Jaxon Kulp – Ministry Internship

My name is Jaxon Kulp and I have an internship with Petra Church in the high school and middle school ministries department. Not only have I learned a lot about what it means to be in the ministry field as a full-time job, but I am also getting a taste of what ministry is like from a part-time volunteer point of view. Seeing that I am able to either make this a full-time occupation after high school or even just put it as a part-time (like most leaders for high school and middle school ministry) gives me relief to know that whatever I am doing after high school, I can be involved with ministry no matter what.

My day-to-day looks different depending on what day it is. Starting with the best part of my internship, I get to work administratively and relationally on Monday and Wednesday nights. Mondays are EDGE ministries and switch weekly between being just seventh and eighth-graders, and fifth through eighth-graders. Every week I lead the seventh-grade boys during small group, and we get to check in with how life is going on a smaller, personal level. Building relationships with the students is the most important part of ministry, in my opinion, because being able to relate to the students brings so many different opportunities for ministry. The motto we like to use at EDGE is, “Breaking down walls to build up lives”. This, in essence, means that the more we leaders can build connections and relationships with the students, the more opportunity we must be able to reach them on a personal level to be able to invite the Holy Spirit to do work in their lives.

My day-to-day in the office is compiled of work for both high school and middle school ministries. When I am working with Nacho—the high school ministries pastor—I am usually working on material preparation for the Conquer Series, a program designed to help aid men with their sexual purity journey. I am leading a Conquer group with the high school boys that signed up to voluntarily take part in the group. Being able to use the leadership I’ve been surrounded by, and experiencing day to day, has led me to feel confident in my God-given abilities to lead a group of people stronger in their relationship with Christ. On days that I am not working with Nacho, I am working with Dave Rizzo on middle school ministry tasks, planning for events, and review of the weeks past to improve upcoming weeks. I thoroughly enjoy working with this leadership team and have gained an insurmountable amount of valuable knowledge and wisdom about life in ministry.

Being able to experience this level of leadership firsthand has really opened my eyes to the reality of ministry work—it is lifelong and can continue either vocationally or in positions of leadership on weeknights, such as EDGE and High School leadership positions. I am inspired by being at Petra, to continue working throughout my life in ministry, whether or not it will be a full-time job. I know that what I have learned, and continue to learn, will be not only relationships that follow me throughout my years, but the skills to be able to build those relationships and reach other’s hearts as to introduce them to Christ and let Him do the rest.