The Integrative Seminar Across Seminaries

One of the most important evolutionary shifts in theological education was the move in the 1970s from “field work” to “field education.” Whereas seminary students have, for generations, supplemented their incomes by serving part-time in ministry jobs appropriate for the non-ordained, the choice on the part of seminaries to appropriate such experiences into curriculamarked a change in attitude about the role of experience in formation for ministry. Over the past thirty to forty years, field education programs have become increasingly integral to students’ seminary experiences. In many settings, field education constitutes the core of the curriculum and is reported to be the most memorable and useful component in students’ preparationfor ministry