Internships

Every AMBS student extends learning into hands-on ministry.

Internships and practicum experiences place students in counseling centers, college or high school classrooms, grassroots development organizations, social service agencies and sometimes the county jail - in addition to congregations. Students can complete internships that fit the ministry where they feel called and that are located in proximity to where they live.

For students who live on campus or in the region near AMBS, there are many opportunities for practical learning:

  • Photo of Lydia NofzigerCongregations of at least 25 Christian denominations welcome students to practice ministry.
  • Retirement centers, psychiatric and mental health centers, full-service hospitals and neighborhood clinics provide avenues to develop pastoral care-giving skills.
  • The Center for Community Justice - among the first in the nation to implement a Victim-Offender Reconciliation (VORP) program - gives students opportunities to test and apply principles of justice in real-life situations

Recent examples:

Photo of Theo OdhiamboTheo Odhiambo (MDiv 2014) did two congregational internships. He served as a pastoral intern at Hively Avenue Mennonite Church, mentored by the pastor, Charles Geiser (MDiv 2010). During the semester he led a Bible study group, preached several times and joined in the ministry of pastoral care. Theo also worked with a United Methodist church planting effort near the AMBS campus. The pastor requested a seminary intern who could help him explore outreach efforts and invite neighbors into a very new worshiping group.


Kyle Metzger (MDiv 2014) arranged an internship through the Fort Wayne (Ind.) area Youth for Christ organization to work with an alternative school in Huntington County. Early in the internship, he created a video (right) to tell others about his work. One aspect of the video is a request for funds for his support; this was an exception to the rule, made because of the particular arrangement with Youth for Christ.


Lydia Nofziger (MDiv 2014, pictured above) taught two Bible classes at nearby Goshen College. Regina Shands Stoltzfus, a Goshen College professor, was her mentor in the classroom. Two AMBS faculty advised her: Daniel Schipani and Rachel Miller Jacobs. Lydia also was the teaching assistant for AMBS’s Reading the Bible class