in Chicago.

Disciples Divinity House Scholars can arrange a full-time internship outside of the Chicago area between their second and third years of MDiv studies. DDH provides a monthly living stipend and for return visits to Chicago each academic quarter, while the congregation or organization provides housing and some other expenses.

It is a significant commitment for a minister and congregation or other organizations to offer an internship. It is also a significant gift to the flourishing of future ministry to be able to provide such a vital situation; to allow an intern to engage skills, gifts, and questions; and to offer the intern models of ministry, collaboration, vision, and action.

She was observing the congregation's happy celebration of Simchat Torah, which marks the end of one year's cycle of reading the Torah. People were dancing with and unfurling the Torah scrolls. And then, incredibly, a scroll was placed in her arms, and she began to dance...

MDiv student Rachel Abdoler, now a PhD student in the History of Christianity, studying Christian texts written in Arabic, began her internship at Congregation Beth-El Zedeck with this transformative moment, the first of many which allowed her many remarkable opportunities to learn and lead, with Senior Rabbi Dennis Sasso serving as her mentor. She divided her time between Beth-El Zedeck and the Center for Interfaith Cooperation, both in Indianapolis, in 2014-15.

Across the country, MDiv student and House Scholar Danielle Cox was also immersed in Disciples-related and interfaith campus ministry at Chapman University in Orange, California. She worked with Director of Church Relations Nancy Brink; Associate Director Cisa Payuyo; and with Gail Stearns, Dean of Wallace All Faiths Chapel.

The “Saint Andrew Leadership Initiative” provided initial funding for internships. It was established by the late Paul Shumaker, who was a member of Saint Andrew Christian Church in Olathe, Kansas. Three Disciples Divinity House Scholars completed initial internships at Saint Andrew with founding minister Holly McKissick: Liz Myer Boulton, who became the founding pastor of Hope Church, Boston, and who is now the moving force of SALT; Patricia Duncan, now Assistant Professor of Religion at Texas Christian University; and Brandon Cline, now Senior Major Gifts Officer at Brite Divinity School.