Field Education Program

Section

• Field Education at Lancaster Seminary

  The goal of field education is to offer opportunities for formative experiences in ministry outside the classroom. Possible field education sites include: churches, hospital chaplaincies, retirement homes, university campuses, social service agencies, and local urban shelters. Through field education, you will learn about yourself and will be shaped by experiences in practice of ministry, encounters with the people with whom you serve, and the wisdom of a skilled supervisor.

  Our Field Education Coordinator, Rev. Dr. Melvin R. Baber, provides support to students, the teaching church or institution, and the approved On-Site Supervisor. During Field Education, you are led to examine your life skills in pastoral care, preaching, church administration, and social ministries. You also take time regularly for self-reflection.

  Here at LTS, we take field education very seriously. We partner with a variety of church denominations and institutions to prepare students for their future ministries. Field education is required for all Master of Divinity students during the 200-level in the Ministerial Formation Program.

  It is the responsibility of each student to choose a site and supervisor that will meet the guidelines set by LTS. Possible field education sites for students include: churches, hospital chaplaincies, retirement homes, university campuses, social service agencies, and local urban shelters. A student can serve at the same site for two years or select two different sites during the two years of field education. 

  Students design their own learning covenants based upon their vocational plans, the pastoral skills they need to learn, and the pastoral experience they need; the objective is to help students meet their denominational requirements for ordination and become transformational ministers.

  In their field education, students learn about themselves. They are shaped by the experiences in their practices of ministry, encounters with the people with whom they serve, and the wisdom of a skilled supervisor who will accompany them in this discernment process. In addition to providing students with the opportunity to engage in supervised ministries, students are also expected to reflect theologically upon their ministerial experiences.

  In order for this teaching model to work effectively, our Field Education Coordinator provides support to the student, the teaching church or institution, the approved On-Site Supervisor, and, upon request, the lay committee. With the help of the On-Site Supervisor and Field Education Coordinator, students in ministry formation are led to examine their life skills in pastoral care, preaching, church administration, and social ministries. They also take time regularly for self-reflection.

  Seeking to fulfill our mission to serve God by educating and strengthening transformational leaders for congregations, other settings of ministry, and society, our field education requirement provides the necessary elements for transformational experience to occur in the areas of:

  • Vocational discernment
  • Confirming the call to leadership
  • Exploration of ministerial options
  • Development of pastoral skills
  • Deeper self-awareness and sense of pastoral identity

  
  
  
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• Process for Becoming a Field Education Supervisor

  In order to attend Field Education Supervisor Training, you must first be approved by the Coordinator of Field Education, Rev. Dr. Melvin Baber. If you wish to learn more about training, please contact him at (717) 290-8733​.

  1.    If you are interested in supervising a seminarian, please review the Supervisor Guidelines (linked above).  

  2.    After reviewing the guidelines, if your site meets the requirements and is interested in pursuing a supervising relationship with a seminarian, please contact the Faculty Assistant (717) 290-8750 or facultyassistant@lancasterseminary.edu to provide your contact information.  The assistant will pass on your information to Rev. Dr. Baber, who will contact you for an interview.

  4.    Rev. Dr. Baber will invite you to the Seminary for an interview.  The potential supervisor and site must provide a letter of good standing from their institution or judicatory.

  5.    If all parties feel that the partnership is a good fit, Rev. Dr. Baber will schedule an on-site visit and meeting with the supervisor and where appropriate, the lay committee chairperson. 

  6.    After the on-site visit, the Field Education Office will determine whether the site and supervisor would be a good fit for the Field Education program and will contact the potential supervisor.  

  7.    Before a seminarian can be placed at the site, the supervisor must participate in the Field Education Supervisor’s Training provided by the Seminary.  

  
  
  
• Field Education Due Dates and Lists

  
  

  • Site and Supervisor List 2022-23 File
  • 2022-2023 Due Dates File
  • 2021-22 Due Dates File
  
• Field Education Guidelines

  
  

  • Supervisors: Field Education Guidelines File
  • Students: Field Education Student Guide 2022-2023 File
  
• Field Education Forms

  
  

  • Commitment Form File
  • Learning Covenant Form File
  • End of Term I Feedback by Supervisor Form File
  • End of Term II - Student Progress Form File
  • Final Evaluation by Supervisor File
  • Final Evaluation by Lay Committee File
  • Final Evaluation by Student File
  • Sermon Evaluation Form File
  
• Field Education Supervisor Training

  • Field Education Supervisor Training June 7,2022 Zoom meeting
  • 2022 Field Education Supervisor Training Agenda File
  • 2022 Evaluation Form - Required for Training Certificate - DUE TOMORROW URL
  • Ministerial Formation Program at LTS File
  • 2022-2023 Field Education Timeline File
  • Field Education Forms URL
  • Supervisor Guidelines (2022) File
  • Supervisor Training Packet (2022) Folder
  • LTS Course Maps (up to date, same as 2017) File