LDI Internship
God’s Plan. Your Path. Our Partnership.
Internship
An internship with the Leadership Development Institute (LDI) is for any follower of Christ! This is a rare opportunity to set aside a short time of your life to strengthen and stretch your relationship with God while growing in practical leadership skills. This internship builds a strong foundation for the lives and faith-walks of its participants by focusing on developing biblical thinking, Christ-like character, and ministry skills.
An internship with LDI seeks to adapt to each intern and craft an environment that will result in maximum growth and transformation. LDI was created to meet directly, with gospel power, the areas in an intern’s life that need attention, enhancement, or correction so that their future goals in leadership are not hindered.
The internship is a 10-12 month commitment broken into segments of time called course blocks. The internship can be extended into a second and third year with a mutual agreement between the intern and staff; the internship is renewable on an annual basis. An internship can begin in either August or January.
What’s the Difference Between Church-Based Training & Seminary?
Traditional internships often concentrate solely on the professional skills necessary for a specific industry, neglecting the essential aspects of personal and resource development.
However, an LDI internship offers a holistic approach that combines personal growth (like self-awareness, character, and mindset), resource development (focusing on leadership, time management, and financial literacy), and professional advancement (including skill enhancement, networking opportunities, strategic thinking, and organizational skills).
By tailoring the experience to each intern’s unique needs, we create an environment that not only maximizes potential but also fosters gospel-centered transformation.
God’s Plan
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:8-10
To equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:12-13
Ultimately, we hope to raise up gospel-centered, kingdom leaders.
Your Path
Participants in our internship program have the exciting opportunity to choose from five unique paths, each designed to align with their individual life circumstances and goals. These paths offer a customizable experience that promotes personal and spiritual development:
Created for those who hope to deepen their faith and relationship with Jesus, this path focuses on enhancing Bible knowledge, fostering spiritual formation, receiving personal mentoring, nurturing daily walk with Jesus, cultivating Gospel-centeredness, and developing fluency in grace.
Designed for individuals in search of clarity regarding God’s direction for their lives, this path emphasizes self-awareness, mentoring, Gospel-centered thinking, discerning God’s will, identifying personal gifts, and embracing opportunity and risk.
Tailored for those contemplating a career in vocational ministry, this path provides a unique chance to hone essential ministry skills while actively participating in meaningful ministry work. Participants will focus on personal and ministry mentoring, their walk with Jesus, Gospel integration, caring for others, practical leadership, and gain a realistic understanding of ministry dynamics.
Designed for individuals aspiring to establish a strong foundation for any future careers, this path offers focused personal and professional mentoring, customized skills development, integration of Gospel principles and ethics, increased self-awareness, leadership opportunities, resource management, and strategic thinking.
Designed for individuals aspiring to establish a strong foundation for any future careers, this path offers focused personal and professional mentoring, customized skills development, integration of Gospel principles and ethics, increased self-awareness, leadership opportunities, resource management, and strategic thinking.
Our Partnership
In LDI, we walk alongside you, providing mentorship, community, and hands-on experience to equip you for God’s calling. As Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ for good works He has prepared in advance.
Through intentional relationships, we invest in your spiritual, personal, and professional growth. Together, we step forward in faith, preparing you to make a lasting impact for His kingdom.
Expectations of Interns
We expect all LDI interns to have:
Commitment to Jesus Christ following him and enjoying his gospel.
Commitment to put on the character of Christ through prayer, mentoring relationships, mutual accountability, and experiencing the work of the Spirit.
Diligence in playing an active role in the ministry and community of LDI and Hope Community Church through participation in the body and engagement on ministry teams. Interns should also show diligent stewardship and development of their lives and the gifts God has given them.
Support Raising and Financial Commitment
The majority of interns choose to raise support to cover the cost of the program and living expenses. Support-raising is not required for participation in the program, but it can provide valuable experience for interns. The support-raising process helps interns develop a deeper dependence on God and equips them to network, build relationships, and tell people about Jesus and his work in their lives. As a staff team, we prioritize this process and support LDI interns through ongoing training and accountability. God does show up through support raising, so if you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch with us to talk through it!
During support-raising, participants are encouraged to develop a team of ministry partners who will financially and prayerfully support them during their LDI journey. Donations can be made on a one-time, monthly, or yearly basis. Participants are also encouraged to consider other financial obligations, such as housing, food, student loans, ongoing bills, and health insurance. These financial needs should be planned for and included when the invitation is made to possible partners.
We realize that LDI participants consider many factors, including financial factors when deciding to join. Hope Community Church and LDI have made every effort to minimize the financial obligations of this journey. Compared to other leadership development avenues, we believe that LDI is the most affordable and will give you the most “bang for the buck!”
Cost: LDI Program (Includes cost of classes, retreats, seminars, required textbooks, additional class materials, and all LDI-specific retreat expenses) $1,000 per semester | Total $2,000
Living expenses (including housing, food, clothing, transportation, insurance, loans, etc.) to be determined.