Pastoral Apprenticeship

Who We Are

Grace & Peace Fellowship is an urban church that seeks to grow enthusiastic worshippers, equipped disciples, and embodied witnesses in Saint Louis. Founded in 1969 by apprentices of Francis Schaeffer (who performed our church’s first infant baptism in the kitchen sink of the house we met at) and his L’abri ministry, Grace & Peace is a historic church seeking to revitalize its roots. Located in a fast-growing area of the city (with luxury apartments popping up by the day and the arts scene booming right next to us in the Delmar Maker District) while also located smack-dab on the Delmar Divide (our street serves as an infamous socio-economic dividing line, with generally wealthy neighborhoods to the south and generally impoverished neighborhoods to the north), we find ourselves in a new season with a refreshed vision and the need for others to come alongside us - and this Apprenticeship is an opportunity to be a part of that!

  • We’re looking for a man or woman (the position title changes to “Ministry Apprenticeship” in this case) to fill the paid role of “Pastoral Apprentice” at G & P. Why “apprentice” instead of “intern?” Because you’ll be doing more than watching & learning - with support and encouragement, you’ll actually be doing the work of ministry. Apprentices will have the opportunity to serve at Grace & Peace and work in strategic areas of focus. The program will be designed around the apprentice’s gifts, interests, and future goals, as well as the church’s needs. 

    • Sinner saved by grace; vibrant, growing, spirit-empowered, Jesus-enabled relationship with God, and living into descriptions in 1 Timothy 3 & Titus 1 

    • Seminary or University enrollment

    • Sense (can be a fuzzy sense - this role may help in that regard) of call to ministry

    • Transfer of church membership and involvement in our fellowship

  • There are many variables here because the role will be based on the candidate, but here are some responsibilities & opportunities of the position in general: 

    • Responsibilities: 

      • Meet with the Senior Pastor on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for personal discipleship and ministry growth

      • General Ministry Opportunities (items that aren’t required, but are available to the interested candidate)

        • Flexible to fulfill both seminary and presbytery requirements for internships (as applicable)

        • Preaching - yes, you can actually get preaching reps here! (as applicable, after a semester of preaching classes at seminary)

        • Teaching (Sunday School, Fellowship Groups, etc.) 

        • Creating & leading worship liturgy 

        • Attending staff, session, and preaching meetings

  • Our church has many areas of ministry in which there are opportunities to serve; while the apprenticeship will certainly experience overlap in multiple different areas, we expect that the main area of service will be done in one of the following “service tracks,” agreed to by the church and the candidate, according to his or her gifts, interests, and future goals, as well as the church’s needs.

    These service tracks include:

    • NextGen Ministry (youth and/or children’s ministries - opportunity to start a college/young adults ministry)

    • Mercy Ministry (winter homeless shelter and Diaconate)

    • Arts Ministry (working with our Arts Director & Art Gallery)

    • Worship Ministry (music team on Sundays and/or Worship team / liturgy)

    • Outreach Ministry (missions team and outreach / evangelism efforts)

    • Community Ministry (Fellowship Groups and other gatherings)

  • We ask for a one-year commitment, renewable in agreement with both parties at the end of each year during the course of your studies.

    This is a paid position that comes with a yearly stipend of $2,700. 

Next Steps 

Please send an email to our Assistant Pastor, Sam Heaton, for next steps at sam@graceandpeacefellowship.org

Testimonials

“Grace and Peace was a place where we were able to grow in our faith, engage in the life of the church, and understand more and more what it looks like to serve him in the work that He’s doing in our world. But mainly it was our church home - a wonderful place for me and my family where we could be fed, encouraged, nourished spiritually, and worship together.”
— Jacob Lee, Assistant Pastor of Grace & Peace, Greenville SC
“The church was gracious to give us practice leading a ministry with such support and care from the elders and pastors. It was lovely to get to jump into the life of the church and be a real part of the Grace and Peace family.”
— Zach & Margarita Diaz Lutz, Pastor of Trinity Church (Puerto Rico)
“Grace & Peace is where I saw that God was really at work through His Church. I was shaped by things like our regular congregational meals, and our Women’s Shelter, both places where I have encountered God at work. As a pastoral intern, it was a great place to try things with no pressure to ‘knock it out of the park’ - things like preaching and teaching, writing and leading the liturgy, and learning how to do homeless ministry. I’m grateful to Grace & Peace for being a place that I could grow into my calling, at my own pace, with leaders and congregants who loved me well.”
— Noah Rinehart, RUF Campus Minister at Saint Louis University