Exploring, Engaging, Equipping
In Ministry Year
The In Ministry Year (IMY)
Admission to the In-Ministry Year may also come through other streams of study such as the S.T.M. and the Reading & Tutorial Course. Combined with the In-Ministry Year, these courses lead to the accredited Diploma in Ministry (Dip.Min.).
The In Ministry Year integrates personal and pastoral formation as an immediate preparation for the exercise of Christian ministry, combining a major component of field education with course work in practical theology and pastoral subjects, seminar groups, workshops and field trips, and the writing of an integrative paper. Graduation requires the satisfactory completion of all the course and field components of the programme.
The programme is supervised and monitored by the Montreal School of Theology representing all three colleges and the McGill University Faculty of Religious Studies.
Field Education- About fifty percent of the In-Ministry Year is spent by students in their field placements, where they minister to persons under the supervision of experienced clergy. In this situation students are led to integrate all aspects of theological learning, and to develop the art of reflecting theologically on events of ministerial life. In this way growth in understanding and competence in practice are fostered.
There is a close relation between field experience and course work. Practical experience in the field is brought into the classroom for critical consideration, while the more theoretical learning of the classroom is expressed practically through work in the field placement.
Field Trips and Workshops- Field trips and workshops form a regular part of the In Ministry Year programme, and normally include:
Rural Ministry Workshop -A residential programme designed to explore some of the dynamics of ministry in rural communities, and to dispel misapprehensions about ministry in rural areas and small churches.
Urban Ministry Workshop -An immersion-type workshop with the aim of exploring the opportunities and difficulties encountered in ministry in centre-city areas. Attention is given to social analysis, community organization, and welfare and unemployment policies in the current economic context.
Gender & Ministry Workshop -A three-day workshop to examine contemporary issues concerning sexuality, and also the impact of one's sexuality on the exercise of ministry.
Creative Use of Conflict Workshop -A three-day workshop to develop skills and strategies in conflict management. Participants are helped to examine their current conflict management style. Interpersonal conflict is considered along with analysis and interventions in conflict situations in the church.
Field Trip to the Developing World -A ten-day to two-week exposure to life and ministry in a developing country, with an exploration of social, political and economic issues and their impact on the local population and on ministry and mission in the Canadian context. Recent trips have been to Cuba.
Integrative Paper -Every student writes and refines a four-part Integrative Paper. The purpose of the paper is to provide students with a sense of awareness of their own journey of faith, an opportunity to state their understanding of the Gospel, the Church and world, and also the task of integrating these two into the theology of ministry which is reflected in the functions of ordained ministry.
The Integrative Paper consists of the following sections:
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The Journey of Faith
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The Faith of the Church
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The Theology of Ministry
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Functional Approaches to Ministry
The first three sections are normally completed before the student enters the In-Ministry Year.
The Integrative Paper is a tool for increasing
self-understanding and promoting personal growth. It is not graded,
but must be satisfactorily completed.
Courses:
MST 501 Theology of Ministry
Students are challenged to understand the nature of the rôle of a minister and to articulate their own identity in this rôle. In addition to lectures and discussion, students present case studies of ministerial incidents for peer discussion.
MST 511 Pastoral Care and Counselling
Students are presented with the theory of pastoral ministry and are given tools to reflect on their own pastoral practice.
MST 521 Theology of Worship
Addresses the theological meaning of communal worship, its historical and pastoral dimensions, and the specific challenges of our context.
MST 531 Principles of Preaching
A week-long intensive introduction to homiletics.
MST 532 Preaching Tutorial
A practical workshop in which students present sermons-in-progress for peer and faculty critique. Includes sessions with a professional actor to work on voice and presence.
MST 541 Education in the Church
A study of models of Christian education designed to help students understand their rôle and gifts as teachers.
MST 561 Mission/Church in Context
Students reflect on how the church relates to culture, and how to provide leadership in outreach.
MST 562 Congregational Leadership
An analysis of the structure of congregations and models of leadership. Students reflect on their own leadership.
MDTC 407 Church, Ministry and Sacraments
An introduction to issues in Anglican ecclesiology an Anglican theologies of baptism, eucharist and ordination.
MDTC 408 Patterns in Spirituality
A study of a variety of spiritual disciplines designed to encourage students to develop practices that will nourish their relationship with God.
MDTC 409 Pastoral Liturgy
A course on how to use and preside at the offices of the prayer book and Book of Alternative Services, with special attention to the liturgical, pastoral, educational, homiletical and practical dimensions of baptisms, weddings and funerals.
MDTC 510 Field Placement
A major component of the In Ministry Year. The student spends 20 hours/week in supervised ministry. Elements of the field placement include : (a) the supervisory session, i.e., 1.5 hours per week in intentional theological reflection with the supervisor ; (b) the lay committee, i.e., 4 or 5 parishioners who offer assistance, prayer and constructive critical feedback ; (c) the learning covenant, in which the student identifies specific learning goals for his/her work in the placement, and specific tasks to achieve those goals ; and (d) assignments, i.e., a number of course assignments are of a practical nature and relate to the place-ment : a congregational analysis, a leadership project, an education project, regular preaching, a funeral.
MDTC 410 Integrative Paper, parts 3 and 4 : ‘Theology of Ministry’
This paper is completed in the course of M.Div. 3 with a section on the functional aspects of ministry and one on the student’s theology of ministry.
MDTC 412 Intercultural Immersion
The In Ministry Year takes part in a 10-day
seminar hosted by the Cuban Council of Churches. An alternative
programme is designed for students unable to travel to Cuba. This
immersion experience is analyzed in MST 361.
Workshops
Rural Ministry (in the fall term)
Conflict Management (in the winter term)
In all years of the programme, students are
expected
(a) to take part in the liturgical life of the college by
attending and leading the daily office ; attending and serving the
Eucharist ; and participating in ecumenical services of the Montreal
School of Theology, including the weekly services in the Birks
Chapel ;
(b) to attend the college’s annual orientation retreat and
the winter term quiet day ; and (c) to seek out a spiritual
director.
Language -The primary language of work and instruction in the In-Ministry Year is English. However, students may write assignments and make class presentations in French if they so wish. Wherever possible, field placements operating in French will be arranged for francophone students. Where the number of francophone or bilingual students makes it practicable, sections of the In- Ministry Year courses and seminar groups working in French will be arranged. Both English and French are used in the community life of the theological colleges and in the conduct of liturgy.
Les étudiants francophones peuvent présenter leurs travaux écrits et
oraux en français. Dépendant du nombre d'étudiants, et selon les
besoins, des groupes de travail en français ou bilingues peuvent
etre mis sur pieds. Des lieux de stage en français ainsi qu'une
supervision appropriée peuvent être mis sur pieds.
The IMY
"The In Ministry Year afforded me the opportunity to integrate
what I was learning with life in a parish. ...
A mutual respect
developed [among us] and an openness to hear each other out. We
studied together, ate together, worshipped together and ministered
together.
It was a very rich... time of learning for me."