Letter to a Future Imprint Intern

Dear Future Intern,

My wife, daughter, and I moved to South Africa recently. We were sent here to church plant and are beginning our time by completing the Imprint internship at Brackenhurst Baptist Church (BBC). It is mid-July as I write—six months into the ten-month internship. With each passing week, the value of the internship and the future benefits it offers for ministry become increasingly evident.

In the rest of this letter, I want to offer some thoughts on why this internship has meant so much to me. Along the way, I’ll also address a few possible concerns or objections you might have. Down the road, I’m sure many more benefits of my time here will become apparent—but thus far, these are the ones that have stood out for me.

Two major possible objections stand out.

You may be concerned about leaving a church or community where you’ve spent many years, only to join a different, unfamiliar church for such a short time. You might wonder, will we fit in? What about pastoral oversight and being cared for during this season? In the six months we’ve been here, we already feel deeply loved, supported, and connected at BBC. We have bonded with our community group, made many friends, and become contributing members. While here, you will undoubtedly receive the counsel and support you need as you prepare for what the Lord is calling you to do. If, like me, you come with your wife and kids, they will be well loved and cared for. Your souls will be richly fed, as worship is conducted in a biblical and reverent manner, and gospel-saturated, Christ-exalting sermons are faithfully preached twice each Lord’s Day.

In my case, I had already been to seminary and had served my local church in a formal ministry capacity before coming to do the internship. You might be tempted to think, I’ve already been educated enough, or I’ve had enough experience—what more could I gain from this internship? Seminary taught me a lot of valuable information, for which I am grateful, and my time serving at our sending church helped equip me and put many things into practice. However, from a learning perspective, the internship at BBC has a more specific focus. Everything I’ve done here has been geared toward understanding the nature of the church and how God desires his household to conduct itself—as a gospel community and a witness in the world. This emphasis was not stressed enough in my previous training, and the Lord has certainly used the internship to equip me in this vital area.

Let me mention four major benefits that stand out as I think about my time in the internship.

Like seminary, the internship involves a lot of reading and writing on the church and various aspects of biblically faithful ministry. But unlike seminary, it also includes regular, in-depth discussions on both doctrinal and practical matters. Tommie van der Walt and Doug Van Meter spend hours each week engaging with interns—teaching, challenging, encouraging, and motivating us. These conversations are drawn from decades of ministry experience (Doug has pastored the same church for over thirty years). It is a tremendous blessing to have a season to sit and learn in such an environment. You are also given the opportunity to attend all the elder meetings of this church of around 300 members. I have learned so much simply by observing these meetings. Every agenda item is biblically-informed, and every matter is handled in an orderly and purposeful manner, aimed at the effective shepherding of the flock. Leading a congregation of this size in such a healthy way—and cultivating such wide involvement and buy-in from the members—is a rare achievement. Seeing the processes, principles, and practices that led to this culture is something I could never have learned from a book.

Another bonus of the internship is the wealth of resources you’re generously provided with. You get to keep all the books assigned for reading during your time as an intern.

As an intern, you are fully incorporated into Imprint office life and day-to-day office tasks—the camaraderie, brotherhood, and spiritual encouragement are something special. Tommie and Banele, who work alongside me in the office daily, will surely remain lifelong friends and brothers I can call on for mutual support and encouragement in the years to come.

As part of the internship, you also attend a Charles Simeon Trust preaching workshop and the Imprint Weekender. Beyond the practical, technical, and theological benefits of these events, the fellowship, brotherhood, and networking opportunities are invaluable. You don’t become an intern merely to equip yourself, but to become part of something bigger than yourself—a network connected to ministry, missions, and church planting. Through it, you’ll find opportunities to support the establishment, reformation, and strengthening of healthy churches across this continent and beyond.

Dear brother, I hope this has been helpful as you consider whether this might be a part of the Lord’s preparation for you as you seek to serve him and his people—for his glory. 

Every blessing in Christ,

Dirk de Waal