2PT534 Field Education Seminar Rev. Greg Thompson Prerequisite: 400 hours of field education experience. Both the student’s and field supervisor’s evaluations of this experience must be reviewed and approved by the Director of Field Education before registration. This seminar provides a forum for theological reflection and the mutual exchange of ideas related to the understanding and ultimate implementation and maintenance of the role, knowledge, and skills necessary for the full-time vocational minister while also providing an appropriate atmosphere for dialogue regarding the experiences, needs and concerns of the ministry. CLASS REQUIREMENTS: PRESENCE: Come to class. Plan to engage and actively participate providing a vigorous collegial experience for you and your fellow students. REQUIRED READING: Read From Midterms to Ministry and one other book of your choice from the list provided below. Begin this in a timely manner so as to incorporate ideas and share information gained from your reading into both your personal self-reflection paper (see below) and the accompanying oral presentation in class. PERSONAL SELF-REFLECTION SUMMARY (PAPER) AND PRESENTATION: Each student is required to write a paper about their field experiences and present them to the class for discussion led by the professor (Using Times New Roman ONLY, 11 to 12 point font, double spaced). Note: Class presentations should be kept strictly confidential and should not exceed twenty minutes in length. A format for the written report is detailed below and should include the following: 1. Curriculum vitae: (Not to exceed two pages.) Defined: A curriculum vitae, commonly referred to as CV, is a longer, more detailed synopsis than a resume. It includes a summary of your educational and academic background, your present church affiliation and status (candidate, licentiate, ordained), any employment history of significance, and the history of your church ministry opportunities prior to field experience. Additionally, a CV will include any teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations, and other pertinent details. For this presentation, in addition to any of the items listed, you will primarily focus on the facts/information regarding the ministry experience on which you are reporting: dates, title(s), responsibilities, accomplishments. 2. Theology of ministry: (Not to exceed one page.) This is a statement of the values, attitudes, and goals that you brought to this ministry experience. Try to make explicit what you understood as ministry in terms of service to Christ and his people, in the church, in homes, and in the world. Were you aware of this theology in your practice of ministry or did you come to a realization of these ideas because of your ministerial presentation? 3. Ministry Situation: (Not to exceed one page.) This is to be a comprehensive but gracious and truthful description of the setting and people to whom you ministered, using pseudonyms, if desired.2 4. Strength and Weaknesses: (Not to exceed two pages.) This is to be a candid self-evaluation of your strengths and weaknesses in ministry and the factors which contributed to each. Strengths should not be viewed as boasts nor should weaknesses be viewed as self-deprecation. Please include not only self-realized strengths and weaknesses but any areas you have become aware of through your educational experiences and/or ministerial interactions. 5. Personal Relationships: (Not to exceed two pages in length.) This should be a forthright analysis and assessment of your relationship with someone with whom you had difficulties or conflicts being carful to describe the developing/pervading atmosphere that existed because of this conflict and how you see it having an effect on your ministry and personal psyche. 6. Others relationships: (Not to exceed two pages in length.) One again, you are to present an open analysis and assessment of a problem or a strained relationship you observed in others during your ministry experience being carful to describe the developing/pervading atmosphere that existed because of this conflict and how you see it as having an effect on your ministry and personal psyche. 7. Seminary Preparation and Related Participation (Not to exceed two pages in length):  Describe the relationship you had with the field education supervisor. How could this relationship have developed into greater helpfulness?  How did your seminary experience best prepare you for this field education experience?  What do feel that you needed to learn to have made your field education experience more effective?  How, or in what way(s) (please be specific), do you believe your seminary experienced failed or missed the mark in preparing you for full-time vocational ministry as partially confirmed in and through your field education experience? What do you feel that you needed to learn to have made this field education experience more effective?  What has been the overall effect of your seminary experience and the field education internship with regards to your walk with the Lord (personal “God and I” time, prayer life, witnessing and particularly your relationship with your wife and her view of your future ministry). 8. Experiential-educational acquisitions: (Not to exceed two pages in length.) Provide a summary of the fundamental lessons you learned about God, about yourself and about others during and because of your field educational experience. Indicate some of the “unexpected” happenings, answers to prayer and “near-impossible” situations encountered. How does this harmonize with your theology of ministry? 9. Future Faith Living Expectations and Implementation (Not to exceed three pages in length.) This closing portion of your presentation will be explained further in the first class meeting. Essentially your presentation should close with a “revised” theology of ministry with attention given to how you will take the lessons learned and implement a strategy of faith development first in your own life and how you intend to model, communicate and pass on that faith life into those you will minister to an in the