About half of the time is actually spent in the parish, the other half in critical reflection on the practice in theological seminars run by the regional churches. The main training focuses in this time on composition of sermons, pastoral care, ecclesiastical instruction and religious instruction in the schools. As in the case of the university course, this training phase ends with an examination. The increasing understanding for the value of further professional training and the necessity to see this as an equally important part of the training, has led to nearly all the German member churches making courses compulsory during the first years in the profession. The Churches mostly offer a wide choice of further training courses.
Some regional churches send their pastors to training courses during their total active service.
Some of these training models purposely deal very generally with the profession, with the intention that pastors, deacons and social workers can discuss a common theme against the background of their own professional experience. Predictions beyond the end of the century are not certain, as the consequences of the financial developments on the differing ecclesiastical professional groups are not yet clear. For the first time, theological students in Germany will be put on the labour market, and have to share the risks of other academic professionals who have completed their training but have no possibility of employment. The churches must develop alternative models in the coming years, to find appointments in the services of the church to use the potential of these well-trained theologians. The second question for theological training is prompted by the insight that society is not less religious, but through individualised thrusts has become religiously differentiated.