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About Mentored Practice: The Master of Divinity program at Bangor Theological Seminary prepares people to do ministry in a variety of forms and settings. Learning to do ministry-whether leading a congregation in mission, preaching a sermon, teaching a class, visiting the sick, or counseling persons in distress-requires a strong faith and a generous heart. Effective ministry also requires practice, skill, and sound judgment. Mentored Practice is a rigorous training program that allows students to engage in the praxis of ministry during the course of their seminary experience. Through theological reflection on the actions of ministry, students learn to incarnate the wisdom of a practical theologian in a variety of ministry settings. Through this experience the student is given an opportunity to grow and function as a minister in a local church community as well as other settings: Domestic Violence Shelters; Campus Ministry; Crisis Intervention Settings; Hospice; Hospital Chaplaincy Programs; Jail Ministry; Youth Detention Centers; AIDS Ministry; Homeless Shelters; and Retreat Settings. Other settings (including some out of state placements) may be used with prior approval of the director. Why Mentoring? The word mentor is an ancient and honorable one that has recently become an educational focal point in the professional world. A mentor is a wise and trusted counselor. If the word is traced back to its Indo-European root men it means "to think". Today, in the Mentored Practice Program at Bangor Theological Seminary, a mentor is one who demonstrates the wisdom and confidence to invite students into their particular ministry setting and offer hospitality for the purpose of teaching and guiding the student in the ways of ministry. Three specific goals that shape the Mentored practice Program:
Incarnation--the embodiment of learning-is always the primary goal. The settings for Mentored Practice provide the context for formal theology and experiential theology to come into conversation. The locus of theological reflection is the community of faith, while the fundamental focus of this reflection process is integration. In addition, the student plays an active part in shaping learning goals appropriate to their particular vision of ministry.
Mentored Practice may begin in the student's second term in the
Master of Divinity program. To assist in this work, each student will have a mentor-a
teacher to whom one can turn for advice, direction, evaluation, and theological
reflection. An important role of the mentor and the Mentored Practice Director is to help
students clearly define their goals and objectives in relation to their vocational
interests.
Mentored Practice Catalog Link
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Bangor
Campus | Two College Circle | PO Box 411 | Bangor, ME 04402-0411 |
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