Reflections on Pastoral Internship and Church Planting

The Malawi Reformation Network’s pastoral internship and church planting are going very well! This program is both challenging and wonderful. I’m happy to be an intern here and am learning a lot about pastoral internships and church planting. My role as an administrator is helping me to develop managerial skills integrated with Christian values. Furthermore, the internship has deepened my understanding of how reformed churches should operate.  This has awakened and heightened my interest in learning more about reformed doctrine. 

the internship has deepened my understanding of how reformed churches should operate. This has awakened and heightened my interest in learning more about reformed doctrine.Tweet it

I thank God for the vision he gave to Pastor Confex Makhalira whose book reading assignments, team teaching, sermon preparations, group discussions and weekly door-to-door outreach efforts are proving profoundly instructive to us as interns. All these activities are helping me to be a good time manager, disciplined, focused, a good manager of my resources, reliant on God through prayer and Bible readings, and always reflecting on God’s will upon my life more and more. This internship is a process that is transforming and reforming me from old Madalitso to new Madalitso who will be really ready to serve God in a new capacity as a pastor.  

There are some challenges in this internship. The first one is people’s negative attitude or perception about Christianity because of their experiences with prosperity gospel preachers and prophets who make empty promises to them through their false teachings. This makes it difficult for us to penetrate and reach out to many with the true gospel because we are mistaken as false teachers.  In addition, I find it hard to manage my financial resources due to Malawi’s poor economy and family demands.  However, by God’s grace, he is seeing us through. Lastly, substantial reading assignments and Saturday work have been hard to cope with. 

I’m grateful that Pastor Makhalira has consistently encouraged us that pastoral ministry is not easy. Despite such challenges, I’ve been inspired by working with other team members. Regular morning devotions and Bible study leadership preparations have shaped and enhanced my spiritual life.

Our outreach efforts have revealed some unexpected surprises. I had not realized that some people in Malawi (even in cities) are still offering sacrifices to ancestral spirits. I’m also startled to observe how many people who claim to be Christians don’t really understand the gospel and refuse to learn God’s Word through Bible study.

It’s my heartfelt hope to finish my internship successfully and to advance MRN’s future growth and outreach to younger believers who aspire to serve God as pastors. 

I’m thankful for this opportunity to share my ideas and reflections about this internship!