On September 16th we officially begin our pastoral intern program at Covenant Family Church. After much preparation and planning we have selected two young men—Joel Stanton and Cody Winton—who will join us for eight months of hands-on ministry experience and theological training. Interestingly enough, both young men are from California. These two interns desire to learn more about what it means to serve God as future pastors. With this in mind, we will encourage them to test their personal call to ministry and to use their gifts in supervised ministry amongst us.
What is our motive for doing this? Simply stated, it is our hope to raise-up future pastors for Christ’s church who embrace the practice of family discipleship. Sadly, many theological seminaries know little of family discipleship—although it abundantly flows out of numerous passages in the Bible. However, we are not designing a program that replaces the role of the theological seminary, but one that supplements seminary education by providing our interns with a solid foundation in the Bible, in the practice of family discipleship, and in Reformed theology. In this way, we will be following the same path that was trod by the Lord Jesus and his disciples, John Calvin and the Genevan Academy, William Tennant and the Log College, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his underground seminary, and Francis Schaeffer’s L’Abri.
The Bible addresses the practice of mentoring disciples in the following key passages:
–Matthew 10:38-39 “And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
–Mark 3:14 “And he appointed twelve (who he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach.”
–Luke 6:40 “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.”
–1 Corinthians 4:15-17 “For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.”
–1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.”
–1 Timothy 3:10 “And let them also be tested first, then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.”
–2 Timothy 2:1-2 “You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”
–Hebrews 13:7 “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
We would certainly welcome your prayers for our coming pastoral internship and in particular for our two interns: Joel Stanton and Cody Winton. Pray that they would learn a lot, and that we would have the joy of raising-up future pastors for Christ’s church.
–Pastor Marcus J. Serven
Covenant Family Church is a conservative, Bible-believing, and elder-governed congregation located in Wentzville, MO which seeks to evangelize the lost and equip those who have been converted to walk worthy of their calling in Christ. 
The Orthodox Presbyterian Church continues to be vigorous in its defense and propagation of the historic Christian faith, particularly as it was articulated by the Protestant Reformers of the 16-17th centuries. 
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