Student group provides service to churches, hands-on experience

PLAINVIEW—For ministerial students at Wayland Baptist University who want hands-on experience, internships typically take the form of volunteer or part-time staff roles at area churches, most of them small congregations. But a new student-led venture at Wayland provides future ministers with another venue for honing their skills.

Wayland Baptist University students serving in the Eleazar Project group discuss their experiences at a fellowship at the home of a religion faculty member. The group met monthly for fellowship and networking. (PHOTO/Wayland Baptist University)

The Eleazar Project, housed in Wayland’s School of Religion and Philosophy, consists of groups of students who travel to churches around the region to provide their services for a Sunday. The specifics vary from church to church depending on their needs.

Organizers chose the name “Eleazar” after a common Biblical name that translates from Hebrew as “May God help,” echoing the sentiment of students who feel called to serve churches with leadership from God.

“We call the churches beforehand and explain to them what the point of the project is, which is two-fold—to serve churches and to gain experience,” said Chris Winegar, a senior religion major from Rock Rapids, Iowa, who plans to be a preacher. “Some churches want only preaching, some want everything from Sunday school teachers and children’s workers to music leaders.”

After the team leaders have defined the church’s needs, the group meets to lay out the plan of action, forming the team based on what students are needed and the strengths and talents of those studying for ministry at Wayland. Not all of the 40 students in the Eleazar group are religion majors or minors. Some, Winegar noted, are just interested in serving churches and getting more experience in doing so.

The group’s services are not limited to small churches, and the group likes the variety of experiences they’ve been able to have. A key element is an evaluation form the group receives from church staff members providing helpful feedback on how students can improve their skills.

Miguel Garcia, a freshman from Livingston, has found his Eleazar Project visits to churches helpful as he hones his skills as a worship leader. Although Garcia is a religion major with an emphasis in youth ministry, he enjoys leading music and playing his guitar at churches.

“I have learned a lot during this. It has helped me to prepare for the services more,” he said. “This has helped me learn more hymns and challenged me to know not only contemporary songs but to fuse traditional music into the services as well. I also used to be pretty nervous in leading worship but now I’m much more comfortable.”

Garcia leads worship for the youth program on Wednesdays at Seth Ward Baptist Church and enjoys the opportunity to practice flexibility in his worship role.

Although he is preparing to preach, Winegar has let other students take the pulpit with Eleazar since he gets the opportunity to preach locally at College Heights Baptist Church, where he has been a member a few years. He enjoys the role of coordinating experiences for other students and seeing them really benefit from the field trips.

“It’s been nice to go into a church you’re not used to, because all churches do some things differently,” Winegar said. “We’ve been able to hone our skills with these services, and it’s given us exposure to different people and personalities.”

Junior Wes Tayntor, a religion major from Wichita Falls, said he also has enjoyed the exposure to varied churches. He has preached with Eleazar at Highland Baptist Church in Lubbock and at First Baptist in Earth. While he is considering a career in encampment ministry, Tayntor enjoys preaching and is glad to be able to use that skill and sharpen it.

“I enjoy preaching and having the chance to get more experience in that area. I think both times I have benefited in the time of preparing and the chance to speak in front of different groups,” Tayntor said. “The feedback forms have been helpful too to know what to change the next time—what worked, what didn’t work.”

Debbie Wiley, who directs the theological research and writing lab for the school, said she original proposed the group idea to school dean Paul Sadler, believing ministerial students needed a new option to give them practical experience. With his approval, she pulled together students to form the original leadership team of four, then promptly moved out of the way, desiring the group to be student-led all the way. She has been pleased at the outcome.

“Students may leave here and never have the opportunity to have actual experiences with churches in the field in which they want to serve,” Wiley said. “In the fall we were going somewhere almost every week, and in the spring we’ve been several times.”

The leadership team now stands at seven members, Winegar said, with some freshmen added to give them several years of leadership.

The group has regular fellowships each month to establish bonds and network about their experiences. They had a fall formal and a fellowship that ended in a surprise reenactment of an underground church experience. A barn dance was planned to close out the spring semester.