Nau mai Haere Mai! / Welcome!
Education for Ministry is an adult learning programme designed to link Christian faith with daily life, and to deepen Christian discipleship.
It combines scholarly and systematic Bible study and education in theology and church history, with small group worship, prayer and fellowship. What we learn through our study is joined to our own lives and experiences through the exciting, challenging, and faith-building process of theological reflection.
The EfM uses recognised contemporary text books alongside Reading and Reflection Guides.
EfM has informed, nourished, and equipped hundreds of people around New Zealand, and thousands world-wide, in their journey of faith. Whether you are already part of the EfM community, or exploring whether EfM might interest you, welcome!
Faith Grounded in the Whenua
Faith Grounded in the Whenua is a 4-session course that will be offered in Wellington and Wairarapa in 2025. There will be a zoom group starting in February and another later in the year. If Mentors can be found it will be made available in other locations. The source material comes from interviews with Jay Ruka and his book Huia Come Home.
Using individual study at home, group discussion, and theological reflection, the course looks at how our faith in Aotearoa has changed, or needs to change, from the Eurocentric model the settler churches brought from England.
Each session lasts 2 hours. Preparation will require about 3 hours of reading or listening to podcasts each week. The cost will be $40. Participants will also need a copy of Huia Come Home ($32 printed book or $11.49 for Kindle) from huiacomehome.co.nz/book
Contact the Administrator Michael Crawford-Butler educationforministrynz@outlook.com for more infromation
Making a Complaint
As a Christian organisation, we seek to be guided by our Christ-centred faith: in particular to follow Christ’s great commandment to “love one another as I have loved you”.
If you see something happening within EfM that you think might be unethical, you are strongly encouraged to discuss this with your mentor and/or a member of the EfM Board. As a responsible organisation, we undertake to take all such matters seriously.
The full EfM Compaints procedure is described here
Remembering Barbara (Barrie) Gimson
The EFM community in Aotearoa New Zealand notes with sadness the death of Barrie Gimson on 24 November 2024. Barrie served as EFM NZ's National Administrator for 30 years, from the beginning of EFM in New Zealand until September 2013. Barrie fulfilled this role with energy, efficiency and commitment, as she supported both the EFM Board and the EFM community of trainers, mentors and groups across the country. Barrie approached every task with utmost focus, care, and attention to detail. She was dedicated , efficient and always willing to improve and professionalize the programme delivery and logistics. Barrie was also immersed in church life and therefore her commitment was theological as well as an executive task . She was gracious , intelligent and generous with her time. The EFM community in this land owes her a huge debt of gratitude for serving EFM so willingly across its formative years and its years of consolidation and growth. We offer her family our sincere sympathy.
May she rest in peace and rise in glory.