Student Internships and Field Experience

Field-based ministry experience is vital to the development of Trinity students and is a requirement for most academic programs. In all TEDS programs, field experiences must be mentored experiences. Mentoring provides an opportunity to invest in the next generation of Christian leaders and ministries are enriched by having a student serve in a church or para church setting.

For TEDS students field education experiences are of two kinds: Field Education courses and Internship courses.

Field Education Courses are done by MA students (Deerfield campus, extension sites, South Florida campus, and online) who are required to complete 40-45 hours of service (3-5 hours per week of ministry for a thirteen-week semester). M.A.T.S. students at Extension Sites and the Florida Regional Campus will be required to complete two (2) Field Education courses for their TEDS degree. Students with two years of full-time ministry experience prior to matriculation in TEDS (or four years of part-time ministry experience) may apply for a Field Education waiver for the required Field Education courses.
MDiv Internship Courses are required to complete an MDiv Internship comprised of 600 hours of field experience as part of 6 academic credit hours. The MDiv Internship cannot be waived and must be completed to receive the MDiv degree. Internships may be completed in one, two, or three semester formats. The M.Div. Internship is considered to be a capstone experience of the MDiv degree; integrating biblical and theological reflection with hands-on ministry experience, and also honing and expanding ministry skills under the watchful eye of an experienced mentor.

All field work starts with either the Field Education Orientation (MA students) or the Internship Orientation (MDiv students). These orientations are offered both as a live presentation and in an online format with an “open book” quiz to pass and will help the student to know how to successfully complete the field experiences required for their degree program.

Greater Chicago has incredibly diverse opportunities for ministry. The Office of Supervised Ministries regularly posts internship opportunities and has a database of mentors who have previously mentored internships. In addition, some churches are “Partner Churches” with ongoing, intentional, and remunerated internship programs that have been vetted by the Office of Supervised Ministrie s. These churches and others regularly come on campus to recruit students to be a part of their ministry as an intern. While it is ultimately the student’s responsibility to find the ministry site for their internship, there is ample support and opportunity to find a great internship opportunity.

Questions?

If you have questions about Field Education or MDiv Internships please contact the Office of Supervised Ministries at 847-317-8030, [email protected] or [email protected] or visit us on the Deerfield campus in the Rodine Building.