Do you want to spend a year traveling the world
helping unreached oral people groups
hear the gospel for the first time?
Then the StoryRunners SOS Internship is for you!
About the SOS Internship
During a StoryRunners one- or two-year SOS internship, you are part of a team that travels the world to conduct School of Storying (SOS) workshops. You teach local believers in unreached oral people groups to develop 40 Bible stories in their own heart language and to launch communities of multiplying disciples among their own people. Immediately, these same speakers unleash the life-changing message of God’s love and forgiveness in Jesus Christ as they tell these stories in a ministry of evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.
There are two options for the one-year SOS internship: beginning August 1 and ending July 31, or beginning January 1 and ending December 31. If you are accepted, StoryRunners provides you with a personal coach to help you develop your funding during the months before your internship begins. Never raised money before? No problem! You will have all the materials, training, and personal coaching you need to succeed. In August, you dive into an intensive one-month training program in Orlando, Florida to prepare you for your first SOS project. During your internship, you participate in SOS workshops in multiple worldwide locations, and you may even lead an SOS training team.
Join us as we help people who are still waiting to hear the message of Christ in a language they can understand. Help them hear the story of Jesus in their heart language.
Questions? Find answers in the FAQs section. Don’t find an answer to your question? Ask us!
Ready to apply? Apply Now
Application Tips:
Choose “US Intern” (NOT “International STINT”) for Position because you are based in the United States.
Choose “Other Ministry” for Ministry Preference, then choose “StoryRunners” as your Sub Ministry Preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will I do?
You will coach local speakers of an unreached language group how to develop the 40 oral Bible stories and you will train them to use the stories for evangelism, discipleship, and church planting in order to start multiplying communities of faith. When you are in the United States, you will have an office-based job that helps StoryRunners reach its goals.
What kind of training do I receive?
We train you so that you are fully equipped to go to an unreached people group, to work with national believers to develop the stories, to make high-quality recordings of the stories, and to teach others how to use the stories in a relational ministry of evangelism, discipleship, and church planting.
What will I do when I’m not traveling?
You work at Lake Hart, Cru’s world headquarters in Orlando, Florida, on various StoryRunners projects, using your skills–and maybe even your degree! You also receive ongoing training to develop you as an SOS trainer, a leader, a follower of Christ, and an office professional.
How often will I travel?
Expect to travel with your team to 3 or 4 international locations per year to conduct SOS workshops. However, you can choose to travel less often so that you can focus on using your other skills and abilities to help StoryRunners advance the gospel among unreached people groups.
What are the age, academic, and ministry experience requirements?
You must be at least 18 years old, with a high school diploma, and you must have completed at least one year of college or Bible school, but you don’t need a college degree. Cross-cultural ministry and/or international missions experience are helpful, but not required. You must speak English fluently, but no other language is required.
What if I have student loans or other debt?
Debt does not automatically disqualify you from an internship. Our desire is to ensure that you do not have a monthly debt payment that is a hardship, based on the monthly salary you will receive. We also want to help you be the best steward of your life for Christ. Let’s talk about your situation.
What other qualifications do I need?
A willing heart, flexible attitude, and adventurous spirit!
Will I get paid?
As with any job, you receive a salary, and, like all Cru interns, you raise the funds that pay your salary and your training expenses. We train you in Ministry Partner Development (MPD), also known as support raising, and we provide you with coaching throughout the MPD process. StoryRunners raises funds for most of your international trip expenses.
Where will I live?
When you are in the United States, you live in Orlando, FL near the Cru headquarters. We’ll help you find housing and roommates if you’d like.
When is the application deadline?
March 1 is the application deadline for an August 1-July 31 internship; June 1 is the application deadline for a January 1-December 31 internship. If you would like to discuss alternatives for the internship length, contact us.
How long is the process to join the SOS team?
After you complete your application and we receive your references, we need 4-6 weeks to process your application. Upon acceptance, you attend a Cru Orientation Weekend to meet your coach and the other StoryRunners interns and to learn about Ministry Partner Development (MPD). You spend about 3 months on MPD before reporting to Orlando.
What else do I need to know about the application?
You will need 4 people to complete reference forms for you.
- A Cru staff member
- Your current discipler/mentor or someone who knows you well in ministry
- Your roommate or a friend who knows you well
- Another friend who knows you well.
Note: A reference cannot be a relative or your spouse. If you do not know a Cru staff person, ask someone with whom you’ve interacted the most in ministry or work, a person to whom you are most accountable spiritually (e.g. discipler, Bible study leader, pastor, etc.)
Who do I contact with questions or for help?
Contact our mobilization/human resources team. Someone will answer your questions and guide you through the application process.
How can I know this is God’s will for my life?
We suggest you read an article by David Platt on knowing God’s will and another article on knowing God’s call. Also, check the Life on Mission section on Cru.org for more great resources to help you think about your next step in life.