Preparing Students for Work in Pastoral Ministry
At Truett Seminary, faculty are intentional about creating opportunities for students to connect a strong foundation in Scripture and theology with the practical responsibility of pastoral ministry. While theological knowledge is essential, serving a congregation also requires the ability to navigate complex relationships, lead with wisdom, and respond to the everyday challenges of ministry.
Drs. Steve Bezner, PhD, associate professor of pastoral theology and ministry, Michael Mauriello, PhD, clinical associate professor of youth and family ministry, and Larry Parsley, PhD, clinical professor of Christian ministry and director of mentoring, are working to strengthen how the Seminary is preparing students for these everyday realities of pastoral ministry. Through a coordinated approach to coursework, practical exercises, and mentoring, these faculty members are helping students develop the skills and confidence to serve congregations in an increasingly complex Church and world.
Building Practical Skills in the Coursework
Faculty across the Seminary continually ask questions such as, “How are we preparing pastors with the competencies they need to serve the 21st-century church?” For Bezner, Mauriello, and Parsley, answering that question has meant taking a closer look at how coursework develops the practical skills needed to complement students’ theological education.
Feedback from graduates has pointed to a need for more instruction in the administrative and practical dimensions of congregational ministry. These faculty recognize an opportunity to place a greater emphasis on the everyday responsibilities pastors face and to give students more opportunities to practice those skills while in seminary.
“We assume that a typical first pastorate for a newly graduated seminarian will likely be in a rural church, where they will need to understand how to do a number of things with potentially fewer resources available,” said Bezner.
Coursework in the practical aspects of seminary is now organized around three courses: Introduction to the Pastoral Life, Congregational Leadership, and Pastoral Care. Each course addresses different dimensions of pastoral work and helps students build a well-rounded understanding of what it means to lead and care for a congregation.
These classes incorporate case studies, role-playing, and guided conversations that allow students to work through situations they will likely encounter in ministry. Students practice listening and asking thoughtful questions, evaluate different approaches to care, and consider questions that arise in church leadership roles.
Learning from Ministry in Real Time
As a significant part of the experience at Truett Seminary, students are immersed in ministry opportunities through mentoring, residencies, and even full-time positions at churches.
Students serving in local congregations often bring questions from their ministry contexts into the classroom and into conversations with faculty and peers. These students may encounter situations like unexpected leadership transitions, challenging pastoral care situations, and difficult conversations with church members.
“We have a lot of students who are serving in local churches right now. We are doing a lot of classroom instruction that is on-the-job or just-in-time training,” said Mauriello. “Just about every week I have a student in my office saying, ‘Here’s the situation. How would I go about it?’”
These conversations create organic opportunities for Truett students to process the complexities of ministry with the guidance of experienced faculty. Rather than waiting until after graduation to encounter these challenges on their own, students can begin developing the wisdom and skills they need while they are still in a supportive, learning environment.
Creating Space for Conversation
While classroom instruction and mentoring opportunities are key ways to engage students, informal conversations and supplemental experiences offer space for students to expand on their ministry questions.
Many staff and faculty offer Q&As and lunchtime conversations to expand on particular topics. As an example, Mauriello hosts brown-bag lunches that bring together five to seven students at a time to talk about youth ministry and the situations that students are navigating.
Conversations may begin with an unexpected challenge a student faces at the church he or she is serving in or simply with someone posing a question or a topic they want to discuss. These gatherings reinforce the importance of not doing ministry alone and allow students to learn not only from their professor but also from one another.
“We know there is always more to do, and we want to dig further into the topics that are needed for pastoring in today’s world,” said Parsley. “All three of us have been in pastoral roles, and we know that the world is much more complex today than it was 25 years ago. We need to stay on the front edge of that for our students.”
Encouraging the Next Generation of Pastors
At the heart of this work is a deep conviction that pastoral ministry, despite its challenges, remains a wonderful vocation.
“It sounds scary sometimes to be called to the local church,” Bezner said. “It's really a beautiful vocation that we want to encourage people to step into for the joy of the work. We get to not only fan the flame of students who are living out their calling, but also to see new students step into a space they may not have thought about it before.”
The goal is not to anticipate every challenge a pastor might face or to tell students precisely what to think, say, or do. It is to equip students with the theological grounding, practical experience, and intentional habits that will help them respond when those challenges do come in congregational ministry.
As Truett students move between the classroom and the congregation, they are learning and practicing how to lead churches, care for others, navigate challenges, and serve alongside others for the good of the Church.