Spurring action with deep reflection
Two dozen young adults came together at Camp Squeah in Hope, B.C., for a weekend of listening, conversation, reflection and music to envision their future and that of the Anabaptist church. The June 7-9 “Young Adult Anabaptist Conference For An Active Future” involved participants from across Canada and the state of Washington, with most coming…
How to disagree with the beloved of God
Ian Funk remembers the last time he arrived on campus at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS)—how he walked into the guest house late at night and was welcomed by a fellow student sitting at the dining room table. People heard them exchanging greetings and popped out of their rooms. Within minutes, a group of students…
From the ‘centre of the military universe’ to central Alberta
Debbie Bledsoe wants people to know about the beauty she sees in the Mennonite Church. “I think people who grew up in it lose sight of what makes Anabaptism unique,” she says. Today, Bledsoe is the pastor at First Mennonite Church in Edmonton, Alberta. But her teenage years were spent in a Nazarene church in Fayetteville—a city in North Carolina next to Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), a military base once described…
Seminary reports highest enrolment in 14 years
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana, is celebrating its fourth consecutive year of growth in student numbers this fall, with a total enrolment of 189 students (157 in 2022) as of Sept. 11, 2023. Of these, 149 are graduate students (141 in 2022) and 40 are participants in the undergraduate-level nondegree Journey Missional…
From postman to pastor
After eight years of study, Ian Funk was thrilled to finally receive his Master of Divinity degree in May, albeit in absentia. Funk, pastor of Langley Mennonite Fellowship, completed his MDiv courses from Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), located in Elkhart, Indiana, through the seminary’s distance education program, which combines online and hybrid classes. He…
MDiv student reflects on AMBS experience
Ian Funk, pastor of Langley (B.C.) Mennonite Fellowship, anticipates graduating in 2023 from the Connect program of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) with a Master of Divinity degree. Students can complete the distance-friendly program online with weeklong visits to the seminary’s Elkhart, Indiana, campus once or twice a year. What influenced you to study at…
AMBS launches doctor of ministry program
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) is now accepting applications for a new doctor of ministry degree—the first of its kind. Not only is the seminary’s doctor of ministry in leadership (DMin) the only DMin in the United States to be deliberately developed with an Anabaptist framework, it also is the first DMin in the U.S.…
AMBS reports growth in student numbers
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Ind., is reporting a growth in student numbers this fall, with total enrolment increasing from 145 students in 2021 to 157 this year. Of these 157 students, 16 are participants in the undergraduate level nondegree Journey Missional Leadership Development Program. The other 141 students constitute the largest graduate…
AMBS scholarship supports visual arts
Elkhart, Ind.—Kajsa Herrstrom is the latest recipient of a scholarship that supports seminary studies integrating spirituality and visual arts. The Worship Arts Scholarship is offered by Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS), one of its 100 endowed scholarships. Herrstrom, a masters of divinity student from Champaign, Ill., says, “I have been on a lifelong artistic and spiritual journey. I wouldn’t always have articulated…
AMBS reports upward trends
Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Ind., is reporting upward trends in several enrolment statistics this fall. The number of degree- or certificate-seeking graduate students rose from 92 to 116—an increase of 26 percent from 2020 and the highest number since 2010. AMBS’s incoming graduate student class of 45 in 2021 is up from…
