FAQs - One Year Internship
Who can enroll for IDMC Institute's (IDMCi) One-year Internship Program? Is it just for CEFC members?
IDMCi is for all Christians who desire to follow Jesus Christ as authentic disciples and desire to be effective disciple-makers in obedience to His Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Its predecessor, Evangelical Theological Centre (ETC), was originally started to equip members of CEFC and the Evangelical Free Church denomination in Singapore in discipleship. Today, all who desire to be part of the IDMC global movement – to return the church to its disciple-making roots – are welcome to enroll in IDMCi.
What tracks are offered and do you accept foreign applications?
- All 3 tracks : Ministry (MIN), Missions (MSN), Marketplace (MKT) and only local Singapore based students are accepted for the one-year internship
- We accept short term overseas visitors (overseas) if applicants already have the relevant passes to stay in Singapore. IDMC Institute is currently not able to apply for foreign student passes.
How much does it cost?
- Programme A interns who are CEFC members do not pay.
- Programme B trainees pay $1000 for the whole 12 months of training (Additional expenses include Breakthrough weekends, retreats, IDMC Conference and short-term mission trip).
- Visiting students pay only for the modules they take (e.g., $80 for an 8-week module and $40 for a 4-week module).
What is the difference between Programme A and Programme B Student?
- We encourage all Interns to benefit from the full curriculum (classes & assignments, ministry attachments, mentoring, staff devotion, table talks, QC, BTW, Silent Retreat, Short Term Mission trips, serving on Sunday, etc.)
- Programme A Interns are open only to members of Covenant EFC. They have to be committed to the full programme. Course fees and participation in IDMCi activities are supported by the Institute. Interns follow the 5-day schedule of Covenant Staff.
- Programme B Interns are open to worshipers from Covenant or other churches. Program B interns self-fund the course fees and any other IDMCi activities and training. They are required to attend weekly classes, mentoring, all Table Talks, Staff Devotions and QC; plus self-fund and attend the annual Breakthrough Weekend, Silent Retreat, IDMC Conference, and Short-term Mission Trip.
- Please see the question below on What is the typical daily routine? for the difference in terms of schedule.
What is the typical daily routine?
- Program A Intern: you are following office hours from 8.30-5.30pm with Tuesday as Sabbath while Sunday is a work day. All other days, you are either at the the ACKCentre or at your assigned area of ministry. There might be regular Saturday afternoon / night ministry if assigned to the TNG ministry or Monday / Wednesday night if assigned to IDT ministry. Your schedule will look like the calendar below.
- Program B Intern: you are required to join Staff Devotion, Intern's Community Time, and attend all classes, mentoring, and table talks (the cells highlighted in Yellow below). See the above question What is the difference between Programme A and Programme B Student? for more details.
- A typical week look like this:
SUN | MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | |
AM |
Worship Service / Ministry duties |
Staff devotion |
Sabbath |
Personal study time / Table talks / Mentor meet-up / Classroom session |
Classroom session |
Classroom session |
Personal study / Processing time / Classroom session |
PM |
Interns community time and personal study time |
Classroom session |
Classroom session |
Ministry Time (where applicable) |
|||
Evening |
CG Time |
What are the application processes and various timelines?
- There will be a number of IDMCi Intro Session throughout the year, where more detailed information on the one-year internship will be shared. You can register here.
- Venue: ACK Centre (2 Kallang Ave, CT Hub #10-26)
- Application forms must be submitted by 31 Oct of the current year. You can either:
- Fill-out this online form
- Or download the form, fill it out, and submit to the IDMC Institute registrar via post or email
- There will be an interview with the Principal of IDMCi – In Nov.
- We will endeavour to confirm decision of acceptance by late November / early December.
- Schedule of classes will be sent by late December.
What if I am unsure of my calling?
- While some Christians are called to full time Christian vocation and full time overseas mission, the vast majority of Christians are called to full time marketplace work. IDMCi's vision is to develop authentic disciples of spiritual depth ready for intentional disciple making in their respective spheres of influence through experiential learning and relationships.
- Consider IDMCi if you believe God is calling you to take a 12-month pause, get yourself equipped (inside out – this is not just about ministry skills; rather the emphasis is first and foremost, deepening your relationship with God) and using this time to seek the Lord for your future calling
Which track should I sign up for?
- If you are keen to pursue a full-time Christian vocation with a local church – Ministry (MIN) track
- If you are called to a mission field – Missions (MSN) track
- If you believe your calling is at the marketplace or business – Marketplace (MKT) track
- If you are unsure of Programme A or B, we encourage you to go for Programme A and seek confirmation during the year
- If you are unsure of Ministry (MIN) or Marketplace (MKT), we encourage you to go for Programme A with MIN assignment + join emphasis modules for MKT
What is the duration of each track?
- All tracks will have a common 12 months of core curriculum
- Ministry (MIN) – a total of 12 months core curriculum and ministry assignment
- Missions (MSN) – up to 18 months of which 12 months core curriculum and upon mutual assessment of readiness at the end of 12 months, another 3-6 months missions attachment
- Marketplace (MKT) – a total of 12 months core curriculum and marketplace emphasis modules might be conducted in the evening/Saturdays
- The internship starts first week of January and ends mid-December
When does the next term start and what if I can’t join by the starting date?
If you are unable to join us at the start of the term, there is some flexibility but we do need to review on a case by case basis. We generally encourage students to come in right from the beginning as we want them to progress with the cohort together; IDMCi is all about the whole experience with the whole cohort.
What curriculum is covered under each track?
For more information on what modules are covered under each track, click here.
Who are the faculty?
For more information on our faculty, click here.
Where are lessons conducted?
Lessons will be conducted at ACKCentre: 2 Kallang Avenue, #10-26, CT HUB, Singapore 339407.
What are the ministry assignments? Who are the mentors?
- MIN assignment: at this point in time, we are unable to specify the assignments for the MIN track. As a process, we will first understand from the various ministries in church their ministry's plan for the next 2-3 years and resource needs. During interview we would also find out from potential interns their ministry preference. We would attempt to match needs with intern's preference unless the SPO provides a different burden. Your mentor would likely be the Pastor of the ministry you are assigned to (though this is not always possible)
- MSN assignment: The significant assignment is the 3-6 month field attachment. During the 12 month course term itself, MSN Interns are responsible for mission week organising, weekly involvement with cross cultural mission fellowships e.g., Indonesian fellowship, Home Missions, etc) and participating in overseas BTW. Your mentor would likely be experienced missionaries (attending Covenant, if at all possible)
- MKT assignment: This is a relatively new track and we are still exploring and learning the appropriate assignments for each batch.
I am not sure if I should go for theological seminary or IDMCi
- IDMCi's unique calling is to develop disciple-mentors; hence our focus is very much on growing as an
- Authentic disciple - OT classes, NT classes, Book studies, IDMC Modules like ACK, etc.
- Intentional disciple maker – BHR (counselling), Homiletics (preaching), Prayer, Mentoring for Roots & Wings (facilitation), etc.
- Through Experiential learning - STM, BTW, Silent Retreat, etc.
- and Relationships - Mentoring relationships, Ministry assignments, etc.
- If you are aligned with IDMCi vision and also is seriously considering further theological seminary studies, IDMCi is a good first step as it does help to prepare one for seminary
- Having said that, you might want to consult with our pastors who have done both.
What preparation should I do prior to joining?
- Understand your motivation for coming on as a full time intern.
- Seek the Lord for the most appropriate posture
What if I am unable to commit to the basic program?
I heard about Bi-VOC – what is it and how is it related to IDMCI?
- Bi-VOC stands for bi-vocational missions. In its purest sense, these are meant for marketplace people who have a heart for mission while holding a full time job.
- IDMCi is committed to equip those who are interested. They attend night classes related to overseas missions such as cross-cultural mission, holistic mission, etc. to prepare themselves to be "tent-makers" overseas.
- There is a FAQ specifically for BI-VOC if you are interested. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
What happened to ETC?
ETC has grown to become IDMCi and its core curriculum and training philosophy - which served us so well – have been incorporated into the revamped and updated curricula of the three tracks of IDMCi.
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