“The internship was created to raise up and develop young leaders,” Lauren explains. Even though the internship was new to CedarCreek, the heart behind it was always there. “We always had eyes on the next generation because when we invest in them, not only do we see an impact now, but we lay the foundation for a church that remains on mission in the future.” 

Every year, the young adults who participate in the 10-month internship are called a “class.” Lauren was in the very first class, and the four interns started with one of the most challenging parts—raising their financial support. Support raising gives interns freedom to focus on their ministry work without worrying about how to financially support themselves otherwise. 

“It was a challenging, humbling, and important experience for me!” Lauren remembers. “I was so honored to be supported by a variety of people for a variety of reasons. One supporter, a family friend, was not a Christian, but he cared about me and my leadership development. I believe that my monthly blog updates were an encouragement to him and hopefully pointed him to Jesus!” 

Almost twenty years after graduating from her internship, everything came full circle for Lauren. As leader of the Next Gen team, Lauren took charge of the internship program in 2019. Now, Lauren walks alongside each year’s interns, meeting with them weekly and developing their leadership throughout their 10 months. 

And that’s where I come in. 

My name is Ashley, and I’m in the current 2025-2026 internship class. When I applied, I was in the middle of a master’s program in creative writing and had almost given up on pursuing ministry. I thought that ministry was God’s purpose for me, but I felt out of place for it. My doubts swirled—maybe I got it all wrong, maybe I had tried the wrong paths... but my worst fear was that I simply wasn’t good enough, that I didn’t have what it took. 

CedarCreek invited me to join the internship in a content development role, but my doubts were so loud that I considered backing out. God made it very clear to me that I wouldn’t grow if I didn’t say yes to him and step out, so I stayed. And praise God, I’m so glad I did! 

God has transformed my sense of purpose through the investment of Lauren and the CedarCreek staff I’m blessed to work with. It wasn’t until my supervisor, Marna, told me, “Ashley, your voice matters!” that I realized I spent a lot of my adult life telling myself that it didn’t. I had assumed that I didn’t have the “right” talents or personality for ministry, but God showed me that the story I was telling myself wasn’t the whole picture. After seeing him use the unique gifts of my fellow interns, church staff, and the DreamTeam to accomplish his mission, I can fully grasp the truth of Paul’s words to the early church in Rome. 

Romans 12:4-5 
Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 

The internship’s mission is to equip young adults for the special function God has in mind for them, and that’s Laruen’s heart as well. “One of the best experiences in life is watching someone become the person God created them to be,” she says, “especially when they begin helping another person along the same journey.” Lauren lives that out as she leads our intern class, and my prayer is that we go on to help others find their God-given purpose too. 

If you’re a young adult seeking to discover and explore God’s purpose for you, apply for the 2026-2027 internship here! Applications are open through January 31st, 2026. 

Source: 

Internship content provided in part by Lauren Snyder. Lauren first attended CedarCreek in 1999, and her family is actively involved at the South Toledo campus, which is in the same neighborhood where she grew up. Lauren has been on staff at CedarCreek for 23 years in a variety of roles. She currently serves as the Executive Director of Next Gen, Groups, and Outreach as she continues her commitment to investing in people of all ages.