Central Valley School of Ministry is a dual-track school combining formal classroom instruction with non-formal in-the-field training. The one-year Christian ministry program consists of nine core courses and nine months of internship under the oversight of a ministry mentor. Instruction with application is the point. The classroom instructors and in-the-field mentors function as partners in the equipping and empowering of students in ministry.
Agreement
The mentoring internship is based on a committed, agreed-upon process between the ministry mentor and student which includes:
- assigned responsibilities
- weekly time involvement
- accountability
- evaluation and
- development
Areas of Focus
Knowledge: what understanding should the student have at the end of the 9-month program?
- their calling, passions
- their style (personality, leadership)
- their gifts (natural talents, spiritual gifts)
Character: what qualities should the student have at the end of the 9-month program?
- sensitivity, able to hear God, walk in the Spirit
- teachable, flexibility
- humility, a servant
- purity, integrity (in relationship to sexuality, money, power)
- self-discipline, practicing spiritual disciplines
Ability: what skills should the student have at the end of the 9-month program?
- relational skills (teamwork, communication, conflict resolution etc.)
- ministry skills (general: praying, speaking, serving, witnessing, etc., specialized: preaching, teaching, evangelizing, pastoring, prophesying, administering, etc.)
- leadership skills (vision, motivation, team building, empowering, etc.)
Requirements
- Regular meetings together (at least twice a month for 9 months): (September-June) for reporting, review, input, encouragement, evaluation, adjustment, and prayer.
- A monthly report submitted to the school and the ministry mentor by the student.
- Summary report sent to CVSOM at end of each 3-month trimester (end of November, March, and June) by the ministry mentor evaluating the three areas of focus.
- Satisfactory fulfillment of all agreed-upon requirements by the student is the basis of course credit each trimester. See the Mentoring Internship Grading Rubric for detail.
