Barry Bradshaw

The Call to Ministry | Barry Bradshaw’s Internship with Spread the Word

Christians often discover early in their relationship with God that He has a place for everyone to minister. For Bible major Barry Bradshaw, that place was inner-city Detroit, Michigan. For his internship this summer, Barry traveled to Allen Park, a district of Detroit, to work with Spread the Word, a ministry out of Inter-City Baptist Church. There, he was able to experience inner-city ministry for ten weeks, May to August, along with eight other interns. He not only grew in his walk with God, but he also learned that ministry was a constant learning experience, both for the people he ministered to and for himself as a messenger of the Gospel. 

Barry had heard about this internship two years ago through a speaker who had come to campus to talk with men’s society leadership. He heard about the opportunity for a church-planting and evangelistic internship at Inter-City Baptist Church, and it was this summer that he had decided to actively pursue it.  

“My burden is to church-plant, and I believe that it will be in Chicago someday,” Barry said. “Because of that, I really wanted to go somewhere that has that urban environment.” 

The Inner-City Experience 

During his internship, Barry was able to work with church planters in Detroit. In addition, he participated in a summer-long church-planting project in Lincoln Park with two other interns.  

“We were able to research Lincoln Park and help out the pastor who was there,” Barry explained. “We learned more about the community and analyzed the need for another church. We were very engaged in looking at the need for the Gospel in the area as well.” 

Barry and his team researched the demographics and statistics of Lincoln Park. They also interviewed people in the community and pastors of the local churches. At the end of the summer, they presented their research to a group of fifteen leaders from the inner-city churches, the other pastors they had worked with, and some of the teachers at the seminary there. Then they presented a proposal for a hypothetical church-planting situation in Lincoln Park. 

In addition to church-planting efforts, Barry also ( participated in evangelism?)  evangelized in a number of different ways. He traveled to different local churches and helped out with weekend events and workdays. During the week, Barry and the other interns traveled to college campuses and public areas to engage in worldview quizzing with people. Through this type of evangelism, Barry learned about the reality of different people groups and how their situation impacts their beliefs, and how he should approach each person with the Gospel.  

“One thing I didn’t expect was all the cultures that we were serving in,” Barry said. “I think I had underestimated some of the bridges that we would need to cross in ministry with them, whether that came to income level or a language barrier.” 

Taking Classroom Skills to Real-Life Ministry 

During his internship, Barry found himself utilizing many of the skills he had learned in the classroom. One such skill came from his Christian Life, Leadership, and Evangelism class: Barry emphasized the need to connect with people through the Gospel with thought to their own situation and worldview, not simply present facts to them about salvation.  

“We need to really get to the root of their presuppositions and try to point them back to Scripture through that,” he explained. 

In addition, Barry used organizational and presentation skills learned in class to supplement his church-planting project. He also realized the importance of communication skills, especially when presenting the Gospel to people who have different understandings of the Bible and salvation.    

 The Value of God’s Call 

 During his time as an intern, Barry faced struggles—particularly, overcoming his own presuppositions and what he thought he knew about ministry.  

“I think what destroyed that in my mind was the first time I took theoretical education and applied it to practical application,” he explained. “Actually talking to someone who can’t pay their bills or someone who’s been in prison—I had to make that transition and it was a challenge at first. I had to rely a lot on God’s grace to adapt to real life.” 

He also experienced a great culture of accountability. The leaders at Spread the Word consistently encouraged prayer and meditation in God’s Word. In addition, they offered help when the interns needed it. This environment pushed Barry into a closer relationship with God because he was surrounded by those who served as an example of Christ—both in their spiritual encouragement and in their ministering.  

“In our first week of training, we had sessions on the importance and spending time with God’s Word as well as fellowship in the local church,” Barry said. “I clearly saw the emphasis there.” 

Barry and the other interns also had a Bible study group every Monday to encourage Christian fellowship and growth. He emphasized the importance of uplifting each other spiritually so they could effectively share the Gospel with others. 

Barry also found that the fellowship among his team served as an incredible value to him. Knowing that they were sharing the Gospel and serving people together created a unique relationship within the group and served to ultimately build each person up in Christ.  

From Ministry to Ministry 

Finally, serving as an intern for Spread the Word helped Barry in solidifying his plans for the future. According to Barry, it also helped resolve some of the misconceptions he’d had about church planting.  

“Moving forward, it helped me understand what I want to pursue in future church-planting opportunities,” Barry said. 

It also helped realize his need for future seminary education. “I was pretty closed off to seminary when I first came to school,” he explained. “Now I see the value of further grounding in my doctrine and how I interpret the Bible.” 

 Why Internships are Vital 

To students who are thinking about pursuing an internship to supplement their education, Barry fully recommends the experience for a number of reasons. Not only does it allow students to take what they learned in the classroom and apply it to a real-life setting, Barry explains, but it also exposes them to certain skills that cannot be learned in an educational setting. In addition, it encourages students to pursue what God has called them to do and builds helpful connections for the future. 

Overall, Barry walked away from the internship with memories and experiences that will continue to influence him for the rest of his life. It cemented the path on which God is calling him to follow, and it has pushed him farther in how he wants to fulfill God’s purpose for his life. 

“[Ministry] isn’t about having a better life,” he stated. “It’s about having true life in Christ.”