“So, what made you want to come to Karis?” It’s a frequent and legitimate question that my wife, Caitlin, and I get to answer, given that we both quit our jobs and moved across the state in the middle of a global pandemic. Towards the end of my time in seminary, a friend asked me, “What does a church look like if you’re the one planting it?” I shared a little bit of the vision I had for a future church plant. He responded, “Do you have any experience doing ministry like that? Have you ever been a part of a church that does?” I said no but realized that some key elements of what I had described were similar to a church (Karis) that I had visited briefly when I was a college student at Mizzou.

Caitlin suggested I reach out to the Karis elders and see if I could convince them to do some kind of internship or church planting residency program with me. Lo and behold, Karis already had these leadership development opportunities. I met with a couple of the elders, and the rest was history…

Since starting the internship/residency, I’ve gotten the opportunity to lead a Missional Community (MC) and even serve in the role of deacon, serving the entire MCs ministry and the other MC leaders. I’ve gotten to learn some of the ins-and-outs of managing details related to the church facilities, which had been a unique challenge and good learning experience. I have also gotten the opportunity to preach, which has helped me sharpen my skills of studying and delivering God’s word to our congregation. It has been a blessing to work alongside the Karis elders and staff, as they are a continual wealth of experience and insight when working on ministry projects.

While at Karis, I have learned a lot about ministry. A couple of takeaways that I could point to is that church ministry is a team effort – and not just a pastoral or staff team effort, but the whole congregation. I have had to learn (sometimes the hard way) not to be a ministry hog; to share and rely on my Karis brothers and sisters. On top of that, there is something about ministering to and with a group of people that binds your heart to them. It is easy, especially when finishing school, to think you are just headed to another training, experience, or job opportunity, but the reality is that the local church really does create a family.

Aaron Ferguson is a graduate of Midwestern Seminary, a part-time middle school Bible teacher, and a current Karis Church intern. The Karis Internship is a two-year intensive ministry experience designed for those who feel a calling to vocational or lay church leadership. We believe that the training of future church leaders is best done in the context of the local church, so we are are always looking for new interns to join the team. If you’d like to learn more about the Karis Internship program, visit this page! If you have any interest or questions, don’t hesitate to email us at info@karischurch.org - we’d love to hear from you!