Suggestions for the Meeting of Learning Partners 

Schedule for Theological Reflection: The meeting of the learning team should be scheduled weekly for one hour for summer internships or monthly for year-long internships. This should be designated as dedicated reflection time, not a time for staff task planning. This could also be an occasion for helping the seminarian intern with time management facilitated by the intern keeping a Ministry Activity Log that might be reviewed by the field instructor. The Ministry Activity Log can allow an intern to raise both practical and theological issues during the course of practicing ministry.

Prayer for guidance at the beginning of the conference and again at the conclusion can help open all learning partners to emerging insight.

Note: In preparation for the learning team meeting, interns may refer to notes on the Ministry Activity Log written throughout engaging in ministry work.

Recollection of an event by the student intern:

• The seminarian intern goes over his/her recent experiences in the setting and identifies for discussion a significant event, incident, or happening which has occurred between her/himself and persons at the site. The event may have happened while the intern functioned as a pastor to someone, made a hospital or home visit, received feedback on a sermon or talk, or performed some other act of ministry. (NOTE: At this point, evaluation of the intern’s behavior is not discussed. “Significant” refers to the importance, weight, or meaningfulness this event has for the intern in the recollection of the event.)
• The intern identifies thoughts and feelings which occurred at the time of the event
• The intern identifies what she or he said or did as a pastor. How were the intern’s words and actions in/out of touch with his or her feelings?

Conversation together between learning partners: As the seminarian intern recalls an event in ministry, the seminarian-intern’s learning partners mostly listen and ask clarifying questions. Explore together now and moving forward:

• What theological assumptions or faith commitments was the intern living out in this event?
• What theological assumptions or faith commitments are evoked for the learning partners?
• What may we draw from the Scriptures and the Tradition to inform these assumptions and to inform this reflection now?
• How does the intern view this particular event theologically now?
• How does this theological perspective address or inform the intern’s style and method as a minister more generally?
• What new insight or guidance might the learning partners want to offer in light of this theological reflection?
• Was this event cause for the seminarian-intern to intentionally plan and make adjustments in her/his understanding of ministry for the future?

Closure: It is important not to focusing on fixing a problem but to offer options and to invite the intern’s perceptions and reflections. It is helpful to suggest resources or to identify ways in which you have responded to similar experiences. It is usually not helpful to make “right and wrong” judgments. It is helpful to be frank with the intern, affirming strengths and recognizing areas of weakness that need work.

Close with prayer.

Further resources for theological reflection between learning partners can be found in the PMM Handbook, especially chapters 2 and 5. Learning partners and seminarian interns should also consult the individual course syllabi for recommended reading on theological reflection.

NOTE: Periodically, the reflection between learning partners and the seminarian intern should also include review of progress on the intern’s learning goals. The intern will be evaluated on these goals and needs regular feedback for his or her own learning.

The central event in the contextual studies experience is practical theological reflection involving all of the learning partners focusing on what is happening for the seminarian intern as she/he goes about tasks of ministry.