Classic and Wide Angle

 

Education for Ministry (EfM) forms faithful people ready to engage with the sacred. Through transformative small groups, we learn to trust others with our strengths and with our struggles, all while accompanying each other through the chances and changes of this life.

 

Each week texts, videos, podcasts, and essays provide the primary lesson content for individual study in the two voices of the offerings—EfM: Classic and EfM: Wide Angle. The discipline of individual and group Theological Reflection connects the sacred with life experience and study. Sharing worship, Spiritual Autobiographies, and personal stories throughout the year fosters relationships foundational to ministry.

 

Each seminar group sets its schedule to accommodate the 36 weeks of the EfM: Classic and EfM: Wide Angle programs. Each seminar includes worship, community life, theological reflection, and a reflective discussion of the participants' study from that week's assignments.

 

Participants experience 27 weeks of EfM: Classic and EfM: Wide Angle by engaging material specific to their year.

• EfM: Classic involves four years, taken one year at a time: Old Testament, New Testament, Christian History, and Christian Spirituality and Ethics.
• EfM: Wide Angle is an overview of the spiritual journey that introduces participants to EfM: Classic by touching on the Old Testament, New Testament, Christian history, spirituality, and ethics within one year. 
• Nine weeks are common lessons, which include two weeks marking the beginning and end of the year, four Spiritual Sojourner essays, and three weeks of community gathering sessions.