This early admonition for Christian education is based in the tradition of the synagogue, which Jesus knew well and in which he participated. In the Catechism, our Book of Common Prayer tells us that "... the Church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members ... lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons." It goes on to define the ministry of the laity, which is:

... to represent Christ and his Church; to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according to the gifts given to them, to carry on Christ's work of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place in the life, worship, and governance of the Church.

As baptised members of Christ's church, we are each called to this ministry. Education for Ministry (EFM) is a program designed to help Christian lay people discern and prepare to fulfill our call. It especially is designed to enhance and enrich those "gifts given to us" so that we may become more effective lay ministers in the Church and in the world. The program was developed by, and is offered through, one of our Episcopal seminaries, The School of Theology of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennesssee. It is a four academic year course that is modeled on the biblical and theological studies offered in the Masters of Divinity program combined with the learning and practice of methods for the application of that learning to everyday life and ministry.

EFM students spend four years studying Scripture, church history and theology. This portion of the program is primarily self-taught through reading of a "textbook" and study guides prepared specifically for the EFM program. In addition, the entire Bible is read over the first two years of the program, and outside readings from the Church Fathers and from various theologians and historians are read in the third and fourth years. All of this work is done outside of the weekly seminar time and requires two hours or more each week for private study.

Theological Reflection (TR) is the process which builds on the academic portion of EFM to teach students to think "theologically" and to apply what they have learned to their everyday lives and ministry in the Church and the world. TR is the primary focus of the weekly seminar. Multiple processes for TR are learned throughout the four-year cycle. But each of these processes looks to four sources of theological learning: action, position, culture and tradition. Action involves what we do and experience in real life. Position examines our own personally held beliefs and attitudes. The Culture source looks at the world today and includes the media, law, customs, attire…everything that we do not normally consider as part of our Christian tradition. Tradition refers to the content of Christian heritage and includes the Bible, liturgies, stories, documents, music and artifacts of Christian history. The reading self-study portion of the program provides this source to us. Theological Reflection is done by the group in the weekly seminar and provides new insights and practical actions to be taken each time.

EFM groups meet on a weekly basis for about three hours over each nine-month academic year and are composed of six to thirteen members. Each group also has one or more specially trained mentors who may be students in the upper years as well. The role of the mentor is to guide the group through the learning process only, not to teach. The learning comes from self-study, group discussion of the readings and TR. The group develops a great sense of community through shared learning and reflection as well as shared worship and prayer time. A "typical" seminar includes a short time to "catch up" on each other's lives, opening worship, discussion of key learnings or issues from the weekly readings, Theological Reflection, and closing worship. Time for breaks and refreshments is also included.

As an EFM'er in my first year, I have been especially gratified by three things. First, my study of the Old Testament (self-study for the first year) is leading me to a depth of understanding of God as a God of history who is truly involved in a plan of salvation for God's creation. (This comes from one who considers himself somewhat of a scholar!) Second, the process of Theological Reflection, while difficult to grasp at first, is truly providing insights for my own life and ministry. God's Spirit is truly present in our discussions and in our "unknowing." Finally, the sense of community and caring that has developed in our group has become an ongoing source of strength to me and I find myself anxious to share each week in all of our joys and our sorrows, our successes and our failures.

There will be openings to join us next fall in the EFM group at St. Augustine. If you feel that EFM may be for you, I would encourage you to pray on it and to talk to any of the current EFM group. We meet this year after the 11AM service in the Thomas Merton room each Sunday and usually have a bit of time before we begin. Additionally, there will be more information provided to prospective students this summer by invitation to visit at one of our sessions.