Why Practicum Ministry Experience?

Some of the Holy Spirit’s best work in us happens as we are focused on serving others. The local church provides the ideal context for this kind of hands-on learning, and one of the greatest advantages of Portland Bible College is its relationship to Mannahouse, formerly City Bible Church. This connectivity provides students with a wide variety of “hands-on” ministry opportunities.

The ministry staff of both the church and the college have a great heart to see students equipped and released into ministry opportunities, and much care is taken to place students into areas of interest and calling for their practicum requirements.

Please Note: All students are expected to serve in their own local church unless they are geographically too distant, in which case they are integrated into Mannahouse for this part of their program. Students taking classes online can receive credit for their participation with ministries within their own local church.

The PBC Ministry Experience Practicum/Apprenticeship program is based on the following beliefs:

  • All Christians should serve others
  • God’s primary instrument in the world is the local church
  • Students often learn best by doing
  • Practical application is an essential part of academic education
  • Ministry skills are best developed in a purposeful context that includes supervision, mentoring and evaluation

Credit Requirements

Ministry Experience Practicum (Freshman/Sophomore)
Requires 30 hours of adviser directed areas of practical ministry and service opportunities intended to help strengthen and release spiritual gifts in the student.

Ministry Experience Apprenticeship (Junior/Senior)
Requires 60 hours of ministry involvement in an intensive, mentored ministry experience, involving defined goals and responsibilities in a specific ministry area of the local church.

Details

It is our expectation that a student would begin their practicum experience at a serving/exposure level, progressing through their years here to more strategic ministry skill development and ideally finishing with an apprenticeship style experience.

Please make it a priority to fulfill the hour requirements for this course and prayerfully consider your time commitments and schedule to plan ahead for success.  Our heart is for every student to discover what it means to truly be engaged in the ministry they become involved with. The more you give yourself to the process, the more you will take away from this experience.

Engage your heart and mind into the situations, tasks, and people involved.  Not only will this ensure you’ll be fulfilled by your ministry experience, but you will also have the satisfaction of knowing you made a difference in the community, lives, and ministry you participated in.

Success in practicum can also move you into a JR/SR level Apprenticeship giving you job skills and experience that could ultimately lead to future opportunities within our Placement Services Network or wherever God may lead you on our journey.

  • All Practicum and Apprenticeship hours must be completed within the 16-week time frame.  As such, you should expect to set aside 2-4 hours of time each week to volunteer.
  • All reports (Ministry Log, Student Self-Evaluation, Hours Log, and Ministry Leader/Supervisor Evaluation) must be submitted by the required deadline in order to receive full credit. (Please refer to your course description and assignments in Populi for further details).
  • Your Practicum experience is meant to be integrated into the entire semeser. It is not a one-weekend event experience. Therefore, only 10 hours from any single event can be applied to your 30-hour requirement. (For example, if you serve at a church conference, you may participate as much as you wish, but only 10 hours of the time served can be applied to your Student Hours Log.)

Ready to Begin Your Placement Journey?

Once you are accepted to PBC, you will receive an email with a link to fill out the Ministry Placement Survey. You will also have a short virtual interview before you arrive. The purpose of these is to help place you in the practicum role that best fits your skills, passions, and goals.

Let’s Get Started: 

Step 1: Complete the Ministry Placement Survey.

Step 2: Once this is completed, the Placement Director will schedule a virtual appointment with you to help finalize your placement.

Step 3: You will fill out a simple Background Check (required of all students at PBC and volunteers at Mannahouse Church). A link to this will also be emailed to you.