Year 2 Onsite Campus

Ministry Project Information

The Year 2 Ministry Project is a required group experience that gives you the opportunity to put what you have learned into practice in your sphere of influence. Guided by the Holy Spirit, your team will plan and complete a unique ministry project that reflects the Encounter School of Ministry mission and core values.

Proposal Deadline November 1

The proposal must also be submitted at least three weeks before your project date.

Project Completion Deadline March 7

Complete the project and submit the completion form, feedback samples, and journal entries.

Purpose and Objectives

All second-year Encounter School students must complete a ministry project as a requirement for graduation and ministry certification. The goal is to remain rooted in intimacy with Jesus while walking in authority to demonstrate God's love beyond the walls of the Church.

Preparation

Form a team, develop an approved ministry project, and submit the proposal by November 1.

Execution

Identify the steps needed to plan, communicate, and carry out the approved project by March 7.

Completion

Meet the deadlines and submit all required materials for final approval by March 7.

1Prepare Your Project

Form Your Group

Your small group is your default ministry project team. If your project idea requires a different arrangement, you must receive approval for an exception. Begin by gathering with your small group, sharing ideas, and seeking the wisdom and inspiration of the Holy Spirit together.

Choose a Project Coordinator

One team member must serve as the Project Coordinator. This person is responsible for:

  • Submitting the group's information and required forms.
  • Reporting roster updates or significant changes to the project.
  • Keeping the team aware of deadlines and requirements.

The Project Coordinator is not “the boss,” but serves the team by helping steer the process toward completion.

Develop Your Project

Choose a project that is not already part of your active ministry. Possible projects include:

  • Providing healing teams after a parish Mass or organizing door-to-door ministry.
  • Organizing and leading a healing service at your parish.
  • Offering prophetic ministry teams at your parish or leading an evangelization outing.
  • Developing an online conference, retreat, or speaker series.

Be proactive in communication, seek permission from the proper authority, and begin scheduling early. You may need to scale back an idea or seek outside support to make the project practical.

Questions to Help Shape Your Project

  • What specific outcomes do you hope to achieve, and whom will the project bless?
  • How does the project relate to the Encounter School of Ministry core values?
  • Are any other organizations connected to or affected by the project?
  • What feedback can you gather, and how will you submit it?

Proposal timing: The Project Coordinator must submit the proposal by November 1 and at least three weeks before the project date. Proposals will be approved, denied, or returned for clarification within two weeks of submission.

2Carry Out Your Project

Ministry Guidelines

If your project falls under the covering of a parish or another official ministry, your team is expected to demonstrate mature Christian behavior by:

  • Communicating clearly, consistently, and charitably with those in authority.
  • Following all federal, state, and local laws.
  • Following all safe-environment requirements established by the local diocese, parish, or organization.

Representing Encounter: Approval of your student project means that it meets the school's project requirements. It does not authorize you to minister as Encounter Ministries or the Encounter School of Ministry. Be wise, humble, and respectful in how you make requests, represent yourself, and respond to challenges.

Scheduling

A ministry project may be a one-time event, a series of events, media, or another resource. Account for the season, any outside approval processes, and the March 7 completion deadline when choosing your project date.

Group Dynamics

Personality clashes, differences of opinion, unexpected life circumstances, and disappointments can happen on any team. Do not bury problems or gossip. Speak directly to one another in charity first. If a significant conflict cannot be resolved directly, involve the appropriate team members or Encounter staff for support.

Own the Process Through Completion

Certification is based on completing the project requirements, not on producing a particular result. Many factors that affect a project's outcome may be outside your control. We honor growth throughout the process and celebrate progress, not perfection.

3Complete and Submit Your Project

The Project Coordinator must organize and submit the following materials through the student dashboard by March 7. Any exception must be requested and approved in advance.

Required Group Materials

  • The Ministry Project Completion Form.
  • At least two samples of collected feedback per team.

Feedback may include participant surveys, recorded testimonies, or other meaningful evidence. If participant feedback is not possible, the team may submit its own written feedback supported by relevant information such as attendance, participant responses, observed fruit, repentance, or manifestations.

Required Individual Journal Entries

Each student must submit two journal entries of approximately one page each. Choose from the following prompts:

  1. What did you learn by working as a ministry team? Share your insights from different steps in the process.
  2. How did you collect feedback? As you take the feedback into prayer, what is the Lord teaching you? What went well, and what did not go well?
  3. How did your project, role, and experience relate to the Encounter Ministries mission and core values? How have you grown in your identity through this experience?
  4. Record the answer you receive in prayer to this question: “Lord, where are you calling me to demonstrate your supernatural love next?”

Group Presentation

During the final class of Quarter 7, all available team members will give an informal five- to seven-minute presentation. Your group will:

  • Share insights about what you learned.
  • Celebrate fruit from the project or feedback you received.
  • Explain challenges you encountered and how you worked through them.

Your Campus Director will provide additional presentation instructions as the date approaches.

Required Submission

Onsite Campus Ministry Project Proposal Form

Due November 1

The Project Coordinator should submit one proposal on behalf of the group. Remember that it must be submitted at least three weeks before the planned project date.

Required Submission

Onsite Campus Ministry Project Completion Form

Due March 7

The Project Coordinator should submit this form after the ministry project has been completed.

Before submitting, confirm that your team has prepared:

  • The completed ministry project information.
  • At least two samples of collected feedback.
  • Two journal entries from each student.

Completion of all ministry project requirements is necessary to earn ministry certification from the Encounter School of Ministry.