Church in the City (In-Ministry) Internship Program (MVIM I800 K1)

MDiv Church in the City (In-Ministry) Internship Program

The internship program for the Master of Divinity Church in the City (In-Ministry) program at Tyndale is a unique program that adapts to the specific needs of the Church in the City (In-Ministry) cohort style of learning. It has different requirements and a different structure from the main internship program. First of all the Church in the City (In-Ministry) Internship Program assumes students are engaged in full-time ministry (or equivalent) and so the internship is more about reflection and discovery about self, about one's own spiritual journey and about the nature of ministry in your context. Second, the program runs for three years, concurrently with the rest of your course work. It also incorporates a cohort model which facilitates ongoing reflection and discussion about ministry.

Course Description (from the syllabus)

This course will run throughout the entire three years of the cohort. Through a combination of classroom time, mentoring relationships, and personal work with trained experts in the fields of counselling, spiritual direction, theological reflection, and ministry mentoring, this course will provide the student with increased self-awareness and the tools to deepen this knowledge throughout the course of their ministry.

In the first year, students will engage in a process of self-awareness which will involve participating in one-on-one counselling sessions with a trained counsellor provided by Tyndale. In the second and third years, students will connect with a spiritual director and a ministry mentor. This process requires record keeping over an extended period of time and there are forms that will help students keep track of their progress. All required forms for the program can be found through links on this page.

Components of the Program (with Forms)

Syllabus

The syllabus contains an outline of the expectations of the course and timelines. Because this course continues over three years students will need to repeatedly refer to the syllabus.

Self Awareness

To enhance self-awareness, the Tyndale Counselling Services will provide a trained counsellor to assist the student as they walk through the various assessments provided during this section of the internship. This process will be structured around a number of self-awareness instruments and assignments that the student will complete and work through with the counsellor. The purpose of these meetings is not for therapy, but for self-awareness and all issues discussed in these meetings will be strictly confidential between the student and the counsellor.

Should the student wish to work through some of the issues raised by these tools at a deeper more personal level or discuss other issues in their life affecting them personally and professionally, they may move into a more therapeutic relationship with the counsellor but this is not required nor expected. The student will need to let the counsellor know if they would like to include therapeutic goals as well as self-awareness goals and they will need to find a way to make time for both types of goals in the sessions. Some students decide to continue on with voluntary therapy sessions outside the expectations of the course in their second or third years. 

Assignments:

The self-awareness component of the internship involves a pass or fail. If the student completes all the written assignments and discusses them with the counsellor, attends 12 self-awareness sessions and completes the “Self-Awareness Sessions Completion Form” with the counsellor, they will receive a pass. A copy of this form will be given to the student and placed in the student's internship file by the Internship Program Director. The student is also required to attend two internship days (Cohort 15: November 9, 2019 and April 25, 2020) where they will debrief the MBTI assessment and participate in a seminar on Boundaries.

Other meeting times (Cohort 15):

Wednesday, September 11, 2019: Orientation Session (12:15-1:00pm), Family Journey Seminar (1:00-2:00pm), first session with counsellor (4:15 or 5:15)
Wednesday, February 5, 2020: FIRO-B Group Interpretation (12:15-1:45pm). Complete and pay for instrument by Jan. 8, 2020.
See syllabus for complete schedule.

Spiritual Direction

During the second and third years of the internship, the student will be expected to work with a Spiritual Director. Arrangements for these meetings will be done in conjunction with the Tyndale Spiritual Formation Department, or with an acceptable Director in their home area. The purpose of these meetings is to build in a process of accountability and growth in the student’s spiritual life. These meetings will be of a frequency of at least one per month, as the director and directee feel is needed and may occur off campus. There may be a fee involved. The student will submit the Director’s name and contact information to the Director of the Internship Program by the third week of October of year 2.

Assignments:

At the end of year three, you and the Spiritual Director will assess your growth. These forms are provided below. Successful completion of this component will require 2 years of meeting with your spiritual director (minimum 18 sessions). A completion form will help you keep track of your progress.

Ministry Mentoring

During the second and third years of the course the student will work with a Ministry Mentor. This person will be a ministry practitioner who is outside of the student’s CURRENT ministry context. The purpose of these meetings will be to discuss the work the student is undertaking within their church context, with particular focus on the Integration Laboratory. There will be a focus on how to integrate learning with ministry, as well as what to do with the focussed learning which the student is experiencing within the context of their Integration Laboratory.

A mentor should be a person who has been in ministry for a number of years and has had an extended period of at least 7 years in one church. This means that they have needed to work through more than one cycle of church life. A mentor is one who has exhibited skill in mission and the formation of missional leaders. The student will submit the name and contact information of their Ministry Mentor to the Director of the Internship Program by the third week of November, in year 2.

Assignments:

At the end of year three, you and your Ministry Mentor will assess your growth. The completed evaluation forms will then be submitted to the Director or the Internship Program. Successful completion of this component will require 2 years of meeting with your mentor and a completed mentor’s evaluations form and a self-evaluation form.

Program and Competency Evaluations

Program Evaluation

The MDiv. In Ministry has been developed with a goal to teach and help the student become proficient in the exercising of a fourfold exegesis. Therefore students are expected to provide an annual evaluation of the effectiveness of the program. This evaluation is meant to provide feedback on the effectiveness of the program in meetings its goals over the past year. Students will reflect on all of the courses and the overall shape of the year.

Program Evaluation Form (docx) (Due in July at the end of the internship)

Competencies Evaluation

This evaluation is designed to help you reflect on your own personal growth over the course of this last year. This is not an evaluation of the individual courses or teachers, but rather of your own growth and interaction with the course material, experience of study and ministry and spiritual formation. It is meant to help you measure your own level of engagement in each of the areas, and to begin to reflect on the shape of that engagement.

Competencies Evaluation Form (docx) (Due in July at the end of the internship)

Internship Days

Twice a year, students will attend internship days which allow a more focused study of a particular aspect of ministry with time for reflection. Because this is a Pass/Fail course, attendance at ALL Internships Days and Interpretation Classes is MANDATORY.

The dates and topics will vary depending on which cohort your are in. See syllabus for the complete schedule.

Internship Completion Form

This master form tracks your progress throughout the internship program. It allows the student to check off each requirement of the internship program.

Internship Completion Form (docx) (Due: July 31 of Year 3 of MDiv)