Ministry Studies

Welcome | The M.Div. Program | Ph.D. Certification

Field Education | The Senior Ministry Project | Dual Degree Programs

Field Education

Congregational Placement

Practicum

Teaching Pastors

Fieldwork

Clinical Pastoral Education

 

The field education components of the ministry program offer students the opportunity to combine practice and reflection in their theological education. The aim of field education is not only to provide practical experience in the arts of ministry, but also to foster mutual enrichment between the academic study and the practice of ministry—allowing for practical engagement in the tasks of ministry to challenge and enrich the student's academic study at the Divinity School, and for this study to challenge and enrich the student's practice of ministry.

The M.Div. degree requires two distinct field education experiences—the Congregational Placement during the second year of study, which complements the course work undertaken in the Arts of Ministry sequence and The Practice of Ministry (Practicum); and an additional Fieldwork experience which may be situated either in a parish or in an alternative setting of the student’s choosing, such as campus or hospital chaplaincy (CPE), or work in a community outreach ministry. This placement is chosen in consultation with the Director of Ministry Studies or the Director of Field Education to address particular needs or interests in the student’s ministerial formation.

Congregational Placement

Fieldwork Guidelines and Contract (PDF)

Lay Committee Agreement (PDF)

Guidelines for the Action Plan

Guidelines for Teaching Pastor's Quarterly Evaluations

Guidelines for Student's Quarterly Self-Evaluations

Guidelines for the Lay Committee

The congregational placement during the second year of M.Div. study serves as both living text for student observation of religious practice, and as laboratory for student formation in the ministerial arts. Second-year students spend fifteen to twenty hours per week in the parish context, closely supervised by a Teaching Pastor with the additional support and instruction of the congregation’s Lay Committee. At the Divinity School, supervision and reflection on this congregational experience and the student’s ministerial formation occurs during the weekly sessions of The Practice of Ministry (Practicum), led by the Director of Field Education. In addition, quarterly meetings with the student, Teaching Pastor, and Director of Field Education help to secure experiential learning of the highest quality.

Students begin selecting a congregational placement by winter quarter of the first year, in consultation with the Director of Ministry Studies or Director of Field Education, keeping in mind denominational ordination requirements, the students’ vocational gifts, broadening interests, and the unique characteristics and skills of particular congregations and pastors. By the end of the spring quarter of the first year, the student, pastor, and Director of Ministry Studies sign a Learning Agreement, which outlines the expectations and responsibilities of each party for the year ahead. Teaching Pastors become adjunct members of the Divinity School's faculty for the year. The Divinity School asks that they introduce their students to the full range of tasks involved in the vocation of ministry. The Learning Agreement identifies seven categories that should be covered during the year:

Preaching

Worship Leadership

Pastoral Care

Religious Education

Church Administration

Denominational and Ecumenical Relations

Social Ministry

During the first few weeks of the internship, the student and the Teaching Pastor agree on an Action Plan, which outlines concrete goals for the year in each of these categories. At the end of each academic quarter, the student and Teaching Pastor each write an evaluation of the experience, using the Action Plan as a benchmark. The Director of Field Education also meets with the student to discuss his or her progress towards meeting the goals outlined in the Action Plan. The final evaluation and assessment occurs in the spring quarter.

The Divinity School provides each student with a stipend of $2,000 per quarter ($6,000 for the year) during the year of congregational placement.

 

The Practice of Ministry (Practicum)

An essential dimension of the congregational placement is the weekly exercise in reflection on congregational life and ministerial practice known as “practicum.” This course, required of all second-year students successfully to complete the field education requirement, meets weekly in the fall quarter, and for five weeks of both the winter and spring quarters. Two course credits are given for completing the year of field education/practicum. Course work for The Practice of Ministry (Practicum) involves reading and writing on the theology of ministry and practical theological method for ministry, developing “thick descriptions” of congregational life and religious practice, and discussion of congregational case studies. Teaching pastors and other practitioners may be invited to lecture; the class might visit various ministry sites. The course is facilitated by the Director of Field Education.

Teaching Pastors

Current Teaching Pastors

Guidelines for Teaching Pastor's Quarterly Evaluation

Teaching Pastor Evaluation Form (pdf)

Teaching Pastors are an integral part of the ministry program at the Divinity School. Each student works with a Teaching Pastor in a local congregation during the student's second year in the program. We conceive this experience as an apprenticeship in ministry and expect students to be exposed to the full range of pastoral duties: preaching, teaching, worship leadership, pastoral care, social ministry, administration, and denominational, ecumenical, and interreligious relations.

Teaching Pastors are selected through mutual consultation between the student, the pastor, and the Director of Ministry Studies. Teaching Pastors become adjunct members of the Divinity School faculty for the years in which they supervise students.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork Guidelines and Contract (html) | PDF

Fieldwork Placements (Coming Soon)

Unlike the second-year internship, the fieldwork requirement can be accomplished outside of a congregation. Students choose this placement in consultation with the director of ministry studies or the director of field education, according to the educational interests and formational needs of the individual. Those students who come to Divinity School with limited previous experience in religious leadership are highly encouraged to complete the fieldwork requirement during the summer after their first year of M.Div. study by enrolling in a basic unit of Clinical Pastoral Education. CPE, which is required by many denominations for ordination, is a carefully conceived and thoroughly supervised pastoral care internship which encourages participants to gain experience in the pastoral role, and is good preparation for second-year congregational work.

Students who have had significant pastoral experience or have already completed CPE or some similar training can elect to complete the fieldwork requirement with a full-time placement in a local church or agency (40-50 hours per week for eleven weeks) during the summer after the second year, or in a part-time placement (15-20 hours per week) in a local church or agency for three quarters during the third year of study. Students choosing to complete their fieldwork requirement after their second year of study should consider a placement that will lend additional experience and insight to the senior ministry project.

All students must have their fieldwork approved in advance by the Director of Ministry Studies. The Divinity School provides a stipend of $1,500 for all fieldwork, and up to $500 towards tuition for an accredited unit of CPE (tuition for a basic unit of CPE is generally less than $500). The Fieldwork Contract is due by the eighth week of the quarter before the work is to begin, in order to ensure payment of the stipend.

 

Clinical Pastoral Education

Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is one way to fulfill the Divinity School's fieldwork requirement. Although not required by the Divinity School for the M.Div., many denominations require a basic unit of CPE for ordination, consecration, or certification. All students are thus encouraged to inquire about their denomination's policies regarding CPE. For more information on the history and practice of CPE, including application forms and a list of centers that offer CPE, see Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, Inc.