Course Description

SUPERVISED MINISTRY OVERVIEW

The Supervised Ministry Series is designed to provide a practical internship in pastoral ministry over an eighteen-month progression.  The arc of this series begins with entering a new place of ministry and concludes with leaving a place of ministry. Along this arc, participants will explore issues of pastoral identity, ethics, and organizational dynamics.

A requirement for the Supervised Ministry Series is to be engaged in pastoral ministry with a site supervisor for approximately 6 to 8 hours each week.  It is assumed that participants will be involved in pastoral ministry between the scheduled courses and arrange appropriate time off with the site supervisor.  Participants are required to meet with site supervisors every two weeks and site supervisors are asked to complete reports on those meetings. The coursework does not substitute for supervision of actual experience in ministry.  Instead, it provides a focused learning experience to gain a greater understanding of what competent and ethical pastoral ministry requires.

Participants may serve in any established setting for authorized ministry.  The usual placement will be in a local church. Some participants may be serving in institutional chaplaincies or community outreach programs.  The requirements for the place of ministry are that it be established, that the participant’s role is clearly designated as a ministerial position, and that the site supervisor be an authorized minister approved by the PATHWAYS Director.  The site supervisor may be engaged in ministry elsewhere but needs to be able to see the participant in the ministry setting. (For example, the site supervisor may be the pastor of a neighboring church while the participant is serving in a congregation without an authorized minister on staff.)

During the eighteen-month period, the participant should serve in no more than two different settings.  An essential part of pastoral ministry is to build relationships with people, allow them to grow, and to appropriately end those relationships.  This process, which is at the heart of pastoral ministry, takes time to evolve.

The Director of PATHWAYS has authority to approve both the setting for ministry and the site supervisor.  To be enrolled in Supervised Ministry courses, a participant is required to be engaged in ministry in an approved setting and have a site supervisor.  Questions can be directed to the Director of PATHWAYS.

Course Description

The art of pastoral care is always in a context.  Proving the care of a pastor is contextualized within a particular community as well as by the unique situation presented.  In this course, pastoral care will be examined based on the context presented by the community and the need for care.

Effective pastoral care is transformative.  Pastoral care should lead a person receiving pastoral support to new insight, a renewed faith, or a deeper experience of God. This course will consider this transformative ministry in the context of crises, in the face of suffering, and in the midst of challenges to an individual’s beliefs. The outcome of this course will allow participants to gain new insight into how to approach pastoral care as transformative within the church at large.

Learning Objectives

• To appraise health and wellness in a variety of pastoral contexts.
• To formulate strategies for pastoral care in a variety of contexts.
• To synthesize feedback from supervision and from peers to further develop skills in pastoral care.
• To employ pastoral care approaches that engender trust with congregants.
• To demonstrate a pastoral approach that respects the dignity and independence of individuals

Required Texts

• Clinebell, Howard (2011). Basic Types of Pastoral Care & Counseling: Resources for the Ministry of Healing & Growth, Third Edition. Abingdon Press.