A new year of EfM begins each January.
The evening group meets on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm.
If you are interested in EfM, give Duncan or Ada Sutherland a call at 572-4816.
Looking for a safe place in which to explore with others your relationship with God and your role in His world.? A place to share your doubts, strengthen your faith, and broaden your knowledge of the Christian religion? The Education for Ministry (EFM) seminars are such a place.
What is the Education for Ministry Program? EFM is a theological education program of the School of Theology of the University of the South (affectionately called Sewanee). Completion of the program takes four years, during which participants study the entire sweep of the Christian tradition (the Bible, church history and history of Christian thought) from the earliest period to the present. Participants commit one year at a time to meet regularly in seminars led by a trained mentor.
Who participates in EFM? EFM is for the laity of the church. Every Christian receives the call to Christ’s ministry at baptism. EFM provides the basics of a theological education in order to develop knowledge and confidence about the ministry we all share. Lay persons face the difficult and often subtle task of interpreting the richness of the church’s faith in a complex and confusing world. They need a theological education which supports their faith and also trains them to express that faith in day-to-day events. Since its beginning in 1975, more than 54,000 persons throughout the United States and overseas have participated in EFM.
How does EFM work? The traditional content is not studied in a vacuum. Students belong to small “communities of learning” in which the events of each person’s life may be examined in the light of the materials being studied. While the course materials provide substantial academic content, the focus of the program is on life as ministry and understanding that ministry. Each seminar group of 6 to 12 students is led by a mentor. Mentors are graduates of EFM and have completed a mentor training program. Mentors must attend certification training every 18 months. The group meets once a week during a nine-month cycle for members to discuss the materials they have read, reflect theologically and to worship together.
To learn more about EfM, please contact Ada Sutherland, EfM Mentor and Diocesan Coordinator for EfM, at (361)572-4816, the Trinity Church Office at (361)573-3228 or visit the EfM website.
