Anthony Clinkscales

Dr. Edward Wimberly, Dr. Karen Griffin

INT408A Foundations for Ministry
16 January 2009

Glossary of Key Terms (Cetuk What to Expect in Seminary)

I.

The Tasks of Ministry

1. Healing: An aspect of the pastoral office that means binding up wounds in
the precise sense of the good-Samaritan story. Pastors are called to the
healing ministry as they preside over the church which can be seen as a
hospital for spiritually sick individuals, along with overseeing evangelism
and ministry of helps that meet the material needs of people.
2. Sustaining: An aspect of the pastoral office which means comforting in the
original sense of (with courage) upholding or standing with one who
suffers even if the situation cannot be altered except perhaps by change in
the persons attitude. Pastors are responsible for uplifting the people,
holding them up, and empowering them when they are in there lowest
valley unable to stand because of the mental/spiritual vexation.
3. Guiding: An aspect of the pastoral office which means helping to find the
paths when that help has been sought. Pastors are often looked upon for
guidance because congregants can be blinded by their own emotions,
thus they seek spiritual advice for pertinent concerns.
4. Communication and Education: An aspect of work the pastor does which
includes the many ways that pastors teach the body of material that forms
the corpus of the Judeo-Christian heritage. Christian Education is the key
to maintaining the faith inherited from the people of the way, which speaks
volumes to every issue and concern for the faithful community.
5. Caring and Reconciliation: An aspect of work the pastor does such as
when the pastor is visiting in homes or hospitals, counseling troubled
families or individuals, or helping couples think about marriage within the
Christian context. A pastors work is never done when so many people
need the counsel, witness, prayers, and optimism of a trained leader.
6. Administration and Organization: The myriad of ways in which the pastor
sets about to organize the love of the gospel evidenced in that particular
congregation (i.e. preparing reports and bulletins; taking time to see that
the right people are in key leadership roles and that segments of the
congregation do not feel neglected and disenfranchised, which protect the
body from threats within and without by helping the organization to

II.

remain healthy and whole). The pastor is the chief executive officer and
thus overseas the church and monitors its structure and effectiveness.
7. Theology and Ethics: Ministers reflect a particular theology in everything
we do. Everything we do shows our deepest ethical decisions about how
we will treat people and what our values and priorities are in light of the
gospel of Jesus Christ. Our actions and interaction with others is a true
reflection of the type of theology and ethics we hold.
8. An Effective Pastor: To be an effective pastor one must stay fit on every
level, remain curious and intellectually alive, be willing to do the ongoing
work of self-reflection in order to offer authentic and helpful leadership,
and maintain a spiritually disciplined life. An effective pastor has to
constantly meet the needs of an evolving congregation living and affected
by an ever-growing, global, and technological society.
Reframing Theological Education
1. Outside Frame: Looking first at the finished frame around the picture
helps us make sense of the heart of the matter. The perspective we have
about lifes puzzles affects how easily we make all of the pieces fit
together. When we are faced with a questionable situation that seems
unfavorable at first glance, at that moment we should identify the outside
frame, thus seeing the holistic purpose and potential benefits.
2. Hands-Off View: Many theological schools in the moderate to liberal
Protestant tradition seem not to be structured in such a way as to assist or
promote students personal spiritual formation. Thus a hands-off view
persists relative to inquiry about and support for students personal
practice of the spiritual disciplines. The hands-off spiritual formation view
can be problematic in that it perpetuates a generally academic, pragmatic,
intellectual approach to teaching students whose profession has faith and
spirituality as its substratum.
3. Pedagogical Dualism: The knowledge of the object that is known has
been divorced from its relationship to the subject who knows, thus
diminishing the significance of emotion, intuition, the personal and the
complexity emerging from the practice of lived experience (domains
difficult to apprehend empirically). The seminary functions, as the
academy, in helping students learn the two basic approaches to arriving at
an informed conclusion: one based on faith (spiritual gifts), and one
based on facts (intellectual deduction).
4. Spiritual Landscape: Correspondence with the spiritual environment
which is challenged and enriched by seminary; ever-changing because of
daily addressing God in a variety of ways. Just like we tend to alter our
view of society and the world as we grow older, we tend to evolve and
adapt our spiritual understanding through our matriculation in seminary.

III.

5. The Deconstructive Nature of Theological Education: Since the

predominant frame in many theological schools seems to be that of
intellectual development only, sometimes students fail to learn all that they
might while in seminary because of viewing the faculty as the adversary.
Students may feel that theological education attacks their individual,
traditional faiths as it causes us to question everything that we believe.
6. Reframing Theological Education: To change the conceptual and /or
emotional setting or viewpoint in relation to which theological education is
experienced and to place it in another frame which fits the facts of
seminary equally well or even better, and thereby changes its entire
meaning. Instead of instigating the development of psychological and
intellectual myopia of sorts as a defense of the day-to-day grind of classes
and assignments and stresses in other areas of students lives, seminary
needs to be reframed so that it can be befriended and claimed in toto as
self-conscious spiritual formation. When students feel contempt for
teachers and the methodologies presented in class, another more positive
outlook may be achieved by simply reframing the classroom experience.
The Call of Ministry"
1. True Discipleship: Means that when Christ is done with us we will not be
the same people we were; involves openness to the future and the
expectation that we will change as we walk closely with God; causes us to
become restless with the way things are when justice and mercy are not
the order of the day. The call to ministry is a call to action in establishing
the kingdom of God, or peace, in the earth. The kingdom encompasses
everything Christ stood for, essentially righteousness, joy, and peace.
2. Reasons Students Come to Seminary: Students enroll for essentially two
reasons: conscious reasons (i.e. experiencing a call from God,
encouragement of clergy, influence of others, desire to make the world a
better place and spread the gospel message of love, justice, and
reconciliation) and unconscious reasons (which must be discovered and
explored while in seminary, for they will exert pressure on your ministry in
powerful ways unless you are aware of them). Students should revisit
their call stories often; they are extremely helpful in keeping focus and
highlighting the reason(s) for coming to seminary.
3. Luthers Understanding of Vocation: Was deeply grounded in his belief in
Gods desire to see us provided for. All Christians have a calling in life,
namely to live the life of faith in God and love for neighbor in whatever
office or station they hold, thusly, vocation is not confined to an occupation
but also includes ones relationships with others (e.g. wife, mother, sister,
teacher, disciple, volunteer). Luther saw every individual as being full of
purpose; every role significantly affects the grand scheme of things.

4. Ministry of All People of God: All have received a religious vocation upon
baptism to go into the world and spread the love of God through Christ
through all that is done. God enables us to be in service through the gifts
and graces we have been given. Every believer is accountable of loving
their neighbor, near and far. Love is an action that we perform out of our
being, utilizing what God has blessed us with individually.
5. Representative Ministry of Clergy: Each denomination distinguishes
between the ministry of all of the people of God and the representative
ministry of the clergy. Within the church community, there are persons
whose gifts, evidence of Gods grace, and promise of future usefulness
are affirmed by the community, and who respond to Gods call by offering
themselves in leadership as ordained ministers. Everyone is not called to
be a licensed minister, but everyone is called to be a minister, witness.
6. Ordination: The process by which individuals are consecrated, that is set
apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies.
Although varying in denominations and religions, the ordination process is
an extensive review process that is designed to help the church discern if
a minister is eligible of ordained ministry. A thorough and lengthy process
that seeks to prepare the few who are the chosen, faithful to their call.
7. Multiple Expectations of seminary: Many students come to seminary with
the presumption that it is the place where they will learn the how tos of
ministry; a place where they will find their faith deepening automatically; a
time when they will be confirmed and affirmed in their desire to be
ordained. These expectations contain a view of theological education that
is flawed in multiple, serious ways. They suggest that seminary is a place
with enough and definitive answers to specific as well as universal
questions and that it is possible to prepare people to face any and every
situation in life and ministry. This views humanity as static, and civilization
as unchanging. Its not possible to prepare for all that will come your way
in ministry. To think that seminary will give you everything for every
situation is to have an unrealistic expectation.
8. Thinking Critically and Theologically about Issues of Faith, Life and
Ministry: Faculty tend not to teach students what to think, but how to
think. Such critical thinking will help individuals face the issues
confronting them with insight and integrity. All parties share the roles of
student-teacher. There are expectations of thinking critically about us and
for us. Critical thinking allows students to come to informed conclusions,
deliberative theology.
9. Theological Education as a Journey: An appropriate metaphorical view of
the seminary experience as an ever-changing and growing, deepening of
ones relationship with the Transcendent and all creation; at the same time

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to be shaped by these relationships. As one opens up to the theological

process, one realizes that the studying of Gods Word or the study of
concerns within the Word broadens our understanding of oneself and our
perception of the Sovereign, thus we are on an upward, spiritual journey.
Life Together, Variety and Community
1. Diversity in Theological Education: Many seminaries offer students
exposure to diverse populations of people who have come to study
theology and its related discipline. Any member of the clergy in the church
must be committed to working with and relating to diverse groups of
people. Students have to step outside their comfort zone, studying people
of foreign cultures in the seminary, and this will positively affect how
ministry and evangelism is done in the real world.
2. Variety of Talents and Vocation: Acknowledged by the apostle Paul, with
regard to how God has showered humankind with gifts and talents
necessary for the ultimate well-being of the world. God has given
humankind everything it needs in order to be Gods people and do the
work of God in the earth. For this reason the gifts and callings of God are
irrevocable. This is an effective means to meeting the needs of all people,
requiring that everyone be faithful and true to their own calling(s).
3. Life Cycle Development Theory in Theological Education: Erik Erikson
(1902-1994) was concerned with the whole of the life span and its
challenges at each stage of life; he developed a theory of psychosocial
crises from birth to death, highlighting the character trait hidden within
either the successful resolution of the crisis or the failure of the same.
[Hope/belief in something ~Trust vs. Mistrust (infancy); Will Power ~
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Early Childhood); Purpose ~ Initiative
vs. Guilt (Play Age); Fidelity ~ Industry vs. Inferiority (Adolescence); Love
~ Intimacy vs. Isolation (Young Adult); Care ~ Generativity vs. Stagnation
(Adult); Wisdom ~ Ego Identity vs. Despair (Older Adult)]. There may be a
delicate balance between our nature (genetic make-up, epistemological
presuppositions) and our nurture (environment, guidance) with regard to
influencing our psychological and social development.
4. Racial and Ethnic Diversity: Protestant theological schools today have
some diversity within their student bodies that enriches the conversations
in classrooms, living spaces, and the common life of the school, thus
expanding ones understanding of theology and ministry so that future
ministry can and will be enriched. Students should embrace the diversity
in the seminary environment, seeing it as an opportunity to become
informed and enlightened about other peoples theology and ministry.
5. Theological Diversity: Seminary is a community that includes variations of
age, gender, prior career activity, marital status, and racial and ethnic

V.

background. Some members of the community will count themselves

theologically conservative and more comfortable with orthodox
understandings of God in Jesus Christ and literal interpretations of
scripture. Others will be more comfortable with more liberal
understandings of the nature of God and may even express doubts about
the divinity of Jesus Christ. Nonetheless, this theological diversity should
influence critical thinking, deliberative theology in seminary students.
6. Diverse Lifestyle: Although denominations differ in their response to the
question of homosexual persons being ordained, many seminaries have
students who are gay and lesbian, in addition to heterosexual students.
Issues of sexuality go to the heart of what it means to be human and they
need to be discussed in the context of theological education. The reality
of sexuality is looked upon empathically, and discussed in seminary.
7. Diverse Faculty: Although schools with all white faculty may be adept at
raising and addressing issues of diversity, racism, and sociological
analyses, faculties that are themselves racially and ethnically diverse
model in a particular way the realities of the social complexion of this
country. Those in a school with a multiethnic faculty are exposed to a
source of diversity as the curriculum and bibliographies used in class are
reflective of the whole of humankind. Diverse faculty help broaden the
scope of the seminarian by presenting cross-cultural methods of thought.
8. Theological Education Babel or Pentecost: Seminary experience may
cause one to feel closer to the experience in Genesis 11:1-9 or the Day of
Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2:1-13. Or one may find oneself vacillating
between the two. With regard to diverse people working together in
seminary, the results may be harmonious with understanding or hostile
with confusion depending on the context and minds engaged.
The Classroom
1. Niebuhrs View on Self-Involvement in Theological Education: Yet
theological education is a rigorous course of study, requiring long hours,
personal discipline, stamina, and the hard work of thinking and rethinking
ones views and beliefs in light of the insights of the academy, it presses
students to consider an even greater intellectual, emotional, and spiritual
challenge: Engaging lifes questions of Who is God, and Who am I?
Gods thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are Gods ways like our ways.
Moreover, people are fickle and dont understand the underlying
influences of much of what we do. Seminary makes the student deliberate
over both of the aforementioned, far more difficult than other challenges.
2. Fear of the Impact of Theological Education: There is a fear that
theological education will destroy faith and that therefore the educational

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process is not to be entirely trusted or embraced. Some enter seminary

with the fear that it will steal their Jesus, robbing them of their faith.
Theological Education as Extended Time with God: Our psychological,
emotional, cognitive and spiritual makeup accompanies us to seminary.
Our relationship with God is a reflection of this makeup, and is at the heart
of the matter in the classroom. Our history with God informs our present
as we are pushed to study not only God but ourselves in relationship to
God. We do some soul searching, often having an epiphany or revelation
that only comes after personally and diligently seeking God.
Rokeach and the Closed Mind: The mind that experiences greater anxiety
in the face of new ideas and situations. He or she has difficulty with both
analysis and synthesis because the old, closed system seems under
attack. Thus, the closed-minded person frequently rejects not only the
new ideas but the person presenting them. A closed-minded individual is
content with mediocrity and self-righteousness, thus robbing himself (or
herself) of the ability to stretch or gain insight and understanding.
Rokeach and the Open Mind: The mind that is receptive to new ideas and
able to perform the primary tasks of learning (analysis and synthesis) with
relatively little resistance or alarm. This person is able to move into a new
experience with anticipation and possesses the capacity to entertain new
systems that are in opposition to familiar systems. The open-minded
individual has positioned himself (or herself) so that understanding and
insight may be attained after weighing facts and critical thinking.
Promotion of Discipleship: Ought to be the concern of every theological
faculty regardless of the faith tradition to which they belong. The path to
active discipleship will be different for each student depending upon the
shape of each ones faith commitments upon arrival at seminary. Paul
instructed us to follow him and as he follows Christ. In much the same
vein, every faculty member should ultimately promote the actual indwelling
of Gods spirit and the actions that follow; much like the example of Christ.
Pedagogical Challenge Facing the Professor: Trying to teach students
who are deeply committed to the Christian way of life, have read a good
deal of the Bible and know some of the tradition but are locked into
misusing the Bible and tradition as ready-made blueprints for ordering life.
Trying to lead the first kind of students into the tradition while trying to lead
a second kind out of his (or her) own understanding of the tradition and of
how it bears upon life today. The hardest thing for anyone to do is change
the way they think; professors are met with grave resistance in the
classroom when their methods challenge students presuppositions.

8. Biblical Studies: An area of study where one is introduced to the sacred

texts of the Hebrew and Christian covenants. These studies help develop
ones grasp of the earliest documents influencing monotheistic faith.
9. Church History: Studies that will put one in touch with the forebears in the
faith. Discovering that they struggled to be faithful followers of the way of
Jesus Christ through times of great societal upheaval and change.
Studying the various creeds of the church written in defense of orthodox
understandings of the Godhead and in response to opposition. This
course allows students to see that much of the debates and issues of
today were indeed debates and issues of yesterday.
10. Ethics and Theology: A course where one will study different ethical
theories and examine ones own ethical views and positions in ways that
are new and perhaps challenging for oneself. Students look at the
writings of Plato, Aristotle, along with modern philosophers and wrestle
with questions pertaining to the structure and maintenance of society.
11. Systematic Theology: A course in which one systematically looks at the
three persons of the Godhead and considers the doctrines of the church
that have arisen in response to Gods saving activity in the world. This
course allows students to consider the evolution of the faith and why we
believe what we believe today.
12. Church and Society: Courses such as sociology of religion that are
designed to enable one to understand the dynamics of change in the
cultures of the sacred and secular world and bring a critical eye to your
evaluation of the church as it is at present in a given community.
Everybody in the community does not belong to the church, but the church
belongs to everybody in the community. The church has to engage and
effectively impact the community it resides in. This course acknowledges
this reality and explores the options pertaining to the churchs task.
13. Pastoral Theology: Courses that introduce one to what some call the
basics in ministry. This course explores methodologies that seek to meet
the people where they are, and offer counseling ministry and therapeutic
models for meeting specific spiritual and psychological needs.
14. Standard Lecture: The standard format of a class where the professor
lectures and allows some discussion time built into the session. Most
classes are set up this way where professors review material that can be
found in the assigned readings, and students can ask pertinent questions.
15. Discussion Groups: Professors sometimes choose these additional class
meetings to allow students to be in dialogue with the professor, the
material, and each other in a way that a lecture format will not allow. This
allows students to actually vocalize learned material and thus reinforcing
their understanding and grasp of the material.

16. Seminar: Seminary classes that are limited to 15 students who must have
satisfied stated prerequisites before entering the course. Seminars
require more leadership roles from students. Students often present
papers and assume teaching positions that further develop skills.
Seminars are advanced formats that require students to be accountable
for their knowledge and grasp of material on an even higher level.
17. Experiential Learning: A type of class where you are asked to move
beyond the narrow walls of the classroom from time to time and immerse
yourself in real-life situations related to the issues raised in class. Some
classes need to be put into real-life context in order to effectively teach the
discipline.
18. Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE): Offered around the world at centers
accredited by the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education. Requires
students to complete at least 400 hours of supervised clinical work in an
institutional setting (hospital, prison, nursing home, parish). The 400
hours include small-group work in a peer group made up of your
supervisor and fellow students, clinical interviews with patients (or
prisoners or parishioners), didactic presentations on a variety of relevant
topics, and frequent individual supervisory sessions with your supervisor
who is also accredited by ACPE. CPE should be sought out for its ability
to humble the haughty, and school the inexperienced on authentic ministry
in a manner that no classroom encounter can prepare one for.
19. Cross-Cultural Experience: Programs that contain the following: oncampus course work prior to traveling to an off-campus site; a two-tothree-week immersion experience in the field; debriefing meetings on
campus following the experience; and written work to summarize the
learning. Students may study abroad, thus increasing their knowledge of
foreign ministry and evangelistic practices.
20. Spiritual Formation: Refers to the students development in their thoughts
and words concerning their evolving faith. There needs to be a balance of
intellectual development and spiritual formation throughout theological
education. There needs to be an individual, creative, spiritual encounter
for every encounter with intellectual methodologies and principles.
21. Pick-and-Choose Method: Refers to the logic of students when
determining what to keep and what to discard. Generally, if something
matches ones understanding and beliefs, it is kept; if it does not, one
tends to discard it. The standard of ones preexisting faith and knowledge
is the standard against which one measures all one hears. Picking-and
choosing may hurt a student in the long run because narrow-minded
presuppositions may be perpetuated through ignorance, thus hindering
critical thinking and hurting future ministry.

22. Gamesmanship: Refers to the tendency of a student to defend their

preexisting faith by simply echoing the professor, all the while not believing
(or really listening to) a word he or she says. Students that participate in
this are no better than the ones who pick-and-choose; there has been no
critical thinking. Students have merely learned what to think.
23. How to Think Critically with Sophistication: Students learn not what to
believe but that it is important to believe. Moreover students learn not
what to think but how to think maturely, with sober rationale.
24. Classroom Encounter with God: This happens when students encounter
God in the classroom by seeing themselves as belonging to fellow
classmates, loving their neighbors, and seeing everyone as a contributor
to each others salvation.
25. Time of Extended Crisis: A view of theological education as a time that
you will find yourself and your prior ways of being and believing coming
under review and ceding to new ways on an almost daily basis. Students
often go through a temporary period where they dont know what to
believe because of theological educations constant pull and challenge of
embedded theology.
26. The Challenge of Change: Depending upon who we are and what our
personality is, we may find that we welcome the challenge and change
seminary brings, or we may resist it. Because we do not usually adopt
new ways of coping in crisis situations but instead cling to past ways of
coping, you can expect yourself to react to seminary in much the same
way you have reacted to other times of upheaval and crisis in your life. It
is our very nature to resist change. This is why so many churches are
paralyzed by rules, regulations, and traditionalism.
27. Maturity in Faith: Means that I realize that my rapport with God is not
based on ideas about God but instead on my daily interaction with and
devotion to God, who is the very love that will not let me go. People have
to always give God the honor and glory due to God and God alone. The
more time I spend with God, the more God rubs off on me.
28. Reverence for God is the Beginning of All Learning: In reference to
Solomons wisdom. The humble recognition that although God may be allknowing, I am not spurs me on to learn more and more about Gods world
and my place in it. We only know in part, and we prophesy in part. We
need to be connected to the Omniscient in order to know and understand
the mysteries of life; we gain divinely-inspired wisdom by Gods grace.
29. Rightly Handling the Word of Truth: In reference to 2 Timothy 2:15, we
like Timothy, have to continually do the hard work of preparation and study
while we also engage in ministry. If we dont, we are unable to tell the
difference between the truth and apostasy, and lives will be adversely

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affected in the process. We have to wrestle with texts in their context for
our context. Biblical exegesis is not to be eclipsed by ministry.
30. The Practice of Hospitality: Putting our own desires and needs aside and
considering instead the needs of the person standing before us. We
should practice hospitality anytime we are in a position to give to the
needy. This is an expression of love for our neighbors.
31. The Practice of Empathy: Not cutting off dialogue or building walls
between oneself and a man or woman. Exercising compassion and
gaining understanding after talking with an individual. We should learn to
speak less, and listen more, so that we gain more insight and
understanding.
The Practice of Ministry
1. Long Seminary Hours: Theological education is a demanding course of
study, requiring not only long hours of study but also long simmering
hours in which students can sit with the material and gradually have it
come into focus and make sense. Students have to wrestle with material
because oftentimes revelation does not come immediately.
2. Supervised Ministry: Affirmed by the Association of Theological Schools
(ATS) for accreditation, students engage in the practice of ministry under
competent supervision while they are in seminary. Students are taught
how to do ministry by those with experience.
3. Learning/Serving Covenant: A document in which students are asked to
identify their learning goals for the experience as they are related to the
actual work they will be doing in a field education program. Students need
to always have a sense of direction when in a field education program.
Thus, we should write the vision and goals, setting the standard.
4. Qualified Mentor: A standard requirement of Field Education programs; a
qualified person with many years of experience in ministry. Realizing that
students cant be accountable for all of their own education, qualified
mentors are assigned in field education programs.
5. Lay Training Committee: Typically comprises six to eight laypeople drawn
from the ministry setting in a representative way by virtue of age,
knowledge of the setting, or position of leadership. With assistance in
agenda setting from the seminary, this committee focuses on the nature of
ministry in that particular locale, the students progress and formation as a
pastoral presence and leader, and the revision of learning goals. The
committee comprises a microcosm of the church for which a student is
preparing for ministry. This potentially enables one to have more success
in ministry by allowing congregants to take part in the training process.
6. Evaluation Process: The final standard component of most field education
programs. Often includes a letter of evaluation from the supervisor. Also
students are asked to evaluate themselves, which is a practice they will be

ongoing to assure a successful ministry. When standards are set and

maintained, and goals are achieved, the evaluation is positive
confirmation.
7. Field Education (ITC Ministry and Context): Designed to help the student
become better informed and able to perform in ministry. The program
aims to develop leadership qualities and skills necessary to lead faith
communities, develop the ability to relate with integrity and constancy with
all people, to foster growth in theological reflection and relation to ministry,
and to engage students in wrestling with questions about ordination and
chosen vocational paths. Ministry and Context helps the called better
answer and be true to that calling.
8. Leadership: The central task of theological education today is to train
leaders for the church and world. Seminarians learn to be leaders in their
congregations and leaders in scholarship as they consider and weigh the
work of leaders in theological education.
9. Pastoral Tasks: Preaching, teaching, administration, counseling, praying
extemporaneously and in public, officiating at weddings and funerals, and
organizing communities for social action and outreach are all necessary
skills for one seeking ordination. Pastoral tasks are respected and will
always be called upon in our communities.
10. Pastor/Teacher: A good pastor-teacher is one who loves God and people,
believes the gospel of Jesus Christ, is careful enough to prepare lessons
thoroughly, is current in societal issues and problems, is able to
understand them theologically, and views the process of learning itself as
a gift from God. The pastor-teacher has the newspaper in one hand and
the bible in the other. And he is knowledgeable of both and helps
congregants in the balance of the two.
11. Interpersonal Relationships: If you want to be effective in ministry, you
need to be able to relate well with people of all ages. You need to be able
to foster authentic and healthy relationships with your people, establish
and respect appropriate boundaries, and operate from within an accepted
pastoral ethic. Ministry requires its leadership to be able to relate well with
all people while doing ministry and when not performing any particular
ministerial task.
12. Theological Reflection: In order to be an effective pastoral leader who is
responsive to and responsible for the spiritual lives of your congregants
you will need to be able to understand issues, situations, comments, and
relationships in theological terms. Whenever you have attempted to apply
the tradition of the faith, the message of the gospel, or your own personal
beliefs to life you have done theological reflection. Theological reflection

is deliberation and weighing of issues using all information possessed by

those who have been chosen, accountable and faithful to their calling.
13. God-Language: When you discover what God has to do with the daily
situations about which you are concerned, you translate your ideas and
experiences into language that a theologian would use. This language
has taken God into account and addressed the question: What does God
have to say about this? We have to intentionally transcend human
agenda and human thought and ascribe to the standard of God almighty.
14. Wesleyan Quatrilateral: John Wesley, the founder of Methodism
understood that there are four lenses through which to understand Gods
will in a given situation in life: scripture, tradition, experience, and reason.
Understanding the will of God is a task that ministers have to wrestle with;
considering Wesleys four lenses helps us put things in perspective, and
assist us in arriving at an informed conclusion of what the will of God is.
15. Claiming Pastoral Identity: As time goes on and you continue to reflect on
your ministry through the field education program, you will begin to realize
that you feel differently inside. You have begun the moral transition from
layperson to pastoral leader. The practice of ministry is the best teacher
and preparation for one called to a particular ministry. Through the
experience you discover your place initially and the growth that should
take place. You revisit your call story to better gauge your walk in your
calling.
16. Vocational Direction: The process of pastoral formation, coming as it does
through a time of testing and reflection, is a necessary one if you want to
continue down the road to ordination and effective pastoral leadership in
the years to come. Just like any career, the experience of ministry causes
one to better envision their vocational direction, their destiny in ministry.
17. Spiritual Growth: Undergirds all else; without it your ministry will finally
fail. Stems from the incorporation of spiritual disciplines including prayer,
Bible study, private and corporate worship, and fasting. Since our
profession is a spiritual one, we have to take care of our spiritual selves.
Like the apostle Paul said, and I concur, for though we live in the world,
we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not
the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to
demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that
sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every
thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 TNIV).