So You've Been Thinking About Becoming a Supervisor?

Supervision is a requirement for everyone in ministry within the Uniting Church, Ministers of the Word, Deacons, Pastors, and Pastoral practitioners. It's time set aside regularly with a professionally trained person to reflect on your ministry. But for some, supervision raises a further question: could this be something I offer to others? 

Do You Have What It Takes? 

If you're a good listener, able to step back and reflect on your own ministry practice, you should consider becoming a supervisor. There are many challenges in ministry, like conflict within a congregation, or the demands and impact of pastoral issues on the person providing them. Supervision gives people a place to bring these things, work through them, and decide what to do next. 

Anyone seriously considering training would need at least five years in ministry, along with regular experience being supervised themselves. If you've felt the benefit of supervision firsthand, if you have empathy, good listening skills, and a heart for accompanying others, this may be worth exploring. If you have a heart to offer others what has been offered to you, this may be something God is calling you to do. That's exactly how I came into this work nearly 20 years ago; others saw gifts in me I hadn't fully recognised myself, and encouraged me to train. I've now worked in this space for 16 years, alongside part-time ministry placements, and it's been a genuine privilege. 

How Is This Different From Mentoring? 

If you've mentored someone in ministry, supervision may feel like a natural next step, but it works differently. Mentoring is a more equal, experience-sharing relationship, where there is sharing from one to the other, from the more senior and experienced person to the one who is training or new to a role or ministry. Supervision is different. The supervisor focuses on what you bring, not sharing from their own experience but enabling you to reflect on your own ministry experience, and helping you find your own answers to the challenges you face. 

Join the Information Session 

If you're curious, I'd warmly invite you to a Zoom information session on 8 October (visit the link in side bar). You'll hear about the four subjects that make up the Graduate Certificate in Professional Supervision (Pastoral), offered through UTC and Charles Sturt University, along with practical guidance on how to apply through the CSU portal. 

There's also good news on cost: UME Scholarship funding is currently available, refunding 50% of course fees per subject on successful completion, an initiative introduced around four years ago to make the course more accessible. With four subjects, ideally spread over two years at one subject per semester, this allows the learning and cost to be spread out gradually, rather than all at once. 

The course runs in Extensives, three two-day sessions over three months per subject, ideally spread across two years. Many who've trained in the past three years say the listening, reflective, and ethical skills they gained made them better ministry practitioners overall, not just supervisors. 

If you're unsure whether you're "qualified enough," come along anyway. Ask questions. This fits well within your 14 days of annual study leave as part of your ongoing ministry development. 

A Growing Need 

This programme also trains people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, addressing a real shortage of supervisors who understand the cultural nuances many in ministry navigate. If you know someone who'd make a good supervisor but hasn't considered it, tap them on the shoulder. Encourage them. 

Well-trained supervisors help the whole church stay ethically strong, reflective, and faithful, strengthening not just ministry, but the communities and society we serve. This helps us maintain the quality of our ministries, our faithfulness to the Gospel, and our kingdom values, keeping us ethically strong and well-equipped as holistic practitioners.