A Summer of Transformation
One of the best ways to discern if God is leading you to become a missionary is to experience cross-cultural ministry firsthand. For this reason, Pioneer Bible Translators offers multiple internship opportunities each summer.
Our greatest hope for our interns is for them to grow in intimacy with God and in hearing His voice as they come face to face with His heart for the world. Our heart is to equip them to thrive in an overseas setting and to journey alongside them as they explore the Lord’s leading in their lives.
The internship begins with Pre-Field Orientation, intentionally designed to help interns prepare for their time on the field. During these two weeks, interns receive hands on training in language acquisition, team formation, cultural anthropology, spiritual formation, and conflict resolution. They participate in interactive team-building activities under the direction and mentorship of certified life-coaches. In addition, interns get to participate in a myriad of opportunities – Bible translation demonstrations, literacy equipping sessions, disciple-making strategies, community development, and support ministries. They attend Discovery, where they meet many of our missionaries and catch our vision to see networks of churches using translated Scripture to grow, mature, and multiply.
The internship continues with the field portion, which lasts about six weeks. Interns participate in activities designed to help them acquire a broader vision of God’s world, gain further insight into His heart for the unreached, and continue becoming the people God created each of them to be. Our internships are organized to walk interns into the day-to-day life situations of the missionaries who are hosting them.
The internship concludes in Dallas for debriefing and reconnecting with other interns.
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Internship
Ministry efforts cannot move forward without the faithful work of those in administration. During the course of the summer, we are offering an internship in Papua New Guinea to 1-2 interns gifted in administration. These interns will work directly with a mentor on the field serving out of the main office in town with the […]
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Internship
In partnership with one of our sister organizations, interns will research, develop and implement plans for one of the following projects: Tilapia project, with the goal of working toward a sustainable protein solution. Vegetable farm development, utilizing existing systems in place for cash crop development to build a sustainable perennial and annual plan for a […]
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Internship
The Diaspora team in St. Louis works to disciple unreached refugees and immigrants from another world religion who have come here from all over the world. Many refugees and immigrants come from places that are difficult for missionaries to access, providing an amazing opportunity to see them impacted by the Gospel. The hope is that they […]
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Internship
Pioneer Bible Translators’ finance department handles the financial oversight and accountability for over 400 teammates. In addition, they receive, disburse and wire money across the world while ensuring Pioneer Bible Translators stays within the legal parameters of both the U.S. Government and the countries where Pioneer Bible Translators resides. During the course of the internship, […]
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Internship
When technology breaks in today’s world, translation is unable to move forward. The IT Department of Pioneer Bible Translators offers crucial support to our missionaries around the world. They keep computers running and do a lot of behind the scenes work to enable our field workers to succeed in their ministries while communicating with loved […]
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Internship
The Caucasus Mountains are home to some of the most unique languages on Earth. This internship will provide an opportunity to experience the Caucasus region and learn about the many opportunities available there. Interns will participate in language learning, as well as have opportunities to visit different parts of the area, learning about the languages […]
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Internship
Our West Africa Literacy and Scripture Engagement internship offers an opportunity to one intern to view the Bible translation ministry roles of literacy and Scripture engagement (i.e., discipleship) in a cross-cultural setting. The intern will have the opportunity to experience town and village living throughout the summer and actively engage in literacy and Scripture engagement […]
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Internship
Pioneer Bible Translators’ Media and Communications (MAC) department is passionate about creating media that mobilizes believers to reach the unreached, Bibleless peoples through giving, praying or missionary service. Using video, design, writing, and social media, the MAC team shares the stories of Bibleless peoples—how the power of God’s Word in their own language transforms individuals, […]
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Internship
What if you could use your passion and skills this summer to have a global, Kingdom impact? What if at the end of the day you could rest knowing that the code you wrote, tested, and deployed to production was now helping hundreds of missionaries around the world? What if the website you worked on […]
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Internship
During the course of this internship, interns will get to serve two language communities alongside two different translation projects in the interior of a major island in the region of Southeast Asia. Students will walk through the various steps of the translation process – one smaller language with a number of fellowships and the other […]
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are overseas internships like?
Our teams usually consist of 3-4 students (generally college-aged) and a team coach, who serves as a facilitator, leader and guide. Since we want students to see a broad range of ministry and cultural learning activities, intern teams typically visit multiple locations in the country where they are serving. They also get to interact with many missionaries and their families, and they have opportunities to observe the behind-the-scenes activities that are at the heart of what it takes to be a missionary.
On any given day, an intern might:
- Participate in a literacy workshop with veteran missionaries
- Assist in a back translation or village check of a passage of Scripture
- Work alongside national translators as they edit, revise and discuss word usage in translation
- Practice language learning in an open market
- Go on a prayer walk
- Show the Jesus Film
- Worship in a village church
- Distribute Scripture in villages
- Observe how the local people incorporate their art forms into their worship
- Learn about the local culture and bond with nationals through hunting, fishing, drinking tea, picking peanuts, cooking, fixing thatched roofs, or whatever other adventure God takes you on
Although we do not require potential interns to know they definitely want to be long-term missionaries, we do ask every applicant to be open to the idea of serving overseas as a vocational missionary. Applicants who are just looking for a fun experience or a great short-term mission trip are not a good fit for our internship.
Can I get school credit?
How much do internships cost?
Can I raise support for my internship?
Absolutely. In fact, we highly encourage interns to get the full experience of being a missionary by going through the process of raising both financial and prayer support.
What kinds of interns are you looking for?
We are praying for God to send us teachable, humble and servant-hearted followers of Jesus who are investigating how God may want to use them to impact and build His Kingdom.
How do I apply?
You can apply for an internship by contacting one of our recruiters. After dialoguing with you about which internship is the best fit for your interests, they will send you an information packet that includes:
- An electronic application
- Electronic reference forms
- Sample budgets
Click here to send us a message. (Be sure to select the ‘internship’ option.) Or call the recruitment department at (214) 699-4221.