Avoiding Evil

This semester I am taking a class called Supervised Ministry. We have to have a mentor, work at least 4 hours a week in ministry, and we have to perform a Baptism, Wedding, Lord’s Supper, and two different funerals. On Monday about 6 or 7 of us got together and did the Lord’s Supper. It was interesting to see how each individual person administered the Lord’s Supper, getting an idea of the backgrounds and the understanding of communion that they have developed throughout the years. This was the first time I have done the Lord’s Supper as well, so it was a bit rough for me, but I stuttered and limped my way through it.

Next Monday we are supposed to do a wedding and a baptism. I’m attempting to get my baptism completed before I go so that it won’t take as much time to do for all the other guys. I will however be a prime baptismal candidate, meaning I will probably be the baptism ginnie pig on Monday.

The concept of this class is to give each student a practical idea of real ministry and how to institute the basic functions of the church. This keeps fresh, wet behind the ears, pastors from immediately graduating seminary and making a complete fool of themselves by bumbling up one of the major elements in pastoral ministry. It will certainly not keep us from making mistakes, but it does give students a greater advantage to have hands on experience.