Internship Program
The ERLC is dedicated to equipping each generation to engage the culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This means cultivating leaders that work in all spheres of culture.

Our internship program exists to prepare students and young professionals with a gospel-centered, kingdom-focused perspective on the issues of everyday life. Interns come alongside ERLC staff to equip church leaders to address complex ethical issues in their communities, local churches, and represent Southern Baptists to the United States government.
You can read more about some of our interns’ experience here: ERLC internships: Investing, life-changing. You can also listen to an interview with our 2022 class of interns here
Internship Components
In addition to the internship tracks, interns will participate in a number of activities to help them develop as Christian thinkers and leaders in their various roles and responsibilities. Students will complete a Bible study walking through the Gospel of Matthew and exploring the role of the Kingdom of God to our engagement with culture. Additionally, they will engage in ethics and theology seminars led by staff experts to help them develop a Christian framework for addressing crucial issues facing the culture: Religious Liberty, Sexuality and Marriage, Race, Human Dignity, and Technology.
They will also participate in sessions with leaders at the ERLC and other organizations to learn how Christians carry the gospel with them into the public square. Previous years have included sessions with U.S. Senator James Lankford on the role of faith in government, Jenny Yang of World Relief on advocacy for immigrants and refugees, and Dan Darling on developing as an author and writer. The final component of the internship are weekly seminars that focus on the topics of worldview analysis, a theology of work, and Christian ethics. Between ethics sessions and book seminars, students will complete an intensive program of reading and writing centered on how to carry their faith into the public square.
About Each Office
Nashville
The Nashville office oversees the day-to-day administration of the organization in order to execute the ERLC’s vision and mission. In the Nashville office, interns can expect an inviting atmosphere with an engaging staff that oversees numerous areas: Research, Communications, Event planning, Administration and other special projects. Unique highlights to the Nashville internship include an intern Bible Study, weekly ethics and worldview discussions, weekly lunches with staff, leadership development lectures, seminar sessions on Christian ethics, political theology, and work, and guest speaker presentations from leaders throughout various spheres of culture. It is also common for staff to invite all the interns over to their homes for dinner. Interns get to experience an office environment located in downtown Nashville, one of America’s premier cities with an incredible arts and entertainment culture.
Washington, D.C.
The Washington, D.C., office represents 15.2 million Southern Baptists to the U.S. government by articulating and advancing a gospel worldview on the issues of national debate. The office, located steps from the U.S. Capitol, is named in honor of John Leland, an 18th Century Baptist minister whose advocacy for religious liberty was instrumental in the founding of the United States. Interns should expect a fast-paced, professional environment responding to the hour-by-hour demands of Washington. Unique highlights to the DC Internship include working on Capitol Hill, analyzing legislation, attending Congressional hearings, drafting ERLC policy briefs, and executing events. Interns also experience living in the Nation’s Capital, recently ranked one of America’s best cities by US News & World Report.














Internship Tracks
There are six tracks available for an ERLC Internship. Intern applicants are invited to select their preferred track on the application page based on which location best fits their area of interest. It is important to note that concentration areas are used for the ERLC staff to gauge an applicant’s general interests, and not a promise that an intern will work exclusively in their chosen area during the internship.
The Public Policy intern will work with the Washington, D.C., office, primarily focused on legislative and policy initiatives in line with organizational goals. This may include drafting correspondence to congressional offices, meetings on the Hill, coalition meetings and reports to senior staff, and published content for ERLC.com. Additionally, interns will assist in communications tasks to help facilitate the messaging of the D.C. office to SBC entities, state conventions, local associations, and individual churches. Students interested in working with the Policy Team should possess strong reading and writing skills, be prepared for collaborative teamwork, and show an interest in government, policy making, and biblical ethics.
The Communications Intern will work closely with the Director of Content and other editorial staff. This may include a number of tasks in the writing process including soliciting and overseeing the production of relevant and timely pieces of content, the production of self-authored articles, and the editing of submitted content. Additionally, the intern will have tasks related to oversight of the website. All of this will be conducted with the cooperation of the Marketing Director in alignment with organizational messaging strategy. Applicants interested in a Communications internship should possess strong writing and editing skills.
The Communications intern will work closely with the Director of External Engagement and Digital Marketing Manager to advance the organization’s strategic marketing efforts through email, social media, and web marketing. Tasks may include writing copy for emails and social media posts, creating SEO-focused content for the organization’s website, and other digital marketing projects. Applicants interested in a marketing internship should possess strong writing and editing skills and have an active interest in marketing and communications.
The Ethics intern in technology will work closely with our Chair of Research in Technology Ethics to further the organization’s research. Tasks may include curating research, writing articles, providing research briefs, and editing of manuscripts in conjunction with the organization’s Digital Public Square partnership. In addition, interns may work with the Chair in the publishing and production of podcast episodes related to the topic. Students interested in this internship should have strong reading, writing, and research capabilities and possess an active interest in ethical debates and worldview.
The Ethics intern in human dignity will work on projects to assist in advancing the organization’s work in the pro-life space. This may include research and writing as well as data collection and curation. This role will also work with our Psalm 139 Project. Students interested in this internship should have strong pro-life convictions. They should also have strong reading, writing, and research capabilities, and possess an active interest in ethical debates.
The Ethics Intern for religious liberty will work closely with the Lead Researcher for the ERLC in the curation and production of research projects for the organization. There will be a special focus on the topic of religious liberty, but other areas include Christian political activity, Baptist ethics, and the history of the ERLC. The intern will not only perform online research, but will regularly access the archives of the SBHLA so as to gain experience in this area of research. This research will be used in the creation of original articles and resources for the organization. Students interested in this internship should have strong reading, writing, and research capabilities and possess an active interest in ethical debates and worldview.
Additional Information
Important dates and deadlines:
- January 31: Summer Application Closes
- February 1 – 25: Review of Applicants and Interviews
- February 28: Summer Internship Invitations
Applicants must submit the following:
- Resume
- Brief personal testimony
- Goals and expectations
- Time frame availability
- Writing samples
- Agree to a statement of faith