If you’re looking for a break from full-time study but don’t want a gap in your learning, you love Jesus, and you want to find people like you, then Summit is the right fit for you. Plus, there’s the perk of sharing Jesus with the next generation on camps.

You’ll have new experiences and explore God’s creation whilst sailing on the lake, abseiling on the cliffs, or hiking through the bush. Summit may unlock a passion for the outdoors you didn’t even know you had! But don’t stress if you aren’t super outdoorsy, you’ll still mostly sleep in cabins at night.

One of the best things about Summit is that you’ll join a community of other young Christians that want to grow in their faith, learn from the Bible together and support one another through the joys of ministry.

The main thing is that you love Jesus, love working with kids and youth, and want to serve Him while being equipped with lifelong ministry skills.

Yes, it’s a full time job - you get paid! No, you don’t pay or fundraise. Plus, all the qualifications you receive are included in your salary package.

Because Summit is a traineeship where you get on-the-job training and a focus on hands-on practical learning, you may also be eligible for Centrelink support - we can discuss this with you.

Getting paid to learn about Jesus, share Him with others, grow in your faith and have fun? Sounds like a win!

Summit trainees will do between 30-35 per year. Most of our educational camps go for 3 days. You will also attend a few holiday camps during the year which typically run for 5+ days.

Because we run educational camps for schools, most of our camps are either Monday – Wednesday or Wednesday – Friday. This means that work on the weekend is rare and makes it possible to stay connected with and serve at your local church. In the few instances that weekend work is required, we try and give you as much notice as possible.

17+ years old and finished school.

We love having trainees from a variety of backgrounds, including those who already have some experience after finishing school, so there is no real cut-off age.

If you’re looking to start the year after graduating, we recommend applying during Year 12 to ensure you don’t miss out on a spot.

Summit starts as a two year contract, designed to maximise your growth, impact and the qualifications you are working towards. However, there is a possible exit point after one year or you can stay on longer than the two years and move into senior roles.

During your first year you will be heavily involved with camps and training (both in outdoor recreation & ministry). You will study towards completing a Cert II in Outdoor Recreation, and you will have started a Cert IV in Christian Ministry & Theology.

If you continue on for the second year, you will study towards completing a Cert III in Outdoor Leadership and a Cert IV in Ministry & Theology.

You can work towards a Cert II in Outdoor Recreation, Cert III in Outdoor Leadership, Cert IV in Ministry & Theology. Check out our Qualifications Explained page to find out more.

If you choose to stay on for further training then you can work towards a Cert IV in Outdoor Leadership, as well as a Diploma of Christian Ministry & Theology.

All qualification expenses covered!

You don’t need to be an experienced leader to join Summit or have an outdoor recreational background. You just need a heart for Jesus and a fundamental understanding of the Bible, then we’ll train you to become a confident Christian leader.

If you want to get a taste of what Summit is like, we’d encourage you to come and lead as a volunteer leader or junior leader on one of our holiday camps. For more information on what that can look like head to the CRU Camps website.

The experience you gain at Summit is transferable to any career, including jobs requiring, people skills, teamwork, leadership, communication, and project management.

Summit trainees who have completed the program have gone on to a wide range of career pathways including teaching, social work, psychology, law, nursing, and church ministry.

The program also helps to grow and shape our trainees in everyday evangelism and Christian leadership skills which are extremely beneficial for ongoing church ministry or mission. The qualifications you receive are nationally recognised and can be transferred across into other similar job fields.

Plus, CRU has a wide range of careers that trainees can work towards, so really the options are hugely varied!

We have a page dedicated to your parents! Share our Parent Page with them, it should answer all their questions.

If they still have specific questions, feel free to contact us and we will reply as soon as possible.

Get a glimpse of a day in the life of a Summit trainee.

This is just one example of a day on camp, but the nature of camp ministry is that camp programs can vary. Specific camper age groups and camp goals means that camps will be different.

The exciting thing about Summit is that generally no two weeks are the same.

Most weeks you will lead on a camp or do a couple days of training. Because camps span over multiple days, every evening on camp earns trainees half day off to rest well and recover.

When not on camp or in training, you may have the chance to do assignments, catch up with your mentor, or help our team care for activities and our site.

Here are the essentials:

• WWCC number if you are over 17 and 9 months.

• Reference checks from your church and work (if you’ve had a job before). If you haven’t had a job, just put down a character reference like a teacher.

Optional, but very helpful:

• A resume with any previous work experience/skills you have.

• A cover letter to tell us a little bit about yourself and why you’re interested in working at Summit.

Ready to apply? Apply here!