M.Div. '26
Published January 10, 2025
Jalen Garza (right) serving her field education placement at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church
Jalen Garza (right) serving her field education placement at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church

While Jalen Garza, M.Div. '26, has felt a calling to ministry since she was 16 years old, her latest field education placement at Duke Divinity School has deepened her call, teaching her about the responsibility and honor of belonging to a loving church congregation. 

In the field education program at Duke Divinity School, students are placed in contextual learning opportunities in churches, nonprofits, and other settings with the guidance of a supervisor. 

Garza is serving one of her field education placements at Duke Memorial United Methodist Church in Durham, N.C. 

"​Duke Memorial is a vibrant Christ-centered congregation whose mission is to share the love of Christ from the heart of Durham," said Garza. "We are deeply committed to anti-racism, full inclusion, and accessibility. Our congregation engages in hopeful worship by proclaiming God’s word, celebrating the sacraments, and offering praise through music. We respond to God’s grace through acts of justice, service, and compassion to our siblings in this community and around the globe."

Jalen Garza (left) with classmates in front of Duke Chapel
Jalen Garza (left) with classmates in front of Duke Chapel

After graduation, she hopes to pursue ordination as an elder in the United Methodist Church. Said Garza, "I am particularly interested in focusing on the ministry of presence, pastoral care, and preaching during the rest of my time here at Duke Divinity School. Through my class and my field education placements, I have been able to witness and discern a deeper calling to these areas."

Before she becomes a full-time pastor, Garza says she feels like a pastor to an "invisible congregation," meaning all the people around her in need of spiritual guidance or a word of truth. 

Said Garza, "As I 'look upon the whole world as my parish,' I wake up every single day with a sense of responsibility to love, to serve, and to listen earnestly to all of God’s people and do my best to point them to the hope we have Jesus Christ.

"I am forever grateful for God’s Spirit enabling me, strengthening me, and advocating for me."

 

"I wake up every single day with a sense of responsibility to love, to serve, and to listen earnestly to all of God’s people and do my best to point them to the hope we have in Jesus Christ."

 

Jalen Garza

We asked Garza about her experiences in field education and how they have shaped her time at Duke Divinity so far.

Duke Divinity School: Why is field education an important experience to have while in Divinity School? 

I absolutely love the field education experience at Duke Divinity School. There is truly nothing better than getting the opportunity to give yourself fully to an immersive learning experience. Through our connections with quality supervisor-mentors, we students get the opportunity to ask the hard questions about servant leadership, what the job really entails, and how to approach sensitive wounds within each church’s cultural context. 
 
Many of us view our pursuit of higher education as a form of obedience to our callings. I would argue that it is crucial to nourish our minds in the classroom, nourish our hearts at chapel and in community, and nourish our callings by stepping into ministry contexts while we are still in school.
 
DDS: What have been your favorite parts of your field education experience so far?
 
Last month I was able to go on a pastoral care visit and spend time with a parishioner who lives at the assisted living facility, “Croasdaile Village.” I could have sat there and listened to him repeat the same three stories over and over all day long! 
 
Through field education experiences like these, I have learned that there’s no place I’d rather be than sitting with, praying with, rejoicing or grieving with, the beloved children of God who I’ve been entrusted to walk alongside. My favorite part is that I get to be fully present and have no other place to be but with.
 
Jalen Garza walking down the steps cheering