Engage: A Theological Field Education Toolkit [Hardcover]

Theological field education, in which a ministry student steps out of the classroom and begins practicing with the supervision of a mentor, is a critical part of accredited ministry programs. Engage equips both students and their supervisor-mentors to engage in this important opportunity with energy and imagination, and it prepares students for the challenging work of integrating theory into real-world practice.

Engage provides coaching from recognized experts in the arts of ministry: preaching, administration, evangelism, pastoral care, public ministry, leadership, faith formation, liturgical arts and more. Other chapters address themes such as race, gender, and ministry across faith traditions (or no faith tradition). The book addresses field education in a range of contextsfrom churches to non-profits.

Engage offers a valuable resource for students making the most of their transition from the classroom into real world ministry with all its joys and many challenges.

Matthew Floding is director of ministerial formation at Duke Divinity School. He previously served as director of formation for ministry at Western Theological Seminary. He has also served as pastor and college chaplain and is a consultant with expertise in field education issues. He is a former chair of the Association for Theological Field Education and editor of Welcome to Theological Field Education.

Academic instruction, identity formation, skill building, contextual analysis and intervention intersect with the questions of what is God doing today - among the people and in my growth toward ministry. Engage provides a compass for individual and congregational development in these areas and multiple maps for navigating the bumps, twists, and smoother places where learning, service, and reflection intersect. During the nineteen years that I served as a seminary director of field education I wish I had this book to help guide students and supervisors as they navigated congregatl“M