The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Vision
    • Our History
    • Find a Church
    • Deaneries
    • The Bishop >
      • Messages from Bishop Woodliff-Stanley
    • Clergy & Staff >
      • Clergy in Good Standing
      • Clergy and Transition Ministries
    • Governance >
      • Constitution & Canons
      • Convention
      • Boards and Committees >
        • Standing Committee
        • Diocesan Council
        • Trustees of the Diocese
        • Deputies to General Convention
        • Liturgical Commission
        • Visioning Committee
        • University of the South Trustees
        • Other Boards and Committees
    • Historical Timeline
    • FAQ
  • Ministry
    • Prayer Calendar
    • Commission on Ministry
    • Title IV Concerns
    • Outreach
    • Racial Justice & Reconciliation Commission
    • Grants for Congregations
    • Administrative Resources
    • Clergy Resources
    • Liturgy & Worship >
      • Liturgical Commission >
        • Bishop Guerry
      • Marriage
      • The Lectionary
      • The Book of Common Prayer
      • Brother, Give Us A Word (SSJE)
      • Daily Prayer: Forward Movement
    • Education & Formation >
      • Adults
      • College Ministry
      • Youth
      • Children
    • Church Connections >
      • The Episcopal Church >
        • Province IV
      • The Anglican Communion
      • Anglicans Online >
        • The Society of Archbishop Justus
      • Daughters of the King
      • Episcopal Church Women (ECW)
      • Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross
      • Order of St. Helena
    • Ecumenical & Interfaith >
      • Fellowship of SC Bishops/Public Education Initiative
      • Charleston Area Justice Ministry
      • Christian Jewish Council
      • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Communications Resources
    • Communication and Evangelism >
      • Carolina Grace
      • Social Media Sunday
      • Mission Matters Videos
  • News
    • News Blog
    • Lenten Resources & Events
    • Sacred Ground 2023
    • 80th General Convention 2022 >
      • 80th General Convention Blog
    • Email Newsletter
    • Episcopal News Service
    • Anglican Communion News
  • Giving
  • Convention
    • 234th Diocesan Convention
  • Contact Us
    • Get in touch
    • Make a donation
    • Sign up for the newsletter
    • News Submission
  • St. Christopher
  • Strategic Visioning

Education for Ministry (EfM)

Picture
Every baptized person is called to ministry. The Education for Ministry (EfM) program provides people with the education to carry out that ministry. During the Service of Confirmation we ask God to "Renew in these your servants the covenant you made with them at Baptism. Send them forth in the power of the Spirit to perform the service you set before them." EfM offers an opportunity to discover how to respond to the call to Christian service. (From the EfM website)

The DIOCESE OF South Carolina 
is working to expand the opportunities for laypeople in the diocese to participate in Education for Ministry.

Over the years, hundreds of Episcopalians in South Carolina have participated in EfM, and our diocese has many EfM mentors who are trained and qualified to lead seminars.

Are you interested in participating in EFM either as a mentor or as participant? It takes a minimum of six people to "make" an EfM group, so participation is an important factor in making EfM available to others.

If you would like to be part of EfM, please contact Dr. Walter Limehouse, EfM Diocesan Coordinator, at  [email protected] or 843-573-9136.

EfM in our Diocese

All Saints, Hilton Head Island
Contact Marilyn Roper at [email protected] or 843-363-6696.
​
Grace Church Cathedral, Charleston
Contact Canon Jean Bender at 843-723-4575 or [email protected].

Holy Cross Faith Memorial, Pawleys Island
Contact Michael Cureton at 843-236-2525

Who is involved in EfM?

More than 80 dioceses of The Episcopal Church, as well as other denominations, participate in EfM. In addition to groups throughout the USA, EfM can be found in Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Bahamas, Hong Kong, Italy, and Switzerland. More than 70,000 persons have participated in the program, and in the United States more than 22,000 have completed the full four years. The 2006 USA enrollment reached more than 8,000. 

What is EfM?

EfM is a four-year theological education program offered "at a distance" by the School of Theology at the University of the South at Sewanee. Participants commit to one year at a time, and meet weekly in seminars led by a trained mentor. Over the four years, participants study the Bible, church history, and theology, while learning to engage in theological reflection. This provides a solid education in the foundations of our Christian faith.

The seminar group is the nucleus of the Education for Ministry program. A group consists of six to twelve participants and a trained mentor who meet weekly over the course of a nine-month academic year. These meetings are usually from 2.5-3 hours in length.

Mentor certification to form and facilitate an EfM group requires 18 contact hours of basic/inservice or formation training annually (minimally every 18 months) and approval by the trainer. EfM parishes in The Diocese of South Carolina have training events scheduled August 1-3
at St. Christopher Conference Center. Dr. Walter Limehouse can provide registration information and describe the training content. EfM begins a newly revised curriculum this fall.

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 which 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.

Participants are given weekly 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 members have an opportunity to share their insights and discoveries as well as to discuss questions which the study materials raise for them.

Through discussion and guided reflection, the seminars furnish an opportunity to deepen understanding of the reading materials.

More important is the development of skills in theological reflection. The goal is to learn to think theologically. By examining their own beliefs and their relationship to our culture and the tradition of our Christian faith, participants can learn what it means to be effective ministers in the world. In coming to terms with the notion that everything we do has potential for manifesting the love of Christ, we discover that our ministry is at hand wherever we turn.

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.


Find out more at the EfM website.

Copyright © 2025 The Diocese of South Carolina
P.O. Box 20485, Charleston, SC 29413 - ​843.259.2016 - [email protected]
Make A Donation
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Our Vision
    • Our History
    • Find a Church
    • Deaneries
    • The Bishop >
      • Messages from Bishop Woodliff-Stanley
    • Clergy & Staff >
      • Clergy in Good Standing
      • Clergy and Transition Ministries
    • Governance >
      • Constitution & Canons
      • Convention
      • Boards and Committees >
        • Standing Committee
        • Diocesan Council
        • Trustees of the Diocese
        • Deputies to General Convention
        • Liturgical Commission
        • Visioning Committee
        • University of the South Trustees
        • Other Boards and Committees
    • Historical Timeline
    • FAQ
  • Ministry
    • Prayer Calendar
    • Commission on Ministry
    • Title IV Concerns
    • Outreach
    • Racial Justice & Reconciliation Commission
    • Grants for Congregations
    • Administrative Resources
    • Clergy Resources
    • Liturgy & Worship >
      • Liturgical Commission >
        • Bishop Guerry
      • Marriage
      • The Lectionary
      • The Book of Common Prayer
      • Brother, Give Us A Word (SSJE)
      • Daily Prayer: Forward Movement
    • Education & Formation >
      • Adults
      • College Ministry
      • Youth
      • Children
    • Church Connections >
      • The Episcopal Church >
        • Province IV
      • The Anglican Communion
      • Anglicans Online >
        • The Society of Archbishop Justus
      • Daughters of the King
      • Episcopal Church Women (ECW)
      • Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross
      • Order of St. Helena
    • Ecumenical & Interfaith >
      • Fellowship of SC Bishops/Public Education Initiative
      • Charleston Area Justice Ministry
      • Christian Jewish Council
      • Gun Violence Prevention
    • Communications Resources
    • Communication and Evangelism >
      • Carolina Grace
      • Social Media Sunday
      • Mission Matters Videos
  • News
    • News Blog
    • Lenten Resources & Events
    • Sacred Ground 2023
    • 80th General Convention 2022 >
      • 80th General Convention Blog
    • Email Newsletter
    • Episcopal News Service
    • Anglican Communion News
  • Giving
  • Convention
    • 234th Diocesan Convention
  • Contact Us
    • Get in touch
    • Make a donation
    • Sign up for the newsletter
    • News Submission
  • St. Christopher
  • Strategic Visioning