Pastoral ministry is not simply an academic endeavor. Certainly most seminaries recognize this and require students to have an internship or a certain number of semesters of “field ministry.” At FBS the practical training will not simply be an “add-on” to the education; it will be half of it. Each student will be involved half-time in ministry and half-time in academics.

Every student enrolled in the program will be working as a part-time intern at a local church. If a student already has extensive ministry training but not academic training, an exception may be granted.

Each partnering local church will be responsible for directing the practical mentoring environment of its intern under guidance and consultation from FBS. Each local church will attempt to strike a balance between the following priorities:

• Strengthening the student’s weaknesses
• Utilizing the student’s gift set
• Meeting the needs of the local church

At the beginning of each semester (fall and spring), the student will be asked to turn in a completed Ministry Experience Inventory Form FBS Ministry Experience Inventory Form.pdf in order to discern and direct the progress of professional development.