The goal of Ministry Formation is to offer McMaster Divinity College students an opportunity for ministry experience, integration of class room learning with ministry practice, and reflection on personal and theological issues as they pertain to their own development as ministering persons. The program seeks to be highly intentional in its process and outcomes so as to maximize the student’s development for future ministry. By emphasizing the central development tenets of “Knowing, Being, Doing,” the Ministry Formation program seeks to be integrated with the rest of the College’s curriculum and intentional in its desire to be an effective program for the formation of current and future ministers in the Church of Jesus Christ.

 

Ministry Formation is a required course in all three years of the M.Div. and Dip.Min. programs. It may also be taken as a 3 unit elective by M.T.S. students. The selection and negotiation of placement sites begins several months in advance of the course in collaboration with the Director of Ministry Formation. Students may not register for the course until all arrangements have been finalized and approved by both the Director and the student, in conjunction with the Ministry Formation Supervisor.

There are five key components of the Ministry Formation program. These educationally-focused components distinguish Ministry Formation from other kinds of ministry or professional experiences such as lay ministry, professional ministry, fieldwork, mission experiences, and volunteer work. (For this reason, previous experience is not considered for academic credit). The components include:

• Equivalent of 240 hours of practical ministry experience in an approved field placement setting (10 hours per week during the fall/winter semesters, or equivalent during the summer semester).
• The formulation of, and adherence to, an individualized Learning/Ministry Covenant.
• Mentoring and weekly supervision sessions with an approved Field Supervisor.
• Participation in a Ministry Reflection Seminar.
• Comprehensive written and oral feedback from all partners in the Ministry Formation program.

Every effort is made to match students with a field placement setting that is consonant with their individualized learning objectives, vocational goals, denominational preferences and ministry interests. A wide variety of field placement options are available, including churches of various denominations, para-church organizations, healthcare facilities, campus ministries, correctional institutions, and community service agencies. The Ministry Formation office has a listing of approved field placement sites for students’ consideration. Students may also suggest alternative sites for approval. Placement selection is a collaborative process involving the student, the site supervisor, the placement, and the Director of Ministry Formation.

International placements, summer mission projects, and summer ministry placements are other possible alternatives, provided that all McMaster Divinity College course criteria and standards are met. Negotiations for these types of placements need to begin several months in advance in collaboration with the Director of Ministry Formation. The College encourages students to explore these kinds of placements, since they often have unexpected rewards for ministry experience.

 

All students taking Ministry Formation are divided into small seminar groups called Ministry Reflection Seminars (MRS). These groups meet for 1.5 hours each week throughout the academic year for group theological reflection on the ministry experiences encountered in the field placements. The seminars are jointly led by faculty members and experienced ministry practitioners. During the summer semester, the seminars occur in a distance-education/internet format.

Detailed, ongoing, comprehensive assessment is provided to students to facilitate their discernment of ministry gifts and callings, as well as areas of challenge and growth. Final grading of Ministry Formation and the Ministry Reflection Seminar is on a Pass/Fail basis.

  

All students, particularly those who are interested in counseling and chaplaincy ministries, are encouraged to take at least one unit of Supervised Pastoral Education (SPE) at an accredited site approved by the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education (CAPPE). Students may choose between Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) in a chaplaincy setting where they give pastoral care to people in crisis, or Pastoral Counseling Education (PCE) in a pastoral counseling setting where they counsel people confronting life problems. An accredited mentor guides small groups of students in self-discovery and through issues arising in the day-to-day ministries of the students.

 

A SPE unit may be applied as 3 units of Ministry Formation or 3 units of Ministry Studies electives. Students may elect to take two SPE units (6 units of credit) if preparing for a chaplaincy or counseling ministry. The units may be applied to a focus in Ministry Studies, and result in the Ministry Studies focus having a chaplaincy or pastoral counseling emphasis. SPE units are typically offered as an intensive 12-week intensive summer unit or a two-day per week extended unit conducted from September to April. The Director of Ministry Formation has full details regarding Supervised Pastoral Education.