Walking Beside the Called: Forming Ministers Through the Ministerial Apprenticeship Program

In a world that often prizes quick credentials and fast results, Mid-America Reformed Seminary stands out by returning to something relational and deeply pastoral: the apprenticeship.

At Mid-America, theological training includes mastering doctrine and parsing Greek verbs. But, it's more than that. It’s about forming shepherds. And shepherds are not mass-produced; they are cultivated intentionally and personally. That’s the heart of our Ministerial Apprenticeship Program (MAP), a program that places each seminary student in a church setting under the mentorship of a seasoned pastor, forming the heart of a shepherd alongside the hands of a theologian.

The Need for Real Ministry Formation

Paul’s exhortation to Timothy, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2) echoes through the MAP program. Ministry formation must be relational and experiential. While the seminary classroom equips students with rich doctrinal, exegetical, and historical foundations, it is in the church, alongside elders, with congregants, and under a mentoring pastor, that those truths are tested and applied.

Every summer, Mid-America students scatter across North America, stepping into real-life ministry settings. From small mission works to established congregations, students are entrusted with responsibilities that stretch them: preaching, teaching, counseling, visiting, attending session/consistory meetings, and sometimes even helping start new church plants.

It is no small thing to be entrusted with these duties, and it is no small thing to be humbled by them.

“The summer is starting off well. It is always a challenge as we change from school life to ministry work. It is a refining fire. However, the Lord is blessing and strengthening me. I am very thankful for the training Mid-America has equipped me with for these primary tasks of ministry!"
— Thomas Bell, Ministerial Apprentice at Grace URC, Kennewick, WA

Ministry in the Real World

Each MAP experience is unique, but all share a common purpose: to allow students to take what they’ve learned in seminary and bring it to bear on the lives of God’s people.

Take, for example, Kelvin Morales, serving at Indy Reformed Church in Indianapolis. His internship included not just preaching through 2 Peter and teaching catechism from the Belgic Confession, but sitting in council meetings, participating in elder visitations, and even assisting with outreach efforts in Fort Wayne as the church plants seeds for a future congregation.

“Indy Reformed has been a very warm and welcoming congregation to my family, and it's been a delight to serve here,” Morales shared.

Ezekiel McMurtry, at Salem URC in Bowmanville, Ontario, preached twice each Lord’s Day, led the congregation through the book of Jonah and the Heidelberg Catechism, and experienced firsthand the joys and challenges of managing time, energy, and expectations as a minister.

“I have learned much already about relying on the Lord in prayer, work ethic, time management, and what it means to serve the people of God,” he reflected.

These apprenticeships challenge our students, but they also affirm and encourage them. They provide students the chance to see God’s Spirit at work in people’s lives, to walk alongside saints through sorrow and joy, and to confirm their sense of calling with the help of the local church.

“It has been a joy to see how classroom learning now connects with the daily rhythms of pastoral ministry.”
— Abraham Niranjan, Ministerial Apprentice at First CRC, Orange City, IA

For Pastors: A Ministry of Multiplication

For seasoned pastors, hosting a MAP student is an investment in the future of the church. Pastors who mentor students become spiritual fathers, modeling not only faithful preaching and teaching but the often unseen rhythms of pastoral life: prayer, decision-making, visitation, and shepherding through sadness and celebration.

MAP benefits the student and refreshes the mentor. It multiplies gospel ministry and passes the baton to faithful men who will teach others also.

“I've already learned so much from the session about how to shepherd and counsel God's people,” said Dane Bothun, serving at Covenant Reformed Church (OPC) in West Plains, MO.

“This summer I am at Christ Reformed Church, Nampa, ID, under Rev. Nick Smith. It has been a very encouraging summer thus far ... It has been very rewarding to take what I have learned in the classroom and apply it to the work of ministry.” shared Michael Hakze.

For Donors: A Lasting Gospel Impact

Every donor who supports Mid-America Reformed Seminary is participating in something lasting. When you support the Seminary, you’re nurturing pastors who will preach the gospel in pulpits, lead Bible studies in living rooms, comfort the grieving, and plant churches.

Your support helps provide not only education but meaningful preparation for a lifetime of pastoral ministry. You are helping equip a generation of ministers to rightly divide the Word of truth, to shepherd God’s people with love and wisdom, and to bring the gospel to communities and congregations that need faithful men in Christ’s service.

As one student put it, the internship revealed that pastoral ministry “is not only about faithfully preaching the Word, but also about growing together with the congregation as we share a life of obedience.”

MAP by the Numbers (and the Names)

Here are just a few of the 2025 MAP interns, showing the diversity of experience and the depth of impact:

• John Waldrop preached weekly, taught Bible at VBS, and led worship at Borculo CRC in Michigan.

• Michael Hakze preached through Judges and 1 Corinthians in Nampa, Idaho, while experiencing rich fellowship under Rev. Nick Smith.

• Andrew Baugh taught Sunday School on Athanasius’ On the Incarnation, preached evening services from the Psalms and Philippians, and even attended presbytery meetings in Wisconsin.

• Jared Strong, in Niles, IL, learned how private pastoral care feeds into public proclamation of the Word.

These stories are only a sampling of the transformational work happening across North America through MAP. Behind every quote is a pastor and a congregation, each playing a role in shaping tomorrow’s ministers.

Come Walk with Us

Whether you’re a pastor interested in hosting an apprentice, a donor considering where your gifts will make a lasting gospel impact, or a student sensing a call to ministry, we warmly invite you to explore more about Mid-America Reformed Seminary’s Ministerial Apprenticeship Program.

You don’t have to wonder if your involvement will make a difference...it already is.

Reach out today. Visit midamerica.edu/ministerial-apprenticeship-program, call the Seminary, or email us. Let’s talk about how you can be part of walking beside those whom God is calling to shepherd His flock.