MIP to Hold Virtual Commencement
Cleveland, TN–This weekend Ministerial Internship Program (MIP) candidates will participate in the first ever MIP Virtual Commencement, which will celebrate the conclusion of the Ministerial Internship Program.
Due to COVID-19, Church of God events have been postponed, cancelled, or altered. Several weeks ago the Church of God Division of Education made the difficult decision to cancel the May 15-16 weekend that would have brought the hundreds of MIP candidates and their families to Cleveland. At the conclusion of the MIP, a large celebration is held in Cleveland to commemorate the eight months of ministerial training that the MIP candidates and supervising pastors have completed.
During the MIP Virtual Commencement, which will be conducted on Livestream and Facebook Live, the MIP candidates will be recognized for their efforts. Church of God General Overseer Dr. Tim Hill will bring a message and lead the commissioning prayer of MIP candidates as they march forward into ministry.
The Commencement will be on Saturday, May 16, beginning at 7:00 p.m. EDT. When the Commencement begins, it may be viewed at www.cogevents.com/mip.
This year, there were 522 MIP candidates and spouses who enrolled in the MIP, and 260 supervising pastors mentored and coached them about ministry, as well as state MIP coordinators who coordinated the MIP, particularly in the monthly seminars. The supervised practicum and monthly seminars were built around the ten commitments to the Church of God vision and mission with the goals of instilling a strong commitment to building the kingdom of God and deepening their connection with the denomination. In the supervised practicum, pastors met weekly with the candidates, teaching them about a certain aspect of ministry, modeling the lesson, and giving the candidates assignments about the lesson. In the monthly seminars, the MIP coordinators, along with seasoned pastors, taught lessons built around the ten commitments to Church of God vision and mission.
The Division of Education also reported on the success of the first ever video conference on Preaching and the Minister and Taxes in March that was virtually attended by nearly all the states conducting the MIP. Dr. Mark Williams, pastor of the North Cleveland Church of God and former general overseer of the Church of God, taught on sermon preparation and delivery, and Art Rhodes, president and CEO of the Benefits Board, taught on how taxes apply to ministers. In the next MIP term, a video conference with church leaders will be conducted with all of the states simultaneously in an effort to connect and network the MIP candidates, as well as bond with International Office leaders and demonstrate the desire of the leaders interest to help the candidates to move forward in ministry.
(Source: Church of God Division of Education)