Ministry Accountability

Ezra Rural Ministry (ERM) is a missionary outreach of Prairie Bible Church (PBC) in Dillon, Montana. PBC is a licensed tax exempt 501(c)(3) corporation that provides oversight and fund management for ERM in Ethiopia, where the ministry of training rural church leadership takes place.

ERM-USA provides oversight through a volunteer Board of Directors which meets on a regular basis and receives quarterly reports from program administrators and from Dereje Shiferaw, Director of ERM in Ethiopia. Through periodic on-site visitation by board members and others interested in the ministry, the progress of ERM in Ethiopia towards the accomplishment of its Mission Statement is reviewed.

ERM-Africa provides oversight through its director, Dereje Shiferaw, who supervises the training programs, hand-selecting his students for the ERM Training School in Hosanna and the satellite schools in Butajira and Tiya. For each applicant to the program, Dereje receives recommendations and references from the leadership in his or her rural village “home church”. Students are also required to keep records of their field ministry, which are later reviewed. A portion of their tuition costs must be raised personally or through their churches. Considering the poverty of rural Ethiopia, providing even a small portion of the tuition cost indicates the commitment these students have to enhancing their ability to teach, preach, and evangelize.