Preparing for Ministry

Preparing for Ministry
Author: George M. Hillman
Publisher: Kregel Academic
Total Pages: 370
Release:
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0825497337

Most seminaries now require their students to get real world training by way of supervised theological field education. This volume presents the wide array of issues that must be understood in order to integrate theological education and practical ministry, including the importance of theological field education, its purpose and challenges, the need for flexibility in meeting different students' needs, and the resources available to create a meaningful and educational experience.

Welcome to Theological Field Education!

Welcome to Theological Field Education!
Author: Lee Carroll
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2010-12-21
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1566996899

Field education is an opportunity for students to develop ministry skills, practice ministerial reflection, discern their call, experience professional collegiality, and undergo personal transformation. Field education offers them a place to practice ministry and a space to reflect on it, to integrate theory and practice, and grow towards competency. In Welcome to Theological Field Education! eleven directors of field education in seminaries and divinity schools across North America pass on their wisdom to both students and their supervisors. Edited by Matthew Floding, director of field education at Western Seminary in Holland, Michigan, this volume covers critical topics such as the art of supervision and formation, the use of case studies and peer reflection groups, self-care and ministerial ethics, and assessment. Formation for ministry is especially challenging at this time in the church's life. First, the explosion of knowledge, pluralism, and consumerism and a host of other complicating factors make huge demands on what a minister must know to be effective in ministry. Second, with the erosion of thick religious subcultures, the novice minister has fewer sources of practical wisdom to draw upon. The next generation of ministers, if they are to be more fully formed for ministry, depends on skilled mentoring alongside wise supervisors. This book is the tool to help them make the most of their field education experience.

Engage

Engage
Author: Matthew Floding
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 184
Release: 2017-01-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1442273518

Theological field education, in which a ministry student steps out of the classroom and begins practicing with the supervision of a mentor, is a critical part of accredited ministry programs. Engage equips both students and their supervisor-mentors to engage in this important opportunity with energy and imagination, and it prepares students for the challenging work of integrating theory into real-world practice. Engage provides coaching from recognized experts in the arts of ministry: preaching, administration, evangelism, pastoral care, public ministry, leadership, faith formation, liturgical arts and more. Other chapters address themes such as race, gender, and ministry across faith traditions (or no faith tradition). The book addresses field education in a range of contexts—from churches to non-profits. Engage offers a valuable resource for students making the most of their transition from the classroom into real world ministry with all its joys and many challenges.

Finding Voice

Finding Voice
Author: William B. Kincaid
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2012-11-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1621899179

In Finding Voice, Kincaid employs an often used but somewhat elusive metaphor, "voice," as a way of speaking of pastoral identity and contends that a lively, imaginative pastoral voice emerges from a thorough grasp of context, theology, pastoral roles, personal journey, and systemic dynamics. Designed as a text for the field education, contextual education, and supervised ministry experiences of seminary students and others preparing for congregational leadership, Finding Voice examines in depth how people are experiencing each of these constituent parts of pastoral voice at their student ministry sites not only to learn about each of the areas, but also to recognize and understand what is being called forth in the students as they engage these five key experiences and begin to visualize their future ministry. The book further explores the opportunities created when the five aspects of pastoral identity are in conflict with one another. In the absence of any one of these or the imbalance of them, pastoral voice gets skewed, and vibrant, effective ministry is undermined. Finding Voice urges students to begin now, with field education, to engage a practice of ministry that is imaginative, courageous, nimble, and faithful.

A Guide to Theological Reflection

A Guide to Theological Reflection
Author: Jim Wilson
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2020-02-04
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0310093945

Feedback and evaluation, both of oneself and by others, are the lifeblood of a successful ministry experience. In A Guide to Theological Reflection, experienced practical ministry professors Jim Wilson and Earl Waggoner introduce the processes and tools of theological reflection for ministry. Effective evaluation includes critique and potential course correction for the honest and willing minister, as well as positive affirmation of how one's desires influence good ministry decisions. A Guide to Theological Reflection introduces tools by which a minister can interact with his or her own thoughts, beliefs, and feelings; external feedback, such as that of a ministry supervisor; and Scripture to inform deep and transformative theological reflection. Designed as a textbook for practical ministry courses and theological field education, A Guide to Theological Reflection can also be used in ministry contexts. It provides guidance for students, ministers-in-training, mentors, and advisors, laying a theoretical foundation for theological reflection and demonstrating step-by-step how to practice it well.

From Midterms to Ministry

From Midterms to Ministry
Author: Allan Hugh Cole
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 349
Release: 2008-07-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0802840027

The distinguished contributors to this volume -- ministers, scholars, and theological educators -- share personal reflections on the sometimes-difficult transition from being a seminarian to becoming a minister. Based on their own life experiences, they address the two related but different "worlds" of theological school and ministry settings, each with its own set of expectations, values, challenges, focal points, and rewards.Contributors: Wallace M. Alston Jr. Ray S. Anderson M. Craig Barnes Elizabeth F. Caldwell Allan Hugh Cole Jr. Pamela D. Couture Kathy Dawson Carrie Doehring Michael Jinkins L. Gregory Jones Susan Pendleton Jones James F. Kay Cleophus J. LaRue Thomas G. Long Loren B. Mead Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore Earl F. Palmer Stephanie Paulsell Anthony B. Robinson Carol L. Schnabl Schweitzer Theodore J. Wardlaw Traci C. West William H. Willimon J. Philip Wogaman Karen Marie Yust