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

As one enters a new place of ministry, a healthy beginning is rooted in gaining an understanding of the community of faith which is the context of the ministerial setting.  Based on an assessed understanding of the faith community, a pastoral minister gains understanding of her/ his role in the community and of the dynamics which shape that role.  This first course in Supervised Ministry is focused on entering a new community of faith or ministry setting. A step-by-step process for assessing the life of the community of faith and the pastoral minister’s role in that community shape the content of this nine-week experience.

Learning Objectives

• To exhibit core ministerial values including hospitality and respect toward others and support for the growth and transformation of others in the context of a ministerial setting.
• To analyze the organizational history, current functioning, and role of power and authority in a ministerial setting.
• To practice mutuality, trust, and interdependence within a community of faith as a pastoral minister.
• To demonstrate that all people are individuals of dignity and worth in a ministerial setting.
• To illustrate excellent communication skills particularly in listening but also in responding (speaking and writing) in a ministerial setting.

Required Texts

• Harris, Robert A. (2014) Entering Wonderland: A Toolkit for Pastors New to a Church. Rowman & Littlefield Publisher