Interns

What would happen if you gave God a year?

The Leeds Diocesan Internship programme is an amazing opportunity to explore more of what it means to be a lifelong disciple of Christ and to serve his church.  It is a year where you will be equipped for the kingdom of God in life, work, and leadership.

The Leeds Diocesan Internship will enable you to experience God at work in the church today, go deeper into the Bible, theology, prayer, and discipleship, and discover more of the gifts and skills that God has given to you.

The scheme runs from September to July.

As an intern, you will be placed in a church to get hands-on ministry experience; you will be part of a weekly learning community to equip you as a disciple; you will also have guidance, support, and prayer from others around you.

Over an intern week, you would spend two or three days a week serving in a church and one day a week gathering as a learning community for worship and teaching. You would also be expected to seek a part-time job one or two days a week outside of the church to gain work and discipleship experience in the workplace, and to have one day a week as a day off.

As you will see in our brochure, there are a number of different streams through which you can take part as an intern, for example through the Ministry Experience Scheme, the Future Youth Scheme, the New Wine Discipleship Year or our Independent Stream.

Through this internship programme, we want to grow and nurture disciples who make disciples and who will serve the Kingdom of God in all areas of life, from business, politics, media, education and medicine as well as leading churches across the country and beyond. 

“Be prepared to be stretched and to grow in ways you might not expect. The internship will challenge you, deepen your faith, and teach you a lot about yourself, God, and what it means to serve in a church community – if you are open to that process, it will be an invaluable opportunity.”  - Past intern (see our videos further down or here for more stories shared by past interns)

How to apply

The Diocese of Leeds is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. All post holders and volunteers are expected to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to acceptable pre-appointment checks, including a satisfactory Enhanced DBS check.

Being an intern in 2026-27. Our final recruitment round is now closed but if you are interested about starting in September 26 please contact Katharine as soon as possible and before end of June.
Thinking about being an intern in 2027-28?
- Find out more about what is offered and what to expect by reading our brochure, the intern role description and the Code of Conduct. 
- Explore things through an informal chat with our Intern Lead Simon. Email Katharine, our Internship Coordinator, to arrange this. 
- Sign up to be sent the 2027-28 application pack (application form and other documents) when it's available Application Pack sign up.
- Visas – we are really sorry but we are unable to provide a certificate of sponsorship for those who do not have permission to reside in the UK.

Could your church encourage future interns?

Is there anyone in your congregation who you think God may be calling to be an intern, either to be placed at your church or at another church? If so, please get in touch with us. For most interns, it is a specific conversation and encouragement to explore the role that means they end up as an intern.

If you are a church and could help us raise awareness of this great opportunity for 2027-28, please download our Flyer to display on your church notice board (if you would like a hard copy please email Katharine); and/or our Internship Promotion slides, one or more of which could be used in your Digital notices at the start of services. 