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1. Ministerial Fieldwork

The first component of Contextual Formation is Ministerial Fieldwork, which is a two-semester requirement of supervised fieldwork normally begun in the first semester of one’s study.  (Typically, all Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) students must have a positive Entrance decision from their synodical candidacy committee before they can be assigned to a fieldwork site.  Normally, all students from traditions other than ELCA must have an ecclesiastical endorsement in their admission file before they can be assigned.)

Master of Divinity (MDiv) students are assigned to a congregation for two consecutive semesters to engage in practices of ministry in order to develop skills and vision related to ministerial or diaconal leadership.

Master of Arts in Ministerial Leadership (MAML) students are assigned to occupationally appropriate ministry settings (ie. congregation, agency or institution) to develop skills and vision related to their specialized field of ministry.

Students requiring special arrangements, please note the following policy regarding a specific site.

“Policy for when students need a specific site/geography where the Contextual Formation Office does not ordinarily have Ministerial Fieldwork sites: 1. Students must work with their synod/judicatory to get its approval of a particular site.  2. The student may then directly contact the pastor and ask if she/he, as well as the church council, would be willing to be a Ministerial Fieldwork congregation.  3. Students need to talk with the pastor about mileage reimbursements and other learning commitments and refer them to the Contextual Formation webpage where they can find these Ministerial Fieldwork guidelines. 4. After the congregation has agreed to be a part of our program, please have the pastor/church send a completed site application to the Contextual Formation Office on either the Gettysburg campus or the Philadelphia campus.”

For students who are employed in a congregational setting, it is possible for such a setting to serve as their fieldwork site with the permission of the Director of Contextual Formation.

Contextual Formation Registration Form

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