Education for Ministry and our baptismal vows
Our Baptismal Vows tells us what we promise as baptized Christians…
Education for Ministry helps us learn how to live those promises in everyday life.
By Rev. Canon Val Kenyon
EDUCATION for Ministry (EfM) is all about reminding us that ministry is for all the baptized.
When we hear the word “ministry” we can sometimes think of it as something only for the ordained. But Scripture is very clear, ministry is the calling of every baptized person inviting us to share in Christ's work by loving God, serving others, and helping to build God's kingdom through their daily lives, gifts, and relationships in whatever ways are opened to us throughout our everyday lives. At EfM we focus on reflecting on Scripture, tradition, and how through our life experiences we can more confidently do this by living out our faith in the world each and every day.
At the centre of our EfM sessions is the practice of examining everyday experiences through the lens of our faith. We discuss and develop the skill of reflecting theologically as a group on the weekly readings and questions. Together we learn that faith is not something confined to Sunday worship but something that shapes our decisions, relationships, work, community involvement, and service to others at every turn.
Through the different practices of EfM it becomes clear that baptism is not only something that happened in our past, but rather something that guides and directs our everyday decisions as followers of Jesus. Our Baptismal Vows describe what Christian life is meant to look like. EfM helps its participants develop the knowledge, skills, and spiritual awareness needed to live into and out of those vows faithfully, or as our own EfM Co-ordinator Libi Clifford likes to say,
What happens at a baptism isn’t over when the candle is blown out… the vows are a lifetime commitment!
While EfM traditionally starts in September and runs through to May, we are hoping to run a session that starts in January 2027 and will go through to June 2027 and then start up again from September through to November. Our hope would be to have a largely online class with some in-person sessions drawing upon participants from across the Diocese, featuring the newer one-year EFM Wide Angle program.
To learn more about this or any other aspects of our programmes, we’d love to hear from you at EFM@huron.anglican.ca
Rev. Canon Dr. Val Kenyon is EFM Animator in Huron.