Theological Field Education
Introduction
Roy Oswald, the church and pastoral consultant, was right when he said, “Who and what we are as persons is our most effective tool in pastoral ministry.” The field education program at Northeastern seeks to develop people who will be effective Christian leaders in the 21st century. Specifically, field education provides the opportunity for seminarians to develop their professional understanding and competence in ministry, as they are involved in the practice of ministry under capable supervision.
Essential Core Elements of Field Education
- Both Master of Divinity and Master of Arts students are required to complete a field education component. Normally, this requirement is met during the second, third, and/or fourth years. Each Master of Divinity student will complete two semesters of field education allowing them to experience at least two distinct ministry settings, namely, a congregational and a community-based placement such as a hospital, hospice, children’s home, nursing home, or prison. Students in the Master of Arts Theological Studies program are only required to complete one semester of field education; students in the Master of Arts in Transformational Leadership and the Master of Art in Ministry Practice programs are required to complete two semesters of field education; students in the Master of Arts in Theology and Social Justice will complete one traditional field education course as well as a social policy practicum where they will have opportunity to put into practice their knowledge and skills as a social change practitioner.
- All field education courses consist of a minimum of 8 hours of ministry practice each week and four hours spent in preparation and involvement in peer-reflection groups for a total course involvement of 150 hours
- Students will have a mentoring supervisor in each placement to foster the seminarian’s personal and professional growth and to observe ministry activities. Mentoring supervisors will meet weekly with seminarians to invest themselves in the lives of the students.
- Students currently employed as pastors will be able to use their church appointment for their congregational placement. In these situations, a mentoring supervisor will be assigned to the student to fulfill the above requirement.
- Students will complete a Learning/Serving Covenant for each placement. These documents are prepared to help seminarians identify the things they want to learn in the process of serving. Students are asked to develop goals and objectives in the following three areas:
Ministry Knowledge (Knowing): “I want to better understand…”
Ministry Skills (Doing): “I want to be better able to do…”
Ministry Character (Being): “I would like to be…”
- Each parish placement will provide a lay ministerial advisory committee to serve as a resource to the seminarian. Its primary focus is to create a supportive environment that allows seminarians the opportunity to learn more about their ministry setting, as well as to learn how the congregation is receiving their ministry.
- Peer-reflection groups are an important part of the field education experience. Seminarians meet regularly for the purpose of integrating classroom training with field-based ministry experiences. In addition to continuing to develop their spiritual formation through faith-sharing group meetings, students will submit case studies based on their actual ministry experiences for discussion during the peer-reflection group meetings.
- In addition to student case studies, the director of field education will make formal presentations related to the personal functioning of pastors. Some of the topics included are:
Ministerial Ethics
Exploring Your Sense of Vocational Calling
Maintaining Emotional Wellbeing
Marriage and Family Adjustment
Managing Transitions in Ministry
Authority/Leadership Conflict
Exit Interviews: “Why Do People Leave the Church?”
Church/Staff Relations
New Beginnings in Ministry
- Mid-term progress reports and formal final evaluations will occur at the end of each placement. The evaluation process seeks to help seminarians clarify personal directions in ministry, address issues that contribute to or hinder their effectiveness, and provide an intentional learning agenda.
- Students are encouraged to consider taking a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) from an accredited CPE center. A limited number of CPE units can be substituted for field education and/or electives in the M.Div. and M.A. degree programs (see “Transfer Policies” section of this catalog for more detailed information). There are hospital-based ACPE centers in western New York. This recommendation is especially important for students whose denomination requires the completion of CPE for ordination – please contact your denominational representative for your specific ordination requirements. CPE is also an important consideration, if not essential, for individuals considering institutional ministry. Contact http://www.acpe.edu/ for more information on the nature of this educational experience.
Summary
Field education is an indispensable component of seminary training. Field education provides students who have successfully completed the first year of seminary studies the opportunity to further develop their readiness for ministry. The primary focus is to integrate what has been learned through classroom-based study, with insights and experiences of ministry gained under supervision.
Northeastern Seminary is partnering with churches and ministry-related community agencies in an imaginative and innovative way to enhance and revitalize pastoral theological training. The focus on the practice of ministry and on theological reflection in field-based learning programs brings the theory of ministry and pastoral experiences into dialogue. This coupling of theory and practice strengthens students’ personal and professional development making them better prepared for effective ministry for the 21st century.