Church Leadership Award

The Church Leadership Award was created to encourage and support outstanding Mennonite students with gifts for ministry as they prepare to serve the church.

• Recipient: Awarded annually to a student beginning a master’s program on campus
• Amount: Full tuition
• Application deadline: Priority will be given to applications received by March 15

Other scholarship information

• Scholarship type: Merit-based
• Duration: Two or three years (provided the recipient meets certain conditions each year)
• Recipient’s program: Master of Divinity Campus; MA in Christian Formation; MA: Theology and Global Anabaptism; MA: Theology and Peace Studies
• Recipient’s location of study: On campus
• Recipient’s enrollment status: Full time
• Recipient’s permanent residence: U.S. or Canada
• Recipient’s church affiliation: Applicant must be a member in good standing of a congregation that is affiliated with Mennonite World Conference or a related Anabaptist group 
• Note: Partial-tuition scholarships of varying amounts may be awarded each year to students who applied for the Church Leadership Award and met eligibility requirements but were not selected. The recipient may receive this grant for two or three years by meeting certain conditions.

Criteria for award recipients

The decision to award a grant will be based on four factors:

1. Previous academic performance, based on information gained from transcripts and references, including a minimum GPA of 3.50.
2. Leadership potential and demonstrated skills, based on information gained from references.
3. Theological discernment, based on an essay written by the applicant on the subject of “The Church” (1,200 to 1,800 words).
4. Personal character and emotional health, based on information gained from references.

Procedures to apply for AMBS merit-based scholarships

Applicants must submit the following by March 15 for the upcoming academic year: 

1. A completed Admissions Application with all supporting materials, including transcript(s) and references
2. A completed scholarship application
3. An essay on the subject of “The Church” (1,200 to 1,800 words)

Understandings for merit-based scholarship award recipients

1. Recipients will be enrolled as full-time students (full-time is defined as nine credit hours or more per semester plus one Intensive Term course).
2. Students in the MDiv program are eligible to receive the award for three years. Students in an MA program are eligible to receive the award for two years. To finish a degree in the allotted time frame, a student must complete 27-30 credit hours per year, which generally consists of 12 hours per semester plus one or two Intensive Term courses.
3. Eligibility from year to year will be based on satisfactory progress toward completion of the degree, including:
   • Maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA
   • Continuing as a full-time student
   • Supporting and adhering to AMBS community life standards
   • Supporting and participating in enrollment and recruitment activities and initiatives
   • Actively participating in campus activities
   • Assuming leadership responsibilities on the AMBS campus
4. Recipients will be eligible to apply for other AMBS scholarships. Priority for other scholarships will generally be provided to students receiving 50 percent or less in tuition assistance. Congregations can also provide assistance, but full-tuition scholarship recipients will not be eligible to receive church matching grants.