Yet field education rests on the supervisory relationship. The difference between a good and a poor site is in the frequency, quality, and intensity of supervision. Good supervision rescues even a poor field education experience. A good site can be spoiled by a supervisor who fails to deliver promised time and attention to the ministry of supervision, or by a student who resists helpful critique because of the mistaken belief that the Lord's work should be beyond review. Supervision intends to integrate the curriculum of the Seminary with the practices of the parish.
Every supervisory session needs to raise theological concerns that arise from acts of ministry.
It is not enough to critique the content of the pastoral prayer. The discussion should also reflect on the role of pastor as priest and the appropriateness of the prayer's content to the act of worship itself. Visits providing pastoral care should review the student's understanding of pastoral authority and should differentiate between personal friendship and the pastor's role in representing God and congregation. Youth ministry activities should provide material for theological reflection so that the student senses that she or he is a minister rather than a social director. In other words, supervision presses each student into the habit of self-critique informed by biblical studies, doctrine, and trends in theology.