Discover the Theologian Within You
JANE DOWRICK, PARISHIONER & FORMER EfM MENTOR
When invited to write a reflection on my experience with Education for Ministry (EfM) for Voices of St. James’s, my first thought was how wonderful it is that we are focusing on our parish family’s reflections! EfM is so very much about developing a practice of reflection.
I am a late bloomer when it comes to being part of a church community. After 18 unchurched years for both my husband and myself, my family and I joined St. James’s. I was eager to learn and do as a member of what I found to be a very welcoming church community.
At about the same time we were getting involved at St. James’s, our family was experiencing the loss of a loved one and I was privileged to be at her bedside when she died. Along with the sadness of losing her, it surprised and delighted me that in witnessing her death I had some of the same feelings I had when I birthed our two children—a sense of something beyond me—something really good. Soon after that, the opportunity came to join an EfM group at St. James’s. I jumped at it, eager to explore further the experience I had of being a companion to a loved one at her death. EfM provided that opportunity and so much more.
Two unique practices make the EfM seminar space so impactful for participants each year:
The Spiritual Autobiography
Every year begins with the exercise of writing and sharing a spiritual autobiography. In my years of EfM, between being a participant and serving as a mentor, I’ve written 16 autobiographies. You might think that each such effort would yield the same result. In fact, each time I explored my spiritual roots and traced my spiritual path, I discovered new things about myself and about the world around me.
The sharing of spiritual autobiographies in a small group helps participants create a safe and supportive space. One seminar participant put it so aptly, “When we hear one another’s spiritual journeys, we are reminded that we are all working on things that challenge us, and that, despite outward appearances, no one really has it all together. Our capacity for holy listening and for empathy grows from this awareness.”Theological Reflection (“TR”)
Another feature, and probably my favorite, is theological reflection. The practice of TR stems from the founding goal of EfM more than 50 years ago—to provide lay people with much of the type of education and experience that seminary provides.
In Greek, the word “theology” means “God study.” I have always loved that EfM encourages all of us—lay as well as ordained—to think of ourselves as theologians. I believe that God does want us to feel close to God, to pursue our yearning for God.
In TR, we study God by exploring:Our church traditions
Our culture
Our lived experience, and the positions we occupy
We then ask questions to help us see where God is in all of this. Most importantly, each time we do a TR we ask where God is leading us to take action, to repair where there are breaches in the kingdom that God has asked us to build. It’s this last part of TR that has been the most compelling for me. TR has helped me continually examine and understand how I, as just one person, can help build, and repair, God’s kingdom.
We are all baptized into the ministry of God, whether lay or ordained. EfM, and TR especially, has helped me learn that ministry takes on many forms, both small and large. To be available to my family, to my friends, to listen when they need an ear is a ministry. The ministry of work on a project to further social justice often calls to me as well. I’m thankful for the opportunity for ministry discernment that EfM has provided over the years, and for the years to come. Thanks be to God!