The Call to Ministry | Barry Bradshaw’s Internship with Spread the Word
Christians often discover early in their relationship with God that He听has a place for everyone to minister. For Bible major Barry Bradshaw, that place was inner-city听Detroit, Michigan. For his internship this summer, Barry traveled to Allen Park, a district of Detroit,听to work with听, a ministry out of听. There, he听was able to experience inner-city ministry听for ten weeks, May to August, along with eight other听interns. He not only grew in his walk with God, but he also learned that ministry听was听a constant learning experience, both for the people he ministered to听and for听himself as a messenger听of听the Gospel.听
Barry had heard about this internship two years ago through a speaker who had come to campus to听talk听with men鈥檚 society leadership.听He heard听about the opportunity for听a church-planting and evangelistic听internship at Inter-City Baptist Church,听and it was this summer that he had decided to actively pursue it.听听
鈥淢y burden is to church-plant, and I believe that it will be in Chicago someday,鈥 Barry said. 鈥淏ecause of that, I really wanted to go somewhere that has that urban environment.鈥听
The Inner-City Experience听
During his internship, Barry was able to work with church planters听in Detroit. In addition, he participated in a summer-long church-planting project in Lincoln Park with two other interns. 听
鈥淲e were able to research Lincoln Park and help out the pastor听who听was there,鈥 Barry explained. 鈥淲e learned more about the community and analyzed听the听need for another church. We were very engaged in looking at the need for the Gospel in the area听as well.鈥听
Barry and his team researched the demographics and statistics听of Lincoln Park. They also听interviewed听people in the community and pastors of the local churches. At the end of the summer, they presented their research to a group of fifteen leaders from the inner-city churches,听the other pastors they had worked with,听and some of the teachers at the seminary there. Then they听presented a proposal for a听hypothetical听church-planting situation听in Lincoln Park.听
In addition听to church-planting efforts, Barry听also听( participated in evangelism?)听听evangelized听in a number of different ways. He traveled to different local churches and helped out with weekend events and workdays. During the week, Barry and the other interns traveled to college campuses听and public areas听to engage听in worldview quizzing with people.听Through this type of evangelism, Barry learned about the reality听of different people groups and how their situation impacts their beliefs, and how he should approach听each person听with the Gospel.听听
鈥淥ne thing I didn鈥檛 expect was听all听the cultures that we were serving in,鈥 Barry said. 鈥淚 think I had underestimated some of the bridges that we would need to cross in ministry with them, whether that came to income level听or a language barrier.鈥听
Taking Classroom Skills to Real-Life Ministry听
During his internship, Barry found himself utilizing many of the skills he had learned in the classroom. One such skill came from听his听Christian Life, Leadership, and Evangelism class:听Barry emphasized the need to connect with people听through the Gospel with thought to their own situation and worldview, not simply present facts to them about听salvation.听听
鈥淲e need to really get to the root of their presuppositions听and try听to point them back to Scripture through that,鈥 he explained.听
In addition, Barry used organizational听and presentation skills听learned in class to supplement听his church-planting project. He also听realized听the importance of communication skills, especially when presenting the Gospel to people听who have different understandings of the Bible and salvation.听听听听
听The Value of God鈥檚 Call听
听During his time as an intern, Barry faced struggles鈥攑articularly,听overcoming听his听own听presuppositions and what he thought he knew about ministry.听听
鈥淚 think what destroyed that in my mind was the first time I took theoretical education and applied it听to听practical application,鈥 he explained. 鈥淎ctually talking to someone who can鈥檛 pay their bills or someone who鈥檚 been in prison鈥擨 had to make that transition and it was a challenge at first. I had to rely a lot on God鈥檚 grace to adapt to real life.鈥听
He听also听experienced a great culture of accountability. The leaders听at听Spread the Word consistently encouraged prayer and听meditation in听God鈥檚听Word. In addition, they offered help when the interns needed it. This environment pushed Barry into a closer relationship with God听because he was surrounded by those who served as an example of Christ鈥攂oth听in听their听spiritual encouragement and听in their听ministering.听听
鈥淚n our first week of training, we had sessions on the importance and spending time with God鈥檚 Word as well as fellowship in the local church,鈥 Barry said. 鈥淚听clearly saw the emphasis there.鈥听
Barry and the other interns also had a Bible study group every Monday to encourage Christian fellowship and growth. He emphasized the importance of听uplifting each other spiritually so they听could effectively share the Gospel with others.听
Barry also found that the fellowship among his team served as an incredible value to him. Knowing that they were sharing the Gospel and serving people together created a unique relationship听within the group and served to ultimately build each person up in Christ.听听
From Ministry to Ministry听
Finally, serving as an intern for Spread the Word helped Barry in solidifying his plans for the future. According to Barry, it听also听helped resolve some of the misconceptions听he鈥檇 had about church planting. 听
鈥淢oving forward, it helped me understand what I want to pursue in future church-planting opportunities,鈥 Barry said.听
It also helped realize his need for future seminary education.听鈥淚 was pretty closed off to seminary when I first came to school,鈥 he explained. 鈥淣ow I see the value of further grounding in my doctrine and how I interpret the Bible.鈥听
听Why Internships are Vital听
To students who are thinking about pursuing an internship to supplement their education,听Barry听fully听recommends听the experience for a number of reasons. Not only does it allow students to take what they learned in the classroom and apply it to a real-life setting,听Barry explains,听but it also exposes them to certain skills that cannot be learned听in an educational setting. In addition, it encourages students to pursue what God has called them to do and builds helpful connections for the future.听
Overall, Barry walked away from the internship with memories and experiences that will continue to influence him for the rest of his life. It cemented听the path听on which听God is calling him to听follow, and听it听has pushed him farther in how he wants to fulfill God鈥檚 purpose for his life.听
鈥淸Ministry] isn鈥檛 about having a better life,鈥 he stated. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about having true life in Christ.鈥听