CONTEXTUAL EDUCATION

Contextual Education is crucial to learning, as outlined in the LSTC curriculum. The three main components of Contextual Education are:

Clinical Pastoral Education
Ministry in Context/Ministerial Leadership II
Internship

Students in the master of divinity and masters of arts in ministry degree programs will complete some or all of these components depending on the denomination to which they are affiliated. Specific requirements and expectations for Contextual Education should be planned in conversation with the candidate’s denominational or religious body.

Director of Contextual Education: Deacon Marji Shannon

For students who desire to be rostered leaders in the ELCA, participation in the ELCA Candidacy Process is also required. The LSTC Candidacy Coordinator will work with and guide students through the steps of Entrance, Endorsement, Approval, and on into First Call Assignment.

LSTC’s Director of Candidacy: Rev. Dr. Brooke Petersen

CLINICAL PASTORAL EDUCATION (CPE)

The experience of supervised clinical ministry provides an opportunity to practice the art of pastoral care while converting experience into learning in direct, integrated ways. Certain LSTC degree programs require or highly recommend candidates complete a unit of supervised clinical ministry. The normative program to fulfill this unit is Clinical Pastoral Education at an ACPE Center accredited by the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education. For more information on what CPE is along with how to apply to a Center and which Centers are accredited, go to www.acpe.edu.

Navigating the acpe website

Once on the ACPE website under the heading “Programs,” you will find the “Accredited Program Directory” which is a search engine for showing you options for CPE units according to geographic areas (country/state), units offered (Summer, Fall, Spring, Extended, etc.) and program type (specializations like campus ministry, prison ministry, veteran’s hospital, etc.).Under the heading “Education,” you will find:

Frequently Asked Questions – comprehensive information about what CPE is, what a day during a unit might cover, and more.

Common Application – application is completed once and sent to each of the CPE Programs you are applying to for a spot.

CPE Unit Enrollment & Registration – once you have received a letter offering you a spot in a CPE Program, you need to enroll your unit with ACPE and this takes you step by step through that process.

Helpful things to know:

For all students in the LSTC MDiv Degree Program (non-candidacy, ELCA Candidacy, candidacy through another church body, or dual degree), the first unit of CPE is a requirement that shows up on your transcript as completed but does not give you any class credit. Therefore, LSTC tuition is not charged.
For all students in the LSTC MAM Degree Program, the first unit of CPE is required and is listed as a class which means that you need to register with LSTC for it and you will be charged tuition on your student account.
For ELCA Word and Service students completing the LSTC MDiv Degree Program, CPE will count as is listed above for the MDiv Program.
A second unit of CPE can be completed and used by any of the MDiv or MAM Degrees to fulfill one elective credit which means that LSTC tuition will be charged to your student account.
All CPE units must be debriefed with the Director of Contextual Education in order to have it correctly entered onto your transcript.

MINISTRY IN CONTEXT PROGRAM

The Ministry in Context Program for students is made up of ministry hours served in a local congregation along with teachings and reflections in a once-a-month ministerial leadership class. Through these two program parts, students are provided an opportunity to explore and learn about ministry leadership in a congregational setting while also reflecting contextually about theology, ministry and the world. Goals are determined, a project is carried out from planning to completion, and feedback is received from a pastor-supervisor, lay members, and fellow students.

For congregations, the Ministry in Context Program means accepting a student into your church context for one school year and providing weekly pastoral supervision along with intentional feedback from a group of lay members. Congregations are expected to embrace the role of being a teaching partner by supporting but also challenging the student to explore what is unknown to them. There is no monetary cost to this program, but a congregation must be within a reasonable driving distance of the student whether they live on campus in Hyde Park (Chicago) or are a distance student in another state.

The Ministry in Context Program is required for all MDiv Degree students and is open to other degree students such as the MAM Degree.

Forms

MIC Program Info Sheet: PDF

MIC Diagram: PDF

General Timeline for Applying: PDF

MIC Site Application: PDF

Guidelines for the MIC Lay Committee: PDF

A Service to Welcome the Student: PDF

Internship

Internship for Word and Sacrament Student

For those congregations interested in exploring the possibility of hosting a Word & Sacrament student for their internship, consult the following documents:

Cost for hosting a full-time, 12-month intern: PDF

The Word & Sacrament Internship Handbook: PDF

Timeline to submit a Site Application: PDF

“Congregational Application for an Intern”* https://www.elca.org/Resources/Candidacy

(English) ELCA Word & Sacrament Evaluations (use documents from Gold-colored boxes)* https://www.elca.org/Resources/Candidacy

(Spanish) ELCA Word & Sacrament Evaluations:

Mid- Year Evaluation – Supervisor – Document
Mid- Year Evaluation – Lay Internship Committee –Document
Final Evaluation – Supervisor – Document
Final Evaluation – Lay Internship Committee – Document

Guidelines for forming Lay Committee: PDF

(English) Lay Committee Handbook: PDF

(Spanish) Lay Committee Handbook: PDF

Internship for Word and Service Student

For those congregations interested in exploring the possibility of hosting a Word & Service student for their internship, consult the following documents:

Cost for hosting a full-time, 6-month (roughly 1,000 hours) intern: PDF

Guidelines for ELCA Word & Service Internship: PDF

The Word & Service Internship Handbook: PDF

Timeline to submit a Site Application: PDF

“Word & Service Internship – Site Application” (use document from Blue-colored boxes)* https://www.elca.org/Resources/Candidacy

Supervisor/Director/Mentor Application: PDF

ELCA Word & Service Learning Goals form and Evaluations (use documents from Blue-colored boxes)* https://www.elca.org/Resources/Candidacy

Guidelines for forming Lay Committee: PDF

Lay Committee Handbook: PDF

*Forms downloaded from the ELCA website should be saved to your computer before beginning to fill them out. Otherwise, your work on the document could be lost.