Supervised Ministry
STUDENT - Check List
Attend Site Fair in February
Select Site - March
Complete Background Check
& turn in Release Form March 31
Site Supervisor Covenant signed by ALL parties April 1
Supervisor C.V. Or Resume May 15
Site Committee Commitment Form May 15
Learning Covenant & Time Budget May 15
Code of Ethics August 15
Time Log – 312 hours are required to Pass Supervised Ministry.
Summer
September January
October February
November March
December April
Case Study – presented in class with Supervisor
Site Committee Minutes
October February
November March
December April
Writing Sample
October February
November March
December April
End of each Semester
Supervisors Evaluation December 1 April 1
Site Committee Evaluation December 1 May 1
Student’s Evaluation December 1 May 1
Theology of Ministry Statement First Day of Class
Theology of Ministry Paper December 1
Theology of Ministry Paper II May 1
Student Prerequisites for Supervised Ministry
To be enrolled in Supervised Ministry students must:
1. Have successfully completed Evaluation I, in the course of which the Supervised Ministry site has been approved. If the student is not planning to do Supervised Ministry in the second year, that plan should be communicated to the Evaluation I committee.
2. Have filed paperwork required by CRCDS -- including the learning covenant, site supervisor’s covenant, and the names of the site committee -- by June 1. After June 1, students whose paperwork has not been filed will be removed from the Supervised Ministry registration, and new students will not be enrolled for the Fall semester. Enrollment in the Spring semester requires permission of the Supervised Ministry faculty.)
3. Have filed paperwork required by the Supervised Ministry site and complied with any medical or other requirements of the institution in which they have negotiated a Supervised Ministry placement.
Selection of Supervised Ministry Sites
Supervised Ministry Sites are “Approved Sites” or “Partner Sites.” A file of these sites is kept in the academic life office.
“Approved sites” are approved by the faculty on a one-year provisional basis. This approval is sought at the initiation of the student or the site. The process of becoming an approved site begins with a conversation between the potential site supervisor and the Supervised Ministry faculty. After information is gathered about the site, including site supervisor resume and references, the full faculty approves the site, the supervisor, and the site committee.
Supervised Ministry Site Selection Process
Each candidate for the Master of Divinity degree is required to engage in a full academic year (Fall and Spring terms) of Supervised Ministry. Supervised Ministry is normally taken during the second year of study in the M. Div. program and involves twelve hours per week of practical, guided experience in a teaching site.
The site selection process for Supervised Ministry normally begins in February and includes the following:
1. February: Students must attend the Site Fair. This mandatory is where students gain information about the Supervised Ministry program, hear about possible sites for Supervised Ministry, and meet potential supervisors. Students may read the descriptions current Sites kept on file by Supervised Ministry faculty and staff.
2. Students in an ordination process shall consult with their denominations committee to gain clarity about denominational guidelines or field-based requirements.
3. Students consult with the designated Supervised Ministry faculty and their faculty adviser whenever counsel or additional information will assist the site selection process.
4. March: Students have two main tasks in March: 1. Complete the Background Check process and turn in the Release Form. 2. Network, by going to site and meeting with potential supervisors.
5. April 15: Site Supervisor’s Covenant is due.
6. May 15: Learning Covenants and Time Log must be turned in to the Supervised Ministry faculty. The Supervised Ministry faculty shall send a formal confirmation of the site to the supervisor.
Teaching Site
The teaching site provides the field-based learning opportunity for one student and agrees to offer the student a wide exposure to the practice of ministry so that he/she may exercise leadership, initiative, and creativity in ministry.
The teaching site specifically affords each student the possibility to accomplish a wide range of learning goals in the many areas of personal and professional growth, as they are appropriate to the selected site. Sites should be selected with the students’ learning goals in mind.
Each student should have some exposure to the following arts and activities of ministry: pastoral care, calling, hospital visitation, teaching, meeting leadership, baptisms, communion, weddings, wedding rehearsals, and funerals. When these ministries are not easily available within a congregation or agency, the Supervised Ministry program will augment the students’ experiences by pairing the student for a particular experience with a supervisor and student from another site.
A committee of representatives of the congregation or agency, usually called a “site committee,” works with the student on a regular basis to help the student learn from his or her experience. This committee represents a different place in the social structure of the institution than the supervisor and, therefore, broadens the point of view for interpreting the student’s ministry.
Students spend three hours a week in class for twenty-six weeks. Students will have some limited preparation for class. Churches and agencies should expect students to spend approximately twelve hours per week throughout the academic year in Supervised Ministry (usually September through mid-May, excluding official school holidays and other designated times when class is not in session). The total of class and field placement time is 312 hours per year. Students are encouraged to establish their relationship with the site in the summer preceding the class and to begin to accumulate hours. If students work during summer or the January term, the hours may be calculated in the total hours. Students will keep a log of hours and how they were spent. This twelve-hour time period includes preparation time for duties in the church or agency, as well as time actually spent in the site.
Students may not do Supervised Ministry in their “home congregation.” A home congregation is defined as a congregation that is recommending a student for ordination or guiding a student in the ordination process.
Churches and agencies should consult with the Supervised Ministry faculty whenever concerns arise within the Supervised Ministry site. Early consultation can be very helpful in resolving issues between the student and teaching site.
GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE LEARNING COVENANT
See Exhibit B
Learning Goals
Learning goals or objectives are formulated by the student with the assistance and consultation of the supervisor, and also of community members if they are involved in the process in the site. A goal is stated in a way so that it can be reviewed at the end of a semester to see if there is any behavioral or phenomenological way of knowing whether the goal has been met.
Learning goals can be job related, i.e.,
· To learn to teach a sixth-grade Sunday School class;
· To learn to conduct an every-member canvass;
· To learn to train laity to be youth group advisers;
Or, goals can be oriented toward personal growth, i.e.,
· To gain poise and confidence in leading public worship;
· To continue to grow in listening to ideas of others without becoming defensive;
Or, goals may focus on one's relationship with God and the Church, i.e.,
· To understand the relationship between the concept of “Laos of God” and "those people who seem to have only a passive interest in the Church.”
Once goals or objectives are determined, state them in concrete terms. For instance, even with something as ethereal as God's presence in healing, the Learning Covenant can include such things as participation in the healing services, calling on parishioners who attended such services and/or participation in a group, which concerns itself with healing. From these experiences, evaluate with the supervisor, objectively and subjectively, what is going on with the healing ministry. Unless learning goals are set, it is difficult to evaluate anything beyond outward performance in the job.
Learning goals themselves can be evaluated in light of the lifelong learning of development in skills, vocation and practical wisdom.
WITHDRAWAL FROM A SUPERVISED MINISTRY PLACEMENT
Once a supervisor and a site have been accredited and the student has filed the required paperwork and registered for Supervised Ministry, a letter of confirmation will be sent to the supervisor and to the student formalizing the relationship of student, site, and supervisor with the school. After that point, it is assumed that the Supervised Ministry course will be completed in that site.
In the event that questions arise about the viability of a student’s placement, the Director of Supervised Ministry shall be contact immediately. Termination of the relationship is an option, but it shall not be considered until the Students, Director of Supervised Ministry and the Supervisor have engaged in a process of conflict transformation to respond to the questions or issues that threaten the viability of the placement.
If for any reason the student, supervisor or site committee convener initiates a termination of the placement, the procedure is carried out according to policy on “withdrawal from a course” as stated in the Campus Handbook, pp. 20 - 21. The student must then retake this required course in order to complete the M. Div. degree.
BACKGROUND CHECK POLICY
All students participating in the Supervised Ministry Program (the “Program”) at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (the “School”) shall be required to undergo a background check (the “Background Check”) which will include the following:
• Residency History;
• Social Security Verification; and
• Law Enforcement Records, including sex offender registrations.
The Background Check must be ordered and paid for by the student no later than March 31st of the Spring session prior to enrollment in the Program for the next academic year. The student must also submit an Authorization/Release for Background Check form to the Director of the Program. The failure to order and pay for the Background Check and submit the required form by March 31st will result in the student being denied entrance into the Program for the upcoming academic year.
The Background Check is one of the resources needed for the Program, much like the books needed for a class. The Authorization/Release for Background Check form authorizing the School to review the results of the Background Check will be provided for students at the Site Fair which is held during the first 10 days of February as well as instructions to guide students through the process of ordering the Background Check. Please note that the cost of the Background Check is currently under $50.00.
The review of background information has become the best practice for persons working in helping professions, and in some of those professions, legally required. The Program requires the Background Check for two reasons: (1) to model a “best practice” for our students to demonstrate a proactive approach regarding the health, well-being and safety of the people we serve; and (2) to insure that the students that we send out from the School to the Program sites are people of integrity who serve from a place of wholeness, i.e. being the people God is calling the students to be.
The Background Check reports will be initially reviewed by the Director of the Program to determine the student’s suitability for the Program, and the School shall use reasonable care to keep the report confidential. The student is obligated to provide the School with any new information which would otherwise be set forth in an updated Background Check report.
The following may result in the denial of admission to, or the dismissal from, the Program and/or other action pursuant to the applicable policies and procedures of the School:
(1) a felony conviction;
(2) a misdemeanor conviction involving any crime involving prohibited substances or any crime against a person, including, but not limited to, physical or sexual abuse such as lewd conduct, sexual battery, sexual exploitation, rape or statutory rape); or
(3) a sex offense registration, or an offense that under current law would result in registration.
For purposes of this policy, the term “conviction” shall be interpreted broadly to include pleas of no contest, withheld judgments, suspended sentences or similar dispositions. The student shall notify the Director of the Program in writing of any new information (e.g., arrests or pending charges) that would otherwise be provided in a new Background Check. If a student has pending charges that, if a conviction resulted would result in the denial of admission to, or the dismissal from, the Program, the student may be prohibited from enrolling, or continuing, in the Program until the final disposition of the charges. The existence of a conviction does not automatically disqualify a student. Relevant considerations may include, but are not limited to, the date, nature and number of convictions, the relationship the conviction bears to the Program, and successful efforts towards rehabilitation.
If the Background Check report contains or the student informs the School of information that may lead to the denial of admission to, or the dismissal from, the Program, or other appropriate action, he or she will be notified and required to meet with, and/or submit information to, the Director of the Program and Academic Dean. This will be done to afford the student the opportunity to be heard before any denial or dismissal.
While the School will use reasonable care to keep a student’s background information confidential, it may be shared with the School’s legal counsel and others who the Director of the Program identifies as having a need-to-know. If any background information requires additional investigation, the School may proceed to request additional information from the student and/or appropriate third parties. In addition, the School may require the student to obtain an updated Background Check at any time.
The School will make reasonable efforts to keep students informed of any changes inthis policy; however, the School reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to amend or repeal this policy, in whole or in part, at any time.
EXHIBIT K
Authorization/Release for Background Check
(Due March 31)
I am submitting this form in conjunction with my application for enrollment in the Supervised Ministry Program (the “Program”) at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (the “School”).
I hereby authorize the School to receive and review the following background information which I will provide in connection with my application to the Program in the form of a background check report and updates, if necessary: (1) residence history; (2) social security verification; and (3) criminal background information, including, but not limited to, sex offender registrations and law enforcement records. This background check is being conducted for the purpose of assisting the School in evaluating my suitability for the Program. I will provide the School with a background check report and agree to update the report in the event there is new information (e.g., arrests or pending charges) which would otherwise be set forth in a new report. The release of information as set forth herein is expressly authorized.
I understand that information contained in the background check report may result in my being: (1) denied admission to the Program or dismissed from the Program; and (2) denied or dismissed from other programs at the School, including the School itself. I also understand that I will be afforded the opportunity to be heard before any such denial or dismissal in accordance with the School’s policies.
I understand that reasonable efforts will be made by the School to protect the confidentiality of this information, but that the results of the background check may be reviewed by the Director of the Program, Academic Dean, the School’s legal counsel, and others that the Director of the Program identifies as having a need-to-know.
If adverse information is contained in my report, I understand that I will be notified by the School and will be asked to meet with, and/or provide information in writing to, the Director of the Program and the Academic Dean. If any information requires additional investigation, the School may proceed to request additional information from appropriate third parties. I understand that admission decisions made by the School are final and not subject to appeal.
Finally, I understand that I am responsible for all costs associated with this process.
Authorization/Release for Background Check
Signature: ___________________________ Date:_________________
Print Name: ________________________Access Code:____________
LEARNING COVENANT (Sample Outline)
Due May 15
Page 1 of 2
STUDENT____________________________________________________________________
SITE ___________________________________________________________
A. LEARNING GOALS
1.
2.
3.
(etc.)
Average Weekly
B. TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Time in Hours
Sunday Morning (average time)
(Outline duties and times)
Other than Sunday Morning Responsibilities (average time)
(Outline specific duties and responsibilities)
(Indicate when, i.e., “Monday afternoon”)
Preparation Time (average time)
(Specify for what purpose)
Staff Time (average time)
(Staff meeting or instruction time for student)
Supervision (average time)
(Indicate when, i.e., “Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m.”)
Site Committee Meeting (average time)
(indicate when, i.e., “3rd Monday at 8:00 p.m.”)
Travel - to and from Site (average time)
Any Specific Agreements between Supervisor and Student
The above agreement will be reviewed at the end of each semester during the evaluation period and modified according to the mutual consent of student and supervisor in accordance with the learning process of the student and the needs of the site.
_______________________________________ ____________________________________
Student’s Signature Supervisor’s Signature
_______________________________________
Date
The student is responsible to see that a copy of this covenant and any revisions are forwarded to the Supervised Ministry faculty by the due date.
***********************
(Format for this covenant has been borrowed from Pastoral Education and Formation: A Manual for Supervised Ministry, by the Rev. Edward R. Morgan, III, D. Min., Virginia Theological Seminary.)
EXHIBIT J
Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School
A Code of Ethics for Supervised Ministry
(Adapted from the Columbia Theological Seminary Code of Ethics)
Supervised Ministry at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School seeks to prepare men and women for pastoral and public leadership in the Church and in society. Toward that end, theological students serve in Supervised Ministry settings with teaching congregations or agencies and alongside approved supervisors in order to learn through direct practices of ministry. From personal engagement with God’s people, interns have the opportunity to integrate what they have learned from life itself and from their educational experiences with the actual practice of ministry.
We believe that pastoral responsibilities must be fulfilled through healthy means of relating to one another. Pastoral integrity is absolutely critical to ministry praxis.
We, therefore, commit ourselves to the following “Code of Ethics for Supervised Ministry.”
Regarding Working Relationship and Interrelationship of Supervisors and Students.
- Students and Supervisors will honor their educational responsibility to engage one another seriously in pastoral and theological reflection.
- Students and Supervisors will avoid imposing their own theology upon those they serve or supervise.
- Students and Supervisors will not abuse their relationship with each other to meet personal needs for sex, affection, affirmation, or power.
- Students and Supervisors will not look to the other for personal therapy, even if the other has counseling credentials. Supervision involves attending to the Student’s emotions, but therapy, if warranted, will need to be provided by a third person outside of the supervisory relationship.
Regarding Appropriate Interpersonal Boundaries
- Students and Supervisors will not engage in sexual, racial, or other harassment or exploitation of one another or other people.
- Students and Supervisors will not enter into intimate sexual relationships with parishioners or clients, even if the relationship is consensual.
- Students and Supervisors will avoid conflict-of-interest relationships (e.g., seeking financial help from church members, or using confidential information for personal advantage) that have the potential of impairing judgment or increasing the risk of personal or financial exploitation.
- Students and Supervisors will be truthful and honest in their dealings with one another and with others. They will refrain from spreading false or malicious gossip about persons who are not present.
- Students and Supervisors will not disclose pastoral confidences to anyone except when 1) it is mandated by law, 2) it may prevent a clear and immediate danger to self and or others, 3) it is used for the purpose of pastoral supervision, or 4) it is authorized in previously obtained written permission. Students will inform those encountered in pastoral care situations about these limits of confidentiality; and supervisors, more generally, will inform congregants about these limits.
Regarding Other Matters of Personal Integrity
- Students and Supervisors will be faithful stewards of funds entrusted to their care and shall avoid exploiting the trust of others for financial gain.
- Students and Supervisors will practice pastoral care within the reasonable realms of their competence. More specifically, unless professionally trained and certified, they will not present themselves as “counselors” or “therapists.” When called upon to function outside their realm of competence, they will enlist the guidance of others or refer to other professionals.
- Students and Supervisors will give appropriate credit for sources quoted publicly and shall observe copyright laws.
- Students and Supervisors will refrain from alcohol and drug abuse, and if it should occur, they will seek professional help to overcome the problem.
- Students and Supervisors will not discriminate against or refuse to offer ministry to others because of their race, gender, age, national origin, physical ability or sexual orientation.
Students and Supervisors are required to subscribe to this Code of Ethics for Supervised Ministry before beginning any internship under the auspices of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School. This signed document will shall be kept on file in the Office of Supervised Ministry as long as the student is enrolled in the degree program. Please make a copy for the personal file of the Supervisor and for the Student.
Please sign, print name and date.
Student (sign)________________________Date___________
Print Name_______________________________________
Supervisor (sign)____________________________Date__________
Print Name _____________________________________________
EXHIBIT F
STUDENT
MIDYEAR EVALUATION FORM
Due December 1
COLGATE ROCHESTER CROZER DIVINITY SCHOOL
Supervised Ministry Program
STUDENT ______________________ EVALUATION DATE____________
SUPERVISOR_______________________________________________
SITE______________________________________________________
Guidelines
For each area, summarize the performance, personal and professional growth, and the use of resources helpful to you.
1. Entry into Site: Are you sufficiently “on board” in relationship to your supervisor, site committee, site as a whole? How were you welcomed into the community? What steps have you taken to become involved in the life of the site?
2. Learning Covenant: Review progress and goals/objectives pertinent to this semester. Any revisions to the Learning Covenant must be attached to this evaluation form.
3. Supervision: Review type and consistency of supervision, satisfaction, growth, and problems.
4. Site Committee: How did the process of forming the committee go? Comment on planning of agenda, content, and process of the meetings.
5. General Comments: Include summary remarks about your skills, vocational development, growing edges for the Spring Term and practical wisdom.
Prepare your evaluation summary and attach to this sheet. Return to the Supervised Ministry Faculty by December 1.
______________________________________ ______________________________
Student's Signature Supervisor's Signature
EXHIBIT I
STUDENT
FINAL EVALUATION FORM
COLGATE ROCHESTER CROZER DIVINITY SCHOOL
Supervised Ministry Program
Due May 1
STUDENT ______________________ EVALUATION DATE ________________
SUPERVISOR ____________________________________________________
SITE ____________________________________________________________
Please comment in regard to each of the following: * (use extra pages if needed)
1. Application to learning about and understanding of the ministry context:
2. Willingness and effort to build relationships in the ministry context:
3. Openness to listen to and learn from others, including ability to receive criticism:
4. Evidence of creative thinking and willingness to take initiatives:
5. Ability to risk and response to failure:
6. Ability to communicate in up-front situations:
7. Punctuality:
8. Evidence that student is well-prepared for set tasks:
9. Capacity to relate and work in a team situation:
10. Ethically appropriate behavior:
11. Ability to make decisions and get a job done:
12. Capacity to address tense situations rather than withdraw from them:
13. Sensitivity to the needs and feelings of others:
14. Capacity to support others:
15. Respect for opinions, beliefs and ideas of others:
16. Respect for authority and healthy exercise of power:
17. Integration of theology and the practice of ministry:
18. Appropriate balance between ministry and personal life:
19. Signs of growing ministerial identity and self-awareness:
20. Comment on the student’s potential for Pastoral Ministry.
Prepare your evaluation summary and attach to this sheet. Return to the Supervised Ministry Office by Due May 1.
_________________________ ____________________________________
Student's Signature Supervisor's Signature
- Some questions from the Handbook of Trinity Theological College – The United Church in Australia.
