Contextual Education I
Candler students gain ministry experience and incarcerated women learn leadership skills at Arrendale State Prison. Learn more »
At Inspiritus (formerly Lutheran Services of Georgia), Con Ed I students tutored and mentored children and youth in after-school programs. Learn more »
Through Congregational Ministries with Refugees, students had the opportunity to build relationships with refugee families. Learn more »
Contextual Education I
The Contextual Education I program gives students an opportunity to explore a wide range of ministries, contexts, social issues, and pastoral relationships beyond congregational settings. In the first year of Contextual Education, MDiv students enroll in a social service or clinical setting, unless they are enrolled in the Teaching Parish or Episcopal and Anglican Studies track. During this time, students have an opportunity to explore ministry in various forms, whether through working with low-income families to meet their housing needs, building relationships with newly arrived refugees, serving as a chaplain in a prison or detention center, or in another setting.
At the end of the first year of Contextual Education, you will have gained:
- Ability to integrate theological learning with ministry practice.
- Broadened ideas of vocational identity and calling.
- Expanded notion of church and of ministry while forming skills for leadership in ministries of justice and reconciliation.
You will find information below about Contextual Education I for both Residential and Hybrid M.Div. students, including detailed information about Contextual Education I Sites for residential students and Contextual Education I Cohorts for hybrid students.
In the fall semester, Residential Con Ed I Reflection Groups will meet in person, either on campus or at the Con Ed I site, and Hybrid Con Ed I Cohort Reflection Groups will meet via Zoom. In the spring, most Con Ed I Integrative Seminars will meet on a day and time similar to the corresponding fall CEI Reflection Groups. You can find the scheduled times and locations for these class sessions in the tables below and on the webpage for each individual Con Ed I site or cohort.
CEI Sites and Cohorts, and their corresponding reflection groups will close for enrollment as they reach their maximum number of students.
For students who entered Fall 2023 or after
Curricular Requirements
- Stewards of Children
- CE551a or CE551HYBa. Contextual Education I Site Reflection (first semester only; 3 hours)
- CE551b or CE551HYBb. Contextual Education I Integrative Seminar (second semester only; 3 hours)
Reflection Group and Integrative Seminar
In the first semester, students meet weekly for a 90-minute reflection group led by an experience site or cohort supervisor (CE551A or CE551HYBA, 3 hours). In the spring semester, students meet weekly with a faculty member and the site or cohort supervisor for an Integrative Seminar that brings the experiential learning of the site into conversation with the wider seminary curriculum (CE551551b or CE551HYBb, 3 hours). Students will work four hours per week at the same Contextual Education I site throughout both semesters.
For students who entered prior to Fall 2023
Curricular Requirements
- Stewards of Children
- CE551a or CE551HYBa. Contextual Education I Site Reflection (first semester only; 3 hours)
- CE551b. Contextual Education I Integrative Seminar (second semester only; 3 hours)
- PC501. Introduction to Pastoral Care (fall or spring, 3 hours)
Reflection Groups and Integrative Seminar
In the first semester, students meet weekly for a 90-minute reflection group led by the site supervisor. Site supervisors have advanced theological education, and are therefore equipped to mentor students and provide constructive evaluations at the end of each semester. (CE551a, 3 hours)
Sites and corresponding reflection groups will close for enrollment as they reach their maximum number of students.
In the first semester, students meet weekly for a 90-minute reflection group led by an experience site or cohort supervisor (CE551A or CE551HYBA, 3 hours). In the spring semester, students meet weekly with a faculty member and the site or cohort supervisor for an Integrative Seminar that brings the experiential learning of the site into conversation with the wider seminary curriculum (CE551551b or CE551HYBb, 3 hours). Students will work four hours per week at the same Contextual Education I site throughout both semesters.
Completion Requirements
Upon successful completion of the site work, the reflection group, and the integrative seminar, a student receives the six (6) hours credit for Contextual Education I. (Note: Students receive an "In Progress" (IP) grade for the fall semester. Only when both semesters have been satisfactorily completed will a satisfactory (S) grade be awarded for each semester.)
International Students
International students who qualify for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) may enroll in Contextual Education I in their first year of the MDiv program. For more information, review the Contextual Education handbook and the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS). International students must receive authorization prior to their first visit to the Contextual Education I site.
Incoming Residential M.Div. students will choose a site for their Contextual Education I placement from the following list. Students work in these sites four hours per week throughout the academic year. The webpage for each individual Con Ed I site includes information about the type of work students are engaged in, the days and times that work takes place, and any additional site requirements.
Instructions on how to enroll will be sent to all incoming students in the summer before their first semester. Each site hosts a limited number of Candler students, and enrollment for sites and corresponding reflection groups (held in the fall) will close once they reach capacity.
| Site | Site Work Hours | Reflection Group (Fall) |
| Arrendale State Prison | Wednesday 9:30am-1:00pm | Wednesday 1:30pm-3:00pm
On Site |
| Campbell-Stone | **COVID vaccine required.
In person | Tuesday, 2:30pm–4:00pm RARB 250 |
| Metro Regional Youth Detention, Department of Juvenile Justice | In person Thursday 3:30pm–7:30pm | Tuesday, 3:00pm–4:30pm RARB 421 |
| New American Pathways | In person After-school program: Monday–Friday 3:45pm–6:30pm; English at Home tutoring: 1-2 hours/week to be scheduled based on tutor and mentee availability. | Friday, 10:00am–11:30am
RARB 549 |
| Toco Hills Community Alliance | In Person **COVID vaccine and booster required. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 9:30am–4:30pm, Friday 9:30am–2:00pm | Monday, 2:30pm–4:00pm Candler |
Contextual Education I students in the Hybrid MDiv program will identify a clinical or social ministry setting within their own geographical region in conversation with the Office of Contextual Education. Instructions on how to enroll will be sent to all incoming students in the summer before their first semester.
Over the course of the year, students will:
- serve four hours each week at these sites throughout the academic year,
- meet regularly with a site mentor to reflect on their site work, and
- meet weekly for theological reflection on their contexts with a cohort of students serving in similar settings, alongside cohort supervisors and faculty.
In the fall semester, students meet weekly with their 90-minute Contextual Education I Cohort, led by an experienced cohort supervisor. In the spring semester, students meet weekly with a faculty member and the cohort supervisor for a two-hour Integrative Seminar that brings the experiential learning of the site into conversation with the wider seminary curriculum. Students will work four hours per week at the same Contextual Education I site throughout both semesters and will meet regularly with local site mentors who help to guide their work.
| Hybrid Contextual Education I Cohorts | Site Work Hours | Online Reflection Group (Fall) |
| Justice, Advocacy, and Movement Building Cohort | 4 hours/week | Tuesday, 3-4:30 pm |
| Refugee and Immigrant Accompaniment Cohort | 4 hours/week | Monday, 6:00pm–7:30pm |
| Food Justice and Sustainability Cohort | TBD | TBD |