A Winnipeg church and Manitoba Christian university are teaming up to form new leaders in the Kingdom of God. 

Leadership at Winnipeg's Soul Sanctuary says it's something churches need to be intentional about.

"We must make a conscious decision to invest in the next generation of local church leaders,” said Providence Alumnus (D.Min. 2005) Rev. Dr. Gerry Michalski, Lead Pastor of Soul Sanctuary in Winnipeg. Soul Sanctuary’s focus in 2019 has been to take the time, effort, and energy required to train up the next generation of ministers and lay-leaders from within their congregation and to equip them for a life of ministry.

Soul Sanctuary has partnered with Providence University College to introduce a 10-month Internship program for 18-25-year-olds which launches in September 2019. The mission of the program is to raise up church leaders who are passionate about the mission of Jesus and the love of God.

In describing the program, Providence Theological Seminary student and Student Ministries Director at Soul Sanctuary, Jordan Michalski said, “We’ve been tasked with the spiritual care of young people and it's our responsibility to guide them in the way of Jesus. The Soul Sanctuary Internship Program is one way, of many, which we choose to steward that call.” The program focuses on three main areas: academics, missions and hands-on ministry training.

Students enrolled in the program will take accredited courses through Providence, focusing on the areas of spiritual formation and theology. This partnership with a local church is a new method in which Providence seeks to fulfill its mission of teaching people to grow in knowledge and character for both leadership and service.

Students in the program will also participate in short-term local and global missions work, working with Soul Sanctuary’s mission partners on Manitoba First Nations and with the Russian/Ukrainian Assemblies of God. Finally, students will be strategically placed, dependent on their passions and giftings, in ministry positions within the church community, while being actively mentored by staff and church elders.

The partnership between Providence and Soul Sanctuary seeks to ensure a new generation of church leaders who are well-trained and well-experienced. Applications for the program are still open and more information can be found here.