The Historical Development of the Book of Church Order

Chapter 19 : The Licensure of Candidates for the Gospel Ministry and Internship

Paragraph 7 : Of Internship

B. Internship
19-7. The Holy Scriptures require that some trial be previously made of those who are to be ordained to the ministry of the Word, both concerning their gifts and concerning their ability to rule as teaching elders, in order that this sacred office may not be degraded by being committed to weak or unworthy men, and that the Church may have an opportunity to form a better judgment respecting the gifts of those to whom this sacred office is to be committed.
To provide for such a period of trial, a candidate for ordination must serve an internship. This period of internship shall be at least one year in length, and may be longer at the discretion of the Presbytery so as to give sufficient time for the Presbytery to judge the candidate’s qualifications and service. This period of internship may occur during or after the candidate’s formal theological education. When it occurs during his formal theological education, it may include an intern year in addition to his time of academic training or it may run concurrent with his academic training.
The nature of the internship shall be determined by the Presbytery, but it should involve the candidate in full scope of the duties of any regular ministerial calling approved by the Presbytery. It is to be both a time of practical instruction and testing by the Presbytery, and may be in any work which the Presbytery deems to be a suitable ministry to test the intern’s gifts. The intern should be closely supervised by the Presbytery throughout this trial period.

DIGEST:

BACKGROUND & COMPARISON:
No comparable text in the following editions:
1. PCA 1973, Adopted text
2. Continuing Presbyterian Church 1973, Proposed text
3. PCUS 1933
4. PCUS 1879
5. PCUS 1869 draft
6. PCUS 1867 draft

COMMENTARY:
F.P. Ramsay, Exposition of the Book of Church Order
(1898)
[no comparable text for discussion]