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 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.
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Before you apply, please read our brochure, the intern role description which gives you an overview of what you could be involved with depending on which church you are placed with, and the Code of Conduct which an intern is expected to follow.
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If, before you apply, you would like to have an informal chat with our Intern Lead Simon to explore more what doing an internship in 2026-27 could look like, please email Katharine, our Internship Coordinator.
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To apply, please email Katharine who will send you the 2026-27 application pack (application form and other documents).
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Deadlines - There are three recruitment rounds for 2026-27 and so 3 deadlines:
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December 2025 round – deadline now passed.
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April 2026 round - the deadline for applications is 1 April 5pm. Interviews will be the week beginning 27 April.
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June 2026 round - the deadline for applications is 1 June 5pm. Interviews will be the week beginning 22 June.
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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.
Churches and encouraging 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 2026-27, 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.
Hear below from Revd Simon Walters, our Intern Lead, about our Intern programme!
Meet the team |
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Revd Simon Walters Diocesan Intern Lead |
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Katharine Greathead Internship Coordinator |
Hear from some of our recent interns talking about their experiences:
and also from some of our past interns sharing about how the internship equipped and blessed them for their next steps and God's calling:
Videos Credit: Rachel Berry