Supervised Ministry

: In Supervised Ministry, students serve in a ministry setting, preferably crosscultural, for approximately 430 hours (optimally over ten to twelve months, principally from August to May) where they become acquainted with the annual opportunities and demands of their chosen area of ministry and begin to reflect theologically upon these.

SIGNIFICANCE FOR LIFE AND MINISTRY:

This is a formative period for students when they experience their calling through active use of ministry gifts in an environment designed for reflection and growth.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Through the completion of this course the students will be able to:

• have a better working and experiential knowledge of their roles and functions in ministry,

• use methods of theological reflection upon their present and future experiences in ministry,

• use the reflections of other ministers as means to strengthen their personal spiritual growth, and

• probe the boundaries of ministry with this knowledge.

• SLOs—1.1.2; 1.2.2; 1.3.1; 1.4.1; 1.4.2; 1.5.1; 1.5.3; 2.1.2; 2.2.2; 2.3.1; 2.4.1; 2.5.1; 2.5.2; 3.1.1; 3.1.2; 3.2.2; 3.4.1; 3.4.2; 3.5.1; 3.5.2

COURSE FORMAT:

Practical ministry experience under varied mentors, reflection, class lecture, discussion, and reading

REQUIRED READING:

Each student is encouraged to review, select and purchase a worship/pastor’s handbook/manual containing worship orders for special occasions, scripture suggestions, liturgy, responsive readings, etc. for the minister’s use.

James A. Anderson and Ezra Earl Jones. The Management of Ministry. New York: Harper and Row, 1978.

Gary L. McIntosh and Samuel D. Rima. Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership: How to Become an Effective Leader by Confronting Potential Failures. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2007. ISBN 978-0-8010-6835-5

Renita J. Weems. Listening for God: A Minister’s Journey through Silence and Doubt. New York: Touchstone, 2000. ISBN-13: 978-0684863139 or Sandra Ely Wheeler. The Minister as Moral Theologian. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2017. ISBN 978-0-8010-9784-3

Jim Wilder and Michael Hendricks. The Other Half of Church: Christian Community, Brain Science, and Overcoming Spiritual Stagnation. Chicago: Moody, 2020. ISBC-13 978-0-8024-1963-7

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENT:

• Each student will enlist a Ministry Consultation Committee (MCC) consisting of 4-6 persons from his or her ministry setting who will meet with the students every four weeks to provide insights into both personal and ministry issues for the consideration of the student; or

• In consultation with the Site Supervisor (Mentor) and the professor, a Covenant of Learning will be prepared setting forth responsibilities of the ministry context and the student’s personal and ministry goals for the semester. The student will be evaluated and rated on their ministry by the Site Supervisor.

• Each student will gather and present a portfolio including: Journal reflections will be prepared by the student focused on assigned ministry tasks. Some of these will be presented to those in either the student’s dialogue group or the entire class; An oral and written report of the student’s ministry setting (3-5 pp) to include demographics, community, and staff, etc.; Case studies, verbatim, and other reports based on the student’s ministry experiences; Copies of blog entry(ies) or newsletter articles reflecting the state of their ministry in the setting or in the community, and creative worship experiences;

• Each student will submit a 15-20 page paper giving an overview of the ministry experience, sharing major lessons learned and theological reflections on these; and

• Each student will be required to enroll and complete an online course on clergy sexual misconduct prevention (cost $49). https://www.keepingoursacredtrust.org/.

PREREQUISITES:

Students must have completed their first year of course work.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM:

This course meets a core requirement for the MDIV degree.