We are looking to reinvigorate Education for Ministry (EfM) classes in West Missouri.

If you’re new to EfM, read more about this Sewanee/University of the South program at your leisure, but suffice it to say here that it is foundational. Spiritual formation is not fast food; to read, mark, and inwardly digest the materials in this coursework is time well spent.

Each class is facilitated by a mentor, and Mentor training has adapted throughout the pandemic. The updated information below that might open a window you’d like to explore.

• Anyone, lay and ordained, may attend a mentor training. Full attendance is mandatory, and accreditation is at the trainer’s discretion after observing a person’s readiness to mentor an EfM group.
• To become (and remain) certified, mentors must participate and complete the Zoom Based Foundations of Seminar Life Training (approximately 20 hours) every 12-18 months which is offered monthly on different days and times. Post-pandemic, in person training may also be resumed.
• The $200 cost of online training can be covered by the diocese throughout 2023, so now is the time!

Currently, there are ongoing in-person classes in Kansas City and Springfield, but we need more — both in-person and online classes in West Missouri. Read more to learn what Education for Ministry can offer you, your home congregation, and this diocese. Please contact the Spiritual Formation office to find out more about mentoring or joining a class forming this fall.

Kim Snodgrass is Assistant to the Bishop for Christian Formation.