Marc Potvin, Director of Field Education MST
I doubt it is a secret that the church of today appears in trouble. Can anything be done to re-energize the church and make it shine the way it is called to be light? I believe so. It is the aim of the field education seminars and workshops to build student’s imagination and equip them with tools needed for today’s world.
Every residential week (there are three each semester), students have an extra day of learning in the form of a visit to a ministry or a workshop on an important, emerging area of ministry.
In the fall, students were hosted by members and leaders of a rural ministry to learn about its uniqueness along with its joys and challenges. Participants discovered the hospitality and love these members have for their churches and were able to ask and be asked pertinent questions. In the winter, a rural pastor from a different congregation shared the challenges they faced and how they overcame them.
Two non-church ministries welcomed students to learn and observe how para-church ministries serve the larger community in ways impossible for local congregations. This was further explored in a seminar that hosted three chaplains serving in different institutional settings.
In November, students received training from the St-John Ambulance on mental health and wellness to better recognize the signs of possible mental health injuries in the people they serve, and how and where to get help. A later seminar led by the Alzheimer society informed students on best practices for visiting people with neuro-cognitive disorders.
In the winter semester, students received training in ministry boundaries to understand the sacred trust given to them by God and their ministry settings and how to protect it.
An inter-generational workshop led by two seasoned leaders enabled students to discover that having more than one generation in a church opens doors to a different way of connecting people living in this disconnected and lonely world and build strong relationship that transform lives.
Finally, students closed the year with a bi-vocational ministry workshop which explored the theology of work, the current church situation in Canada, and allowing participants to further understand and discern God’s call on their lives.
All in all, 24 different ministry leaders and others shared their passion and knowledge, enriching students’ learning and preparing them for the church of today, capable of leading it to a new tomorrow.