MANUAL for MENTORS Abbreviated

Transcription

1 MANUAL for MENTORS Abbreviated (Visit the EfM website, to view the entire Manual for Mentors.) The Beecken Center, The School of Theology 335 Tennessee Avenue, Sewanee, TN Office hours: 8:00 am - 4:30 pm (Central Time) fax efm@sewanee.edu Facebook.com/Education.for.Ministry For information regarding: Materials ordered EfM enrollments or withdrawals Mentor s last name A-K Mentor s last name L-Z EfM online CEU information Sewanee mentor training events Alternate training requests dbaker@sewanee.edu bmoon@sewanee.edu tisherri@sewanee.edu chargis@sewanee.edu kndavis@sewanee.edu dshrum@sewanee.edu esbakkum@sewanee.edu General questions or not sure whom to contact? Please call to be directed to the appropriate person. 1

2 SUMMARY INFORMATION for EfM MENTORS (More detailed information is available in the Manual for Mentors on the EfM website: I. MENTORS: Honorarium: $125/month per group Honorarium is paid to one mentor or split equally between mentor and co-mentor. Only one mentor and one co-mentor allowed per group. Honorarium is paid only in months October June; it is not paid in July/Aug/Sept. Payment is made by direct deposit only on the 10 th of the month. Honorarium may be withheld due to: Lapsed mentor accreditation. If honorarium is withheld due to lapsed accreditation, it will be paid for three months retroactively with the payment following notification of reaccreditation. Late return of reenrollment forms or confirmation of returning participants. Late return of Group Status Report. Form 1099 is sent to mentors who earn more than $600/year. Training: In order to maintain accreditation, mentors must be trained every 18 months. The first two trainings for a new mentor must be Basic/In-service. A mentor is eligible for Formation training if: The mentor is active. The mentor has been reaccredited in a second Basic/In-service and been recommended by a trainer. The mentor must return to Basic/In-service after 3 consecutive non-basic/in-service events (Formation or Alternate). A mentor is eligible for Alternate training if: The mentor is active. The mentor has completed 3 consecutive trainings, all within 4 ½ years prior to the application for Alternate training. The training proposal is approved by the Programs Center staff. Contact Elsa Bakkum (esbakkum@sewanee.edu) to request permission to participate in an Alternate training. If a mentor is inactive for more than 18 months, he/she must attend a Basic/In-service event before attending Formation training. NOTE: Mentor trainings are available in most dioceses; however, mentors are not required to train only in their own diocese. Trainings may be selected from any location on the training schedule. 2

3 II. GROUP ADMINISTRATION: Registration Registrations fees: Non-sponsored = $460 Sponsored = $350 Reduced fee = $160 Minimum number of participants = 6; maximum number = 12 Tuition Reduction: 8-9 participants enrolled reduced rate participants enrolled reduced rate Credit Cards: The Programs Center accepts VISA, MASTERCARD and DISCOVER only. A mentor who also wants to register as a participant (in order to receive CEU s) must pay participant tuition and have a co-mentor. Group Status Reports (GSR) are due March 15 th and November 15 th. Report any change in your group s status immediately to your Registration Specialist. A mentor is entitled to receive the materials for the year for each participant enrolled. A mentor must request the year(s) materials that are needed on the materials order form. 18 Continuing Education Units are available per year to participants who have attended at least 90% of the class sessions to. Contact efm@sewanee.edu or to request CEU s for participants. There is no provision for auditing EfM. Graduation certificates are mailed twice a year, in December and May. Contact efm@sewanee.edu or to correct information on certificates. There is a charge of $10.00 to reprint a graduation certificate. Materials/Shipping The lead time for processing orders for books and materials is business days. Since we have around a thousand active groups and most of them begin the year in September, we encourage you to get your registration materials in as early as possible. We pay the shipping costs for standard orders and bill you the cost of the extra charges if you ask for expedited shipping. Please note that a request for expedited shipping will reduce only the shipping time itself. The processing time of business days still applies. A street address must be submitted for Fed Ex/UPS delivery. Materials cannot be sent to a P.O. Box. Mentors are requested to check materials shipments upon receipt and report any discrepancies within 2 weeks. Any materials sent after this may incur charges. Forms Please check the EfM website for the latest forms: We encourage you to download them and destroy any old forms you might have in your possession. It may help to mark up forms on old manual pages so you will not forget and copy incorrect ones in the future. Also, please remember that unsigned forms cannot be processed, so check carefully to see that the tuition 3

4 amounts are correct and all necessary signatures are provided before you send them to your registration specialist. New, re-entry, and transfer participants must complete and submit a registration form; they must also read and sign the Enrollment letter (Appendix B-1-1). Refunds A refund, less a $40 processing fee, may be made to a participant if withdrawal occurs BEFORE THE PARTICIPANT S FIRST SCHEDULED MEETING. This written request must be mailed with the materials (in unused condition) for that participant within 30 days of that participant s first scheduled meeting. A partial refund may be made to anyone who STOPS ATTENDING WITHIN 30 DAYS after his/her first scheduled meeting. The refund must be requested within 30 days of the participant s last meeting date and will be made as follows: If the enrollment fee was $350, the refund will be $107. If the enrollment fee was $460, the refund will be $140. If the participant enrolled at a reduced rate, the refund will be $50. NO REFUNDS WILL BE MADE AFTER 30 DAYS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE EFM PROGRAM. A participant who withdraws and does not receive a refund may join a group in the future and resume the program where he or she left off at no additional cost to complete the academic cycle for which payment had been made. The credit is prorated and calculated from the last date of attendance. (For example, if a participant began in September and withdrew at the end of November, there would be a credit of six months.) III. EfM ONLINE: EfM Online provides people who cannot attend a weekly face-to-face group an opportunity to participate in the EfM program. The course site for the weekly meetings is accessed through a website provided by the University of the South. Each participant is assigned a user id and password to allow access to the site. Online groups meet for about an hour and a half per week. Participants are expected to spend additional time in reading assigned materials and engaging in offline discussions on the website. The mentors and meeting times for active online groups are listed on the EfM website ( Potential participants may contact the online mentor directly for more information about the group and to register for the course. Training events designed to teach online mentoring skills are included on the training schedule found on the EfM website. In order to register for a training for online mentoring, one must: - have been accredited in a face-to-face Basic Mentor Training within the last 3 years. - preferably have mentored a face-to-face group. - have skills in working in a distance learning environment. 4

5 IV. NETWORKING: Facebook Join in the discussions on the EfM Facebook page: Facebook.com/Education.for.Ministry Mentor List Serve One of our enterprising mentors, Mary Mainwaring, started an electronic mail list serve for mentors as a place for mentors to talk together and share information. This group discusses all aspects of EfM, and we have learned a lot just reading along with them. You can subscribe to the list by sending a message to <efm@sewanee.edu> containing just one line: subscribe reflections. You will receive a confirmation message letting you know that you have been added to the list. To begin using the mentor list serve, send a message introducing yourself to: reflections@sewanee.edu Online mentors are invited to join the online mentors list serve. Use the above instructions, substituting reflections-online in the body of the message: subscribe reflections-online. 5

6 BASIC/IN-SERVICE MENTOR TRAINING I. PURPOSE The purpose of mentor training is for participants to discern whether they have the desire and skills to be a mentor for the Education for Ministry program, and to provide ongoing training and support for experienced mentors with an EfM group. The event provides an opportunity for an EfM trainer to evaluate the skills of each trainee and to accredit those who qualify. Accreditation is not automatic. II. PERSONS WHO MAY ATTEND 1. Anyone interested in becoming an EfM mentor. 2. An EfM mentor who has attended mentor training once and needs to update his or her accreditation. 3. An experienced EfM mentor who wishes to update his or her skills and information. 4. An EfM mentor whose accreditation is out of date. 5. A person who wishes to replace a mentor who is leaving a group and needs accreditation. 6. Someone who wants more information about the EfM program and training, but may not be ready or willing to mentor yet. You may attend for information only. III. THE ROLE OF THE MENTOR 1. To facilitate and guide the seminar group in all aspects of the program. 2. To be the administrator of the group for The School of Theology Programs Center. IV. SOME CRITERIA FOR PERSONS SEEKING TO BECOME AN EfM MENTOR 1. A desire to be a companion/guide to women and men as they engage in an intensive theological education program. 2. An ability to articulate one s thoughts and feelings, show understanding of the thoughts and feelings of others, respond effectively to conflict and group dynamics, and be a facilitator rather than a teacher. 3. Maturity in a life of faith, comfort with the diversity of our rich Christian tradition, and familiarity with the study of biblical criticism. 4. A willingness and ability to manage administrative responsibilities in a timely fashion. V. WHAT IS COVERED IN TRAINING 1. The nature and purpose of EfM. 2. The four-source model and four movements of theological reflection and methods used by the program to facilitate reflection and gather learnings. 3. The place and purpose of spiritual autobiographies in the program. 4. Group skills and resources for where to go if problems occur with the seminar group. 5. Worship as a part of an EfM group. 6. Current administrative procedures for the program. 7. Recruiting and beginning a seminar group. 8. Conducting an EfM seminar. During a mentor training, the majority of the time will be involved with developing skills for theological reflection. A recommendation for accreditation from the trainer is necessary before a mentor may enroll a group. Accreditation is not automatic. VI. DURATION OF TRAINING The training is on-site, intensive, and requires a minimum of 18 contact hours. Mentor training usually involves six to eight participants and one trainer. Full participation is mandatory. Information on events scheduled in the United States may be obtained from EfM coordinators or the EfM website ( A letter confirming accreditation will be sent by the Director of EfM within 60 days after the trainer s recommendation is received. 6

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8 FORMATION MENTOR TRAINING I. WHAT IS A FORMATION TRAINING EVENT? A Formation Training is an event for more seasoned mentors. It is an opportunity to go deeper into their skills and to explore a topic relevant to mentoring an EfM group. They may expect to build community among more experienced mentors for mutual support, and to gain confidence in their leadership. The event fosters new learning and spiritual growth while still including elements foundational to EfM: worship, group life development, and theological reflection. II. DURATION OF TRAINING Mentor Formation requires the same contact time as Mentor Training (18 hours). These events normally occur over a three-day (two-night) period. Full attendance is mandatory. Information on events scheduled in the United States may be obtained from EfM coordinators, the EfM website ( or by contacting: The School of Theology Programs Center, The University of the South, 335 Tennessee Avenue, Sewanee, TN / , 931/ = fax, efm@sewanee.edu = address III. WHAT MAY BE OFFERED FOR MENTOR FORMATION: DESIGN SKILLS EQUIPPING FOR MINISTRY EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING FOUR SOURCES GROUP SKILLS AND HUMAN INTERACTION LIVING WITH CONFLICT MYERS-BRIGGS POWER AND AUTHORITY EQUIPPING FOR MINISTRY SPIRITUALITY TRANSITIONS IN A CHANGING WORLD VOCATION WORSHIP 7

9 IV. DESCRIPTIONS OF FORMATION TRAININGS DESIGN SKILLS: To learn to design seminar sessions which meet a specific need in the mentor s particular seminar group, including guidelines for planning, administering, and evaluating designs. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) EQUIPPING FOR MINISTRY: To understand lay ministry as part of the total mission and ministry of the church. Participants will develop skills for equipping seminar members to exercise their ministries as the baptized people of God. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING: To increase the mentor s ability to help seminar groups learn from their own experience and thereby take responsibility for their life together. Trainees will learn basic theories of experiential education which will be tested and developed during training. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) FOUR SOURCES: To examine in depth the four sources of theological reflection used in EfM, making distinctions between the four-source model and the various methods used so that mentors may more effectively facilitate Theological Reflections which lead participants to new insights and implications for action. Each of the sources will be examined independently of the others, as well as the relationships between the sources. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) GROUP SKILLS AND HUMAN INTERACTION: To refine mentor s group skills through building community and understanding group dynamics as related to EfM groups. Mentors will become aware of group leadership skills and styles of human interaction and gain confidence in using theories and learning s in the EfM setting. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) LIVING WITH CONFLICT: To enhance the mentor s ability to be a point of God s loving presence in the midst of conflict. This will be done by increasing the ways we can respond to strong differences between people and by creating a community of support in which we can examine conflict situations in our lives. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) MYERS-BRIGGS: To explore and recognize, through use of the Myers-Briggs (MBTI) categories and inventory, the preferences of different personality types and their relationship to group life and spiritual growth. Please note that this formation event does not certify the mentor to be able to administer the MBTI instrument. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) POWER AND AUTHORITY: To equip mentors to identify and explore the dynamics of power and authority in the life of the EfM group. Trainees will identify and explore their own sense and sources of power and authority as mentors and will be encouraged to identify and explore The Source of all power and authority for themselves and the EfM group. Seminar members will assist one another in identifying and exploring issues of power and authority in their ministries in the world. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) SPIRITUALITY: To experience and explore our own spirituality and draw implications for mentoring by having a time of refreshment and renewal. This is achieved through deepening our relationship with God and exploring resources for our spirituality. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) 8

10 TRANSITION IN THE MIDST OF A CHANGING WORLD: to utilize the core EfM resources to equip mentors to identify, explore, plan and implement actions as we move through transitions to new life in the midst of change. This training will provide opportunities for mentors to build awareness of change and transition in their lives and to use theological reflection, stories and worship in order to live creatively in the midst of our changing and diverse world. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) VOCATION: To reflect on your own sense of vocation and call, then consider how you can strengthen the sense of vocation and call of the participants in your EfM groups. You can expect to gain a deeper understanding of the preparation needed for a person to claim his or her calling and experience some of the power which is released when you do what you love in service of what is most important to you. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) WORSHIP: To explore the interweaving of personal devotion and corporate liturgy in worship in order to equip mentors to develop their seminar groups as worshipping communities. As a result of this formation event you may expect to: distinguish/articulate the relationship between personal devotion and corporate liturgy; to acquire the knowhow to design worship with seminar groups; use more fully the resources available through EfM materials (i.e. TR, CLSM and texts) for study and worship. (1 trainer, 6-12 participants) 9