ELKHART, Ind. (November 10, 2026) — Mennonite Church USA has launched the Young Adult Leadership Laboratory (Y’ALL), a new internship program that gives eligible college students hands-on ministry experience and a pathway to a graduate degree through scholarships provided by MC USA’s two seminaries. Six internships are available for summer 2027. Applications are due Jan. 31, 2027.
“One of the most powerful things we can do as MC USA is to invest in our current and future leaders,” said Amy Yoder McGloughlin, MC USA denominational minister for Education. “Through Y’ALL, we’re creating opportunities for young adults to explore their calling through meaningful, hands-on ministry experience. With the support of congregations, conferences and our seminaries, we can help equip the next generation of leaders for service in the church and beyond.”
Y’ALL provides selected students with:
- A 10-week practical internship under the supervision of a pastor or ministry leader in their choice of ministry settings.
- $4,000 stipend.
- Housing at most internship locations.
- A graduate degree at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, Indiana, or Eastern Mennonite Seminary, Harrisonburg, Virginia, made possible through full-tuition scholarships provided by the seminaries upon successful completion of the internship.
The program is open to college students who are part of an MC USA congregation. MC USA will prioritize those in their junior or senior years with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
From internship to meaningful ministry
Y’ALL builds on the success of MC USA’s Ministry Inquiry Program (MIP), an internship program established in 1988 with initial funding from a Lilly grant. Y’ALL is supported through a mutual-aid funding model that brings together MC USA, the student’s home conference and congregation, and the hosting conference and congregation. The initiative also takes a broad view of ministry, enabling students to explore opportunities beyond pastorship.
For many former MIP interns, the experience helped shape their understanding of ministry and their future vocations.
Malinda Berry
Malinda Berry, professor of Peace Studies at AMBS, completed internships at two congregations in Atlanta through MIP.
“That summer lit the conviction in me that the church needs lay people committed to the ministry of community-building and community tending,” she said.
Anna Ressler
Anna Ressler, pastor at Hebron Mennonite Church, Hagerstown, Maryland, interned at First Mennonite Church, Canton, Ohio, while attending Eastern Mennonite University.
“It was exciting to discover that my writing and theater skills transferred so well to preaching. By the end of the summer, I had added pastoring to my list of career options to think about. Two years later, I was enrolled in seminary,” Ressler said.
Justin Odom
Justin Odom interned at Park View Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg, Virginia, while attending
Eastern Mennonite University. The experience helped him identify how he could best serve his community.
“I always knew that I wanted to serve the community. My internship showed me exactly which community I would be best at serving. From my experience, I continue to grow in loving my neighbor, one person at a time.”
Odom now works as a fundraiser for faith-based and humanitarian organizations.
Y’ALL continues this legacy while inviting a new generation of young adults to discover how their interests, abilities and faith can contribute to the life of the church and the wider community.
For eligibility details and application information, visit mennoniteusa.org/yall.
Mennonite Church USA is an Anabaptist Christian denomination, founded in 2002 by the merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church. Members of this historic peace church seek to follow Jesus by rejecting violence and resisting injustice. MC USA’s Renewed Commitments state the following shared commitments among its diverse body of believers: to follow Jesus, witness to God’s peace and experience the transformation of the Holy Spirit. Mennoniteusa.org
