Pastoral students get practical training

The 500-member Pastoral Training Program isnot a club or organization, but rather a Christian service for all pastoralstudentsin the university and seminary.

Members get involved with nursing home ministries, Good News clubs, churchsurveys, and other localprograms

Over Spring break, pastoral students traveled to churches, held crusades, and preached the gospel

On April 16, the Spring seminar preaching contest helped pastoral students gain preaching experience incompetition.

"Pastoral ministry isas much caught as it is taught,"saysDr JerryKroll, who with hisassistant Steve Suders directs the program.

"We provide hands-on experience for pastoral students and an opportunity for the pastortolearnmore thanjustfacts. He learnsthatthe ministryis not justlearning,but doing."

A weekly publication, entitled,"The Shepherd'sJournal," iswritten and published by Dr. Kroll and members. Itprovides pastoralstudentswithtopicson biblical subjects, spiritual growth and aboutjobopeningsforlastsemester seniors and graduates.

Kroll and Suders interview seniors at the time of graduation to see where they stand on their theology, what their plans are for the future, and what direction they should go to meet their futuregoals

Gary Murtoff