Integrating Year

The Integrating Year is the final year of the Diaconal Ministries program. Students who have completed all their learning circles, field placements, external courses, etc. enter the Integrating Year (or “IY”) as a cohort. The Integrating Year is made up of three learning circles: Integration 1 is in-person in the Fall (usually September), Integration 2 is online and meets monthly from October to March, and Integration 3 is in-person in the Spring (varies based on when Easter falls, but often in April). The Spring learning circle culminates in the Annual Service of Celebration and graduation.

During the Integrating Year, IY students review everything they’ve learned through the CCS program and reflect on areas of growth, assess their integration of ministry skills and understanding, and identify things they still want to learn before they graduate. They integrate their Global Perspective Experience (which most IY students do just before entering the Integrating Year). They develop the tools for expressing their personal faith statements within the larger context of theology and creeds, they delve into church polity and some of the nitty gritty practicalities of ministry, and they find their place within the larger diaconal story by researching the stories of diaconal ancestors.