Direct answer
What is a Christian internship year?
A Christian internship year is a year-long, faith-based internship model — real work responsibility inside a Christian organization, paired with mentorship and spiritual formation, rather than a classroom-based program. At Cross to Life, it's also paid: $12,000+ for the year.
Not just chores
Actual departments. Actual evaluation.
Participants rotate through hospitality, food service, facilities, grounds, and event support at a working conference center — supervised by staff who expect real follow-through, not a checklist of easy tasks.
What you walk away with
The skills that actually transfer
- Reliability — showing up and following through, every shift, not just when it's convenient
- Teamwork under real pressure, not group-project pressure
- Direct feedback — receiving correction from a supervisor and adjusting
- Conflict resolution with people you live with, not just work with
- Ownership of a task from start to finish, without someone checking every step
And you get paid for it
$12,000+ a year. No tuition.
Most internship-style programs either don't pay or charge tuition for the privilege. Cross to Life pays participants instead. See the full cost comparison.
Common questions
Straight answers
Is this a real internship, or just volunteer work?
It's real, supervised work in actual departments — hospitality, food service, facilities, grounds, and event support — at a working conference center, not busywork or informal volunteering.
What skills do you actually gain?
Reliability, teamwork, receiving direct feedback, conflict resolution, and full ownership of tasks — the kind of transferable skills that show up in almost any job afterward.
Do you need previous work experience to apply?
No. Most participants have little to no formal work history. The rotation is designed to build experience, not require it.
Is this different from an internship at a company?
Yes — it's residential and year-long, paired with daily mentorship, community, and spiritual formation, not just a resume line. The work itself is real, but the surrounding structure is built for whole-person growth, not just career experience.
Does this count as work experience on a resume?
Yes. Twelve months of consistent, supervised work responsibility across multiple departments is legitimate, resume-worthy experience — and unlike most internships, it pays $12,000+ for the year.
Curious what a real week looks like? See a week in the life or learn more about the program.
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis
Ready for a year of work that actually means something?
Applications for the 2026–2027 cohort are reviewed on a rolling basis.
Begin Your Journey