Every clergy leader has his or her list of learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recent webinar sponsored by the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), theological educators identified some of the things that seminary students involved in field education during this time are learning. James Barber, Barbara Blodgett, and Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi have been responsible for supervision of students doing their field work in the last several months. Here are some of the things they shared. “This isn’t what I signed on for” is a metaphor for ministry. Perhaps we don’t communicate often enough to seminary students that ministry is messy. It was chaotic even before the pandemic which has added another current of uncertainty. Although most of us went into the ministry with a bit of idealism and a model of how each week would unfold, we quickly learned that needs and expectations challenged our preconceptions....
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