The Seminar Group
The
seminar group is the nucleus of the Education for Ministry program. A group
consists of six to eleven students and a trained mentor meeting weekly over the
course of a nine-month academic year. These meetings are usually from two-and-a
half to three
hours in length.
Through study, prayer, and reflection,
EfM
groups move toward a new understanding
of the fullness of God's kingdom. This process can be illustrated by a two-rail
fence. One rail is the Christian tradition. The other is the collective
experience of the group's members. The rails are linked by fence posts that
represent the seminar sessions where life and study meet. The fence is grounded
in the soil of regular worship, which is vital to the life of the group.
Study
Students
are given weekly lesson assignments to study with the help of resource guides.
Students are responsible for setting their own learning goals. They spend
between two and four hours in study and preparation each week. In the seminars
students have an opportunity to share their insights and discoveries as well as
to discuss questions that the study materials raise for them.
Reflection
Through
discussion and guided reflection, the seminars furnish an opportunity for
students to deepen their understanding of the reading materials. More important
is the development of skills in theological reflection. The goal is that
students learn to think theologically. By examining their own beliefs and their
relationship to our culture and the tradition of our Christian faith, students
can learn what it means to be effective ministers in the world.
In coming to
terms with the notion that everything we do has the potential for manifesting
the love of Christ, we discover that our ministry is at hand wherever we turn.
Worship
The
seminar is supported by a life of prayer and regular worship.
EfM
groups are encouraged to develop a
pattern of worship appropriate to their situations. Liturgical materials are
furnished with the course materials.
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