Ministry Empowerment through Training

These people are EfM Mentors and EfM Facilitators.

• An EfM Mentor is both convener and administrator of EfM’s two 36-week offerings and is steeped in EfM’s five core practices. Mentors ensure the program is delivered faithfully to participants and are accredited annually to offer EfM: Classic and EfM: Wide Angle programs.
• An EfM Reflections Facilitator convenes and administers short courses designed around specific topics. EfM Facilitators are qualified to deliver EfM: Reflections courses to participants.

Mentor Training

To pursue a call to mentor an EfM seminar group, you must first become an accredited mentor. Mentor training is delivered through two learning modes—online individual study and group learning (either onsite or online) under the direction of an EfM Trainer. For more information about mentoring, please visit the EfM: Administration path in your EfM Pathwright library.

There are two types of training on the EfM training calendar.

• Accreditation: Foundations of Seminar Life – this training is open to all seeking EfM Mentor Accreditation. If you are new to mentoring, this must be your first training experience. If recommended for accreditation, accreditation is valid for 12 months.
• Continuing Formation – these trainings are for experienced mentors who have been recommended for the training by an EfM trainer. Formation trainings are deep dives into EfM’s five core practices. Continuing formation counts as accreditation and is valid for 12 months.

The calendar can be sorted to search for either type of training.

Annual Accreditation for EfM Mentors

EfM requires annual accreditation to ensure the vitality of the program and its faithful delivery. Training prepares a mentor to provide seminar participants tools to experience and practice covenantal community where together they create a covenant of group norms and expectations together, which addresses how they will study, pray, learn, and have challenging conversations. As our culture encourages divisiveness, a safe space to have conversations regarding matters of religion, tradition, culture, politics, beliefs, and experiences as adults is needed now more than ever. Seminar groups encourage each other to become spiritually mature Christians discerning ministry as mature citizens and followers of the Way.

For specifics on EfM’s accreditation policies, please refer to EfM: Administration in your EfM Pathwright library.

Facilitator Training

EfM: Reflections offerings are 6-12 week formation courses for small-group study and congregational use. They invite people to gather onsite or online to theologically reflect upon experience, church tradition, cultural sources, and deep questions.

Debuting in 2026/2027 are:

• Meditations for Racial Healing—Catharine Meeks (October 2026)
• A Theology for Trans Allies—Tara Soughers (October 2026)
• What’s Love Got to Do with Law?—Rebecca Abst Wright (March 2027)

EfM: Classic graduates and EfM mentors are eligible to be qualified to lead EfM: Reflections. Facilitator workshops are delivered through two learning modes—online individual study and group learning (either onsite or online) under the direction of an EfM Trainer. Qualification is valid for one year.

Facilitator workshops will begin in August 2026 and the first EfM: Reflections offerings will be available in October 2026.

Here is a current list of training offerings:

Tips for Navigating the Calendar 

The calendar defaults to a “month” view. To find a training, you can navigate through the months by clicking on the arrows to the left of the month name on the top left of the calendar. To find details about a training, click on the training event. A separate window pops up with details about the training and a registration form. If the form pops up, there is space in the training. Training is not complete until the form is completed, submitted, and training is paid. To navigate the calendar in a different view, click on the word “Month” in the upper right corner of the calendar. You can choose to change the view of the calendar to “Week” and “Schedule”. In “Schedule” mode you will see a list of offerings. To view the details, click on the name of the training.