How one unexpected internship opened the door to healing, belonging, and Spirit-led leadership for a future ministry leader.
It took one call — less than an hour’s time — for Martha Haller to recognize that there was something very different about Wellspring Church. As she interviewed with Pastor Tara Malouf for an internship position with the 3 Streams Institute (3SI), Martha began to sense a promising peace.
“My call with Tara was absolutely incredible because of her presence,” Martha recalls. “We talked about the idea of being formed by liturgy, rooted in the gospel, and led by the Holy Spirit. During the whole conversation I kept thinking, ‘I want to be a part of this.’”
Martha, who is pursuing a double masters at Denver Seminary in clinical counseling and biblical and theological studies, thought she would be spending a year interning at another local church, but when last-minute funding cuts eliminated that position, she applied to 3 Streams Institute a mere week before the program was to begin. Though it felt rushed, she found comfort and peace with a process and timeline that was, ultimately, out of her hands.
“I was drawn by the way Tara described 3 Streams, the idea of growing together in community, the emphasis on soul care, and also doing deep into what it means to be a Christ follower,” she says.
Having never attended Wellspring, her first Sunday affirmed her decision to join the 3 Streams cohort. In so many ways, that initial service stood apart, as day is from night, from the church experience of her youth.
“I was honestly in a bit of a shock,” she says. “There was so much joy being expressed. It was clear that I was going to be building a new framework of what it means to be in Christian community.”
Surprised by joy, Martha’s heart was captured by the delight that accompanied the worship of God: “What continues to stand out is the joy that exists at Wellspring. The joy of the Lord is here, and we get to experience it every Sunday. We have people who are weeping, people who are smiling, and those celebrating the life they have in Christ and others who are crying over it. That space of tension is very beautiful, and feels very authentic to this church.”
“It’s the heartbeat of our community,” she adds.
As a ministry of Wellspring Church, 3 Streams Institute helps participants walk in the slow, careful work of vocational discernment. These internships offer hands-on ministry experience, helping to train and equip the next generation of church leaders. In essence, it’s a formational pipeline for those who aspire to be pastors, ministry leaders, educators, missionaries, worship leaders, or more. Additionally, the 3SI program offers participants a season of deep community, reflection, training, and listening, all of which is shaped by the life and rhythms of the church.
3 Streams Institute doesn’t simply fast-track interns into a specific role — rather than focusing on destination, the program calls its participants to a posture of discernment. This approach, apparent in Martha’s initial interview with Pastor Tara, has come to shape her view of not only ministry, but also her calling to Christian counseling.
“These past nine months have been so formational,” she reflects. “This internship has provided space for exploration and discernment. And, from the start, I never felt that I was a product needing to be created. Each of us is on our own journey of seeking God’s calling for our lives, and we’re blessed that the leaders at Wellspring have given us the space to truly be led by the Holy Spirit.”
One of the most transformative lessons Martha has gleaned from the Holy Spirit relates to the value of women within the Body of Christ, and has led to a shift in her understanding of how God perceives not just what she does, but who she is.
“I’ve always struggled with the belief that God sees men and women in the same way, and that he values them both equally,” she says. “In my church experience growing up, women were not valued as men were, and this internship helped to confirm in me that God does really love women.”
“God loves me,” she adds. “He created me, and I’m not an accident. Through 3SI and the work of the Holy Spirit, my relationship with God has grown immensely.”
This acknowledgement of inherent dignity as a child of God, along with the prioritization of women’s participation in ministry settings was solidified for Martha during a Cultivate Gathering at Pastor Billy Water’s house last fall.
“A big moment for me came when Billy invited me to share about the internship, and that night, sharing my experience, I felt so seen,” Martha says. “At the end of the evening, he turned to me and asked me to close our time in prayer, which caught me off guard, because I had never before received that kind of invitation. It was unfamiliar in my experience for a woman to be asked to pray in mixed company, especially by a male leader.”
“The fact that he trusted me and gave me space to speak to God — it was a simple moment, but it really did carry that deep affirmation of belonging, knowing that my voice matters, and that I matter. That gathering became a sacred marker in my journey at Wellspring and a true glimpse of what it means to be a part of a community that calls out dignity in people to not only be heard, but also to lead.”
In ministry, leadership is an essential characteristic that can shape success and draw hearts to Jesus. Through 3 Streams Institute, participants are challenged to serve and advance the work of the Lord and the needs of the people. The program offers a healthy and intentional community, deep theological preparation, and practical ministry experience that together, better prepare individuals to be faithful servant leaders in the church, and to love deeply as they guide God’s people in accomplishing His mission in the world.
“One of the most meaningful parts of this journey has been learning to step faithfully into the unknown — to leave my comfort zone and trust that God will meet me there,” she says. “Ministry, like counseling, calls us to live with open hands and soft hearts, even in the face of risk and uncertainty.
“Annie Dillard once wrote, ‘How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives,’” she continues. “That quote has stayed with me as a daily reminder that each choice, each moment of trust or courage or compassion, is shaping the life God is building in and through me. My hope is to carry the rhythms and practices I’ve learned here — attentiveness, humility, and the courage to be present — into wherever God leads next, whether that’s in a counseling room, on a pastoral team, or across the world.”
