1. Each man and woman in the Church needs to be engaged in the ministry of the Church in order to fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ.
2. Women in the body of Christ need to exercise their God-given spiritual gifts of leadership, teaching, evangelism, shepherding and serving in order to fulfill the mission of Jesus Christ and their call as His disciples.
3. Many women with leadership gifts do not have the opportunity to receive systematic, gospel-centered training. Their stage of life, location and financial situation often make such training inaccessible and unaffordable.
4. Women in ministry leadership have unique opportunities and unique challenges as women. These ministry leaders benefit from equipping specifically applicable to them as women.
5. Women in ministry leadership benefit from regular interactions with women in similar ministry situations.

Prepared is for EFCA women, locally and globally, currently in ministry leadership, preparing for ministry leadership or available to serve God in some role as a ministry leader. They may be paid staff or volunteer leaders, serving in a variety of ministries, including but not limited to, children’s ministry, youth ministry, women’s ministry, evangelism, discipleship, spiritual formation, small groups, worship and teaching ministries.

Women who complete the Prepared program will:

1.   Articulate a biblical theology of women in ministry leadership

2.   Develop biblical skills for disciplemaking and shepherding

3.   Cultivate formational rhythms for effective life and ministry

4.   Apply biblical truths to their lives in ways that enable life transformation

5.   Create a learning environment that values diversity in relationships

6.   Communicate God’s Word accurately for spiritual growth

7.   Engage ministry in the context of a post-modern, post-Christian culture

8.   Assess leadership strategies for effective ministry

Students who complete Prepared’s two-year program will receive a Certificate of Completion recognized and signed by the EFCA President and the EFCA Board of Directors.

Women who complete the program and are serving in a qualifying ministry may be eligible to apply for the Ministry License offered by the EFCA.

The fee for the entire two-year program is $1200. Students may be asked to purchase one or two books per course. Students will not have to pay additional fees for the modules but may be asked to purchase material for them.

Women who are not able to cover the costs of the program are encouraged to ask for support from their churches. If this support is not available, they may apply for a scholarship.

Students may either pay the entire $1200 when they register or may opt to use the payment plan. If a student chooses the payment plan, she will pay $600 when she registers and $600 before the start date of the fifth course.

For information on our refund policy, see the student handbook.

Prepared courses will use Moodle, a learning management system. Instructors will post course information, resources, assignments and questions for online discussion on Moodle. Students will submit assignments on Moodle for instructors to comment on and evaluate. Students will be able to share prayer requests online through Moodle with other women in their cohort. These will be kept private, available only to the women in their cohort. Students will have an opportunity to receive training on navigating Moodle and may contact our IT assistant for additional help. 

Prepared honors the EFCA's positions regarding women and ordination. While ordination is reserved for men, this training initiative is an effort to steward the gifts of women in the local church. Learn more about women and leadership in the EFCA.

In addition, all instructors support the EFCA Statement of Faith and mission. An entire course is devoted to training on the doctrinal positions of the denomination.

Reaffirming Convictions:

"It is foundational and fundamentally true that women and ministry matter. Both women and ministry matter! It is also important to focus on and address women and ministry matters, that is, matters associated with and related to the practices of women and ministry. One of the matters we are excited about in the EFCA is a new learning opportunity for women. Grounded in the Conference decision (1988), which affirms the complementarian view reserving ordination to men, and the biblical and theological exposition of complementarianism at our Theology Conference (2012), Prepared, a gospel-centered, systematic, two-year program for women in ministry, arises out of these convictions. Without changing or compromising our convictions, Prepared provides an excellent opportunity for women in the EFCA to be trained biblically and theologically, to be equipped and prepared to serve the Lord and others faithfully and fruitfully in ministry. This ministry provides a unique means to equip and prepare, to expand and broaden what can be fostered in ministry, without compromising our biblical convictions, on the one hand, and without unnecessarily limiting, on the other."

Greg Strand, Executive Director of Theology and Credentialing

Stewarding Female Leaders: 

"Within our complementarian convictions in the EFCA, women are engaged in numerous ministries in the church. We ought to encourage any and all engaged in ministry to be biblically and theologically equipped and prepared. A couple of years ago I raised these questions: How can we maximize women’s potential for working alongside of men in the cumulate ministry of the church? What phony glass ceilings exist? What are ways women are acknowledged, but in token manner? What training needs to be made available to women that is not? Often biblical and theological training is for men in the church, and not as often for women. But our training and equipping also need to be for women. We should be committed to ensure all those serving in ministries are biblically and theologically sound. In response I have often said the church needs more female theologians. This is not against complementarian convictions, in theology or practice, but arise out of them. Certainly the church needs more male theologians, and let us remain committed to training them. But in this moment and context and for faithfulness to the Bible and spiritual health for the church, the church needs more female theologians. Who will train and equip these women? Prepared, a gospel-centered, systematic, two-year program for women in ministry, is an EFCA attempt to answer this question."

Greg Strand, Executive Director of Theology and Credentialing