Field Experience is required of all students employed as education staff members in churches, either part-time or full-time, as well as those who serve in a voluntary capacity in a local church or approved Christian ministry. The course requires a minimum of six hours of field-based experience per week in a local church or religious institution under the direction of a qualified supervisor and attendance of one hour of class each week. Field experience is a component of our commitment to local church partnerships and competency-shaped curriculum. By serving in a local church or ministry setting, students will apply course content in a ministry context, discover and develop skills for ministry effectiveness, and experience guided on-site learning through mentoring and supervision by experienced leaders.

As part of the Field Experience course, all Terry School students will complete the MinistrySafe Institute© certification. This 15-hour training includes comprehensive, seminary-level instruction in the most up-to-date ministry and legal practices in child abuse prevention for the local church. Registration for Field Experience will include an additional lab fee for the certification.

Students should confer with the appropriate concentration professor after completing the recommended 6 credit hours within their area of concentration in the Terry School. Pre-enrollment consultation with the appropriate concentration professor is required prior to the semester in which the student plans to register for Field Experience. Students should obtain a field experience application in the Dean’s office and submit it during the semester prior to anticipated enrollment.