The church has never been so well endowed with apologetic resources.   Books, seminars and degree courses leave plenty of options to develop our gifts in terms of how we engage persons, cultures and worldviews.  There are, however, some significant weaknesses: There are too few contexts in which apologetics is modelled.  It is well known amongst educationalists that the most effective learning takes place when we see something modelled, but this is hard to do in a classroom situation.  We are told what we should be saying.  We rarely have an opportunity to see this modelled by our teachers in a real life situation.  The fact that teaching on apologetics takes place in a classroom or through a book means the appeal is primarily to the intellect.   Although a strong intellect is critical for the apologetic enterprise, it would be a mistake to say it is the only thing.  This is because the act of apologetics involves the whole person.  An apologist may be very intellectually able and yet weak in other dimensions of his/her personality.  As apologists we cannot rise above the level of an integrated maturity that touches every part of our humanity.

As a supplement to the many excellent resources available, the European Leadership Forum sees the need to provide a context where (i) apologetics can be modelled and (ii) where the apologist functions as a whole person.  This is very much part of our vision, to raise up a generation of apologists who are mature in every facet of their God-given humanity.

In order to meet this need, the Forum has set up an internship initiative in partnership with L'Abri Fellowship.  L'Abri (French for "the shelter") was born fifty years ago when Francis and Edith Schaeffer opened their home to those who came seeking answers to life's many questions.  A huge diversity of people continue to make their way to the various branches of L'Abri – unbelievers, believers with serious doubts about the integrity of Christianity, and believers who simply want to go further in their understanding.  At L'Abri the apologetic argument takes place alongside a living demonstration of the truthfulness of Christianity under Christ's full Lordship.  L'Abri is a place where apologetics is lived out on a daily basis.  All this is within a context of real life that engages whole persons in an integrated way.

The Forum would like to serve leaders who want further training in apologetics to be Interns at L'Abri Fellowship in the United Kingdom. We believe that L'Abri is a natural context in which interns can both see apologetics modelled and engage in it themselves.  Due to the fact that L'Abri does not have a set curriculum, each intern will work with a tutor who will guide him or her in a course of study tailored to their ability, life experience and personal needs.  This flexibility also allows space for an engagement that takes seriously the whole person.

In order to be considered for an internship, interested individuals should submit answers to the following questions.We would encourage interns to come to L'Abri for a full three month term (although interns could stay for a period of a few weeks or a few months depending on their situation).  The cost of internships will be the responsibility of the participants, but some scholarships maybe available on a case-by-case basis. Please note that this initiative is open only to Europeans at this time.