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Field Education at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary

Field education is an integral part of preparation for ministry at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Through supervised experiences in congregations and agencies, the student has an opportunity
· to develop basic skills in the practice of ministry,
· to clarify and focus the sense of call,
· to discern specific gifts for ministry,
· to integrate theology and theory with experience,
· to develop pastoral identity and character,
· to build a network of persons (ordained and lay) who can serve as references as the student seeks a first call and who can continue to be mentors during early years in ministry.

The importance of this dimension of theological education was reflected in the response to a questionnaire sent to all Louisville Seminary alumni/ae. They rated field education as the most important contributor to their competence in the practice of ministry.

Varieties of Field Experience
Louisville Seminary requires four units of field education, two of which must be in a congregational setting. The congregational work is done concurrently with participation in the academic course, Practical Theology in Congregations. The students’ supervisors participate in some of the class sessions.

16 hours of work each week for a semester is required for a unit of field education credit. Full time work for ten weeks in the summer gives two units of field education credit. A stipend is provided for approved agency and congregational field education positions. If the congregation or agency is unable to pay the full stipend, the seminary may provide a stipend subsidy. However, if the student continues for a second year at the same site, the seminary will not subsidize the second year. No stipends are paid for Clinical Pastoral Education. However, the seminary will pay local supervision fees for the first unit of CPE only.

Louisville Seminary encourages incoming students to postpone field education until their second and third years, to concentrate on academic work the first year. However, first-year students may interview for agency positions if field education is required as part of their financial package or if they need to actively participate in some form of ministry. Congregational placements are reserved for second and third year students who have completed basic biblical and theological courses.

Students at Louisville Seminary will find a wide variety of opportunities for field education, including positions in a number of congregations other than those of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Church Staff Positions
Education in a church setting is provided for the student in a congregation where there is an installed pastor trained in supervision and willing to partner with the faculty of the Practical Theology in Congregations (PTC) course. The congregational position provides experience into a broad range of pastoral work including worship leadership, preaching, pastoral care, mission, Christian education, youth, and administration. Because such positions require biblical, theological, and pastoral understandings, these positions are open only to second and third year students.

Church Supply Positions
Students serving as full or part-time pastors in a congregation are required to engage in a year of field education with supervision. Their place of ministry may be used as the site for Practical Theology in Congregations. They will be required to concurrently work with an individual supervisor provided by their denomination or in group supervision with a supervisor provided by the seminary. After successfully completing the two units of PTC and supervised ministry, the student may be given two additional field education credits for previous ministry.

A few third-year students who have completed a congregational placement may serve as a student supply pastor of a small congregation for 20 hours a week. Supervision is provided by an experienced pastor or by group supervision provided by the seminary. Students must have the permission of their Faculty Advisor and the Director of Field Education to enroll for more than 10.5 hours of academic work. (back to top)  

Agency Placements
Students work in various agencies such as retirement and nursing facilities, social agencies, and social issue related ministries. A limited number of field education placements are available with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Center where students work in various divisions and program agencies and gain a national perspective through working with experienced servants of the church.

Clinical Pastoral Education
CPE provides another category of field experience. The Field Education office strongly recommends that each student take advantage of the opportunity for a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at some point during the seminary career. This training facilitates the clarification of pastoral identity and the development of skills for ministry in times of personal crisis.

International and Multi-cultural Education
International field education placements are available for students as an intern year. Placement is arranged cooperatively with the World Mission program area of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in accordance with its guidelines. The Seminary also partners for cross-cultural experiences with SCUPE (Seminary Consortium for Urban Pastoral Education in Chicago) and with AMERC (Appalachian Ministries Education Resource Center).

Internships
For students who wish to take a year’s internship, the Field Education Office provides information on congregations and agencies qualified to work with a student. The internship is open to students who have satisfactorily completed three semesters of academic work and two units of field experience. In addition, a three (3) credit independent study must be completed during the internship. Upon returning from such an intensive experience, students usually find themselves highly motivated for the remainder of their academic preparation. They are also guided by a clearer understanding of areas in which they need to do further work.
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Field Placement Procedures
The Field Education Office works to develop specific programs of field training to fit the unique interests and needs of students. An initial interview with the Director is a key component in the placement process. This time is designed for students to begin naming their goals and expectations for field education and becoming aware of the need for thoughtful scheduling of field education experiences. Students are encouraged to visit sites to explore whether they will meet their needs. Students submit a Biographical Sketch Form which is made available to congregations and agencies in which the student is interested. Conversation between supervisor and student begins this way.

Churches and agencies which are approved field education sites send an interviewing team to the Seminary for interviews with as many as five students. In like manner, students may select five sites with which they wish to interview. Upon completion of these interviews, the Field Education Office makes assignments for placement. The office seeks to match the abilities of students and the needs of a given field, to honor the preferences of both fields and students, to provide a satisfactory placement for the maximum number of students and fields, and to give a degree of preference to those students who have not completed field education requirements. In this process, the Seminary cannot guarantee placement, since the final decision rests with the employing institution. The Seminary does, however, provide a wide range of interview opportunities for each student and ensures that each church and agency participating in the program follows Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) guidelines.

Interviews for congregational placements are held on a Friday night in late April and for agency placements on a Friday night in early September. Students are encouraged to visit the sites in which they wish to interview and to get to know the supervisor and ministry. Placements can be made outside of the interview process, but Field Education credit can be earned only in placements that are approved by the Field Education Office. (back to top)  

Seeking to Become a Field Education Site

Agencies and Congregations seeking to become field education sites are required to interview with the Director of Field Education. The Supervisor must participate in a supervisory training session. The following papers must be on file with the Field Education Office:

1. Commitment Form and Interview Schedule
2. Information on the congregation/agency and complete position description
3. Biographical information on the supervisor

 

Seeking a Field Education Placement
Students who decide to seek a placement are required to interview with the Director of Field Education and complete:

1. A Field Education Information Form, indicating interest
2. A Biographical Sketch Form
3. The Sexual Misconduct Form

These forms are found on the LPTS website.

 

Supervision and Evaluation
The Field Education Supervisor is a vital resource for students. In the weekly supervisory conference with these practicing professionals, the student reflects upon concrete segments of his or her work and engages in planning for future learning. Because of the importance of the Field Education Supervisor’s role, the Director of Field Education offers training annually for new supervisors and continuing education through the Supervisory Studies Program.

The Seminary depends upon the Field Education Supervisor to provide on-going feedback to the student and to work with the student in a final evaluation at the end of each unit of training. This process begins at the start of the unit as the student and supervisor together establish a Learning Covenant, clarify areas of responsibility and set criteria for evaluation. A copy of the final evaluation is normally shared with the student’s faculty advisor and the appropriate governing body of the denomination to which the student is related. The Director of Field Education is available for consultation in the event that problems arise in relation to the student’s work. With early negotiation, serious problems can often be averted.
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Supervisory Studies Program
An important part of Field Education is participation by both student and supervisor in the Supervisory Studies Programs which are held at 9:30 a.m. on the first Monday of October, November, March, and April or in the supervisors and students sessions of the Practical Theology in Congregations course. During these times students and supervisors explore tools for deepening the supervisory relationship and for theological reflection.

Lay Committee
During Field Education congregational placements students learn to partner with church laity by the establishment of a Lay Committee. Persons on the interview team and/or others who work closely with the student may constitute such a group. Lay committees need not meet weekly; however, a monthly meeting can provide helpful input for the student and can help students learn to partner with laity. Such a circle of congregational members can offer the “view from the pew” which is indispensable to the practice of ministry. Each fall the Director of Field Education offers a training session for Lay Committees. (back to top)

In January and May, Lay Committees are asked to submit to the Field Education Office an evaluation from their perspective for the student. These are sent to the student’s CPM to help that group in the assessment of the student’s readiness for ministry.
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Paperwork Required of all Field Education Students
The prompt completion of the following forms by which students’ progress is tracked and evaluated is a necessity:

1. Field Education Registration Form – due the first week of each semester.
   Without this form the registrar cannot place field education on the
   transcript.
2. Administrative Agreement and Learning Covenant – due during the first two weeks of each semester.
3. Student and Supervisor Evaluation Forms – due three weeks after the end of semester, as are academic grades.
4. Lay Committee Evaluation Forms - in congregational placements due three weeks after the end of the semester.

All of the above forms are available on the seminary website with the exception of the Field Education Registration Form. Due dates for required Field Education paperwork are listed on the Field Education Calendar for the year which is given to each student and supervisor and published on the Seminary website. (back to top)

If the submission of the required semester Evaluation Form and other required work exceeds the deadline by more than one month, the student will automatically receive a failing grade for that semester’s Field Education. A student receiving two failing grades in Field Education is terminated as an M.Div. degree candidate. Extensions may be granted for doctor certified medical reasons or for other extenuating circumstances, if approved by the Director of Field Education and/or the Academic Dean. Persistent tardiness in the submission of required paperwork may be noted in the Director’s attached comments on the semester Evaluation Form. (back to top)

When a student's evaluation for a unit of field education is marginal or failing, a conference with the Field Education Director is mandatory. A student receiving two failing evaluations is terminated as an M.Div. degree candidate.(back to top)

A student on academic probation is not permitted to participate in a field education placement. The emphasis is to be on academic work until the grade point average is raised. (back to top)

Each student's field education records, including all evaluations, are kept for ten years in the archives of the seminary. The records are then shredded. (back to top)

Problems and Termination
After a placement has begun, the Director of Field Education is available to discuss any questions with students and/or supervisors. If problems arise that have not been resolved (or that cannot be discussed) with the supervisor, the student should consult the Director immediately for assistance and support. Unfortunately, some placements turn out to be an unsatisfactory match and need to be terminated in the best interests of all parties. If the placement is unworkable, it can be terminated before the end of the contract period. If this is necessary, a conference with the student, the supervisor and the Director is required. Depending upon the circumstances, the student may or may not receive credit for the work that has been completed up to that point.

Confidentiality
No part of a student's field education record is released without a signed permission from the student. At the beginning of each field education placement students are asked to sign a statement that evaluations may be released to their ordaining body.

The Field Education Office seeks to maintain rigorous standards of confidentiality in matters of student evaluation. The office is never unlocked when unattended, and student Field Education files are kept in locked filing cabinets to which the only persons with access are the Director and the Administrative Secretary of the Field Education Office. Evaluation papers can be shared only with the President, the Dean of the Faculty, the Faculty Advisor, and the denomination representatives involved in the student’s ordination process.
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Revised March 2007

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