We continue our student-led series, Engaging in the Field: Student Stories from Field Education, with an episode about an innovative Duke Divinity School program. Communities of Learning consist of cohorts of student interns and ministry leaders committed to connecting congregations with their communities. Through this program, residential M.Div. students participating in field education placements in the same geographical area meet together with ministry and nonprofit leaders to collaborate on strengthening their communities. Communities of Learning affirm what we already know: that churches do not exist in a vacuum; they exist inside a larger context alongside other stakeholders with a vested interest in their community’s flourishing.

Divcast student intern host, Evelyn Archer-Taminger, M.Div. '21 talks with her colleagues Bailey Brislin, M.Div. '21 and Maggie Liston, M.Div./M.S.W., '22 about their experiences serving in these generative and collaborative internships. Bailey describes over multiple placements in Communities of Learning how she developed support systems for ministry and and ecumenical understanding as she partnered across denominations in the communities where she served. Maggie talks about serving in Communities of Learning and how they shaped her internship experiences by introducing her to the communities in a deep way. Maggie also shares practices of self care and bonding with cohort members that made these experiences life giving.

Learn more about the Communities of Learning placements here.