Ministry Greenhouse: Cultivating Environments for Practical Learning

Known as “the internship guy” at Dallas Theological Seminary where he teaches, George Hillman talks daily with students about God’s movement in their lives. The goal of Ministry Greenhouse is to help seminary and Bible college students, their supervisors, and the lay leaders who work with them create the best environment for leadership development through a beneficial internship.

An internship is not busy work or cheap labor but is instead fundamental to the development of a leader. Hillman first makes a case for internships, arguing that the purpose of the seminary or Bible college is to train both theologians and practitioners. He explores the meaning of “call,” identifies the ingredients of a successful internship, discusses strategies for establishing goals for an internship, and offers guidance for reflecting on learning during an internship. Hillman also provides tools for identifying competencies and sample goals.

A great internship experience places a student in an environment where God can work through him or her in the lives of other people and in the student’s own life to develop calling, character, and competencies. Ministry Greenhouse shows students, their supervisors, and the congregations and other organizations they serve how they can create just such an environment.