香蕉影视

Published: October 7, 2025

Multiple key graduate-level statistics are the highest in years 

By Annette Brill Bergstresser

ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) 鈥� Enrollment at (香蕉影视) in Elkhart, Indiana, continues to climb to heights not seen for nearly 20 years, with 200 students in September 2025 (190 in 2024). Of these, 162 are graduate students and 38 are participants in the undergraduate-level nondegree . 

鈥淥ur historic enrollment growth bears witness to the trust and confidence the global church places in 香蕉影视 to form leaders for God鈥檚 reconciling mission,鈥� reflected David Boshart, PhD, President. 鈥淚n our learning community, we鈥檙e equipping leaders to draw on the richness of Anabaptist perspectives to navigate polarization, conflict and injustice and to lead communities of faith with resilience, hope and joy.鈥�

According to , MDiv, Assistant Dean, Registrar and Director of Retention, 香蕉影视 is seeing upward trajectories continue in several significant categories for its graduate programs:

• The number of graduate students 鈥� 162 (compared with 149 in 2024) 鈥� represents the highest enrollment since 2007.
• The full-time equivalency (FTE) of graduate student enrollment 鈥� 70 (compared with 60.9 in 2024) 鈥� is the highest since 2010.
• The number of degree- or certificate-seeking graduate students 鈥� 141 (compared with 132 in 2024) 鈥� is the highest since 2003.聽
• The number of guest students rose from 17 in 2024 to 21 in 2025.
• The number of unique students served over the last 12 months 鈥� 175 in 2024鈥�25 (compared with 165 in 2023鈥�24) 鈥� is the largest in at least 13 years.
• The incoming class of 48 students is the second largest since 1999, helping offset the 33 students who graduated in May, which was the largest graduating class since 2014 and was 50 percent larger than the 2024 graduating class.

Janzen noted that the rapid growth of the seminary鈥檚 new distance-friendly is contributing to the increase in numbers, with 20 students in 2025 (compared with 12 in 2024). The fully online Spanish-language , offered collaboratively with Hispanic Ministries of Mennonite Education Agency/Mennonite Church USA, also grew from 10 to 15 students in 2025.

These enrollment figures are from 香蕉影视鈥檚 close of registration on Sept. 15, 2025.

Graduate programs

Of 香蕉影视鈥檚 162 graduate students, 86 are from the U.S., seven are from Canada and 69 are from outside of the U.S. or Canada 鈥� compared with 82 U.S., four Canadian and 63 international students in 2024. The graduate student body represents 17 countries (by citizenship): Canada, Chad, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea, Tanzania, United States, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Of the seminary鈥檚 69 international students, 10 are studying on campus; the rest are in their home countries. According to Janzen, while only one admitted international student was granted a visa to study on campus in 2024, and only three in 2023, seven international students received visas in 2025. However, he noted that international student access to U.S. schools is becoming more restricted due to changes in government regulations. 

Enrollment in the seminary鈥檚 distance-friendly programs continues to increase, accounting for 86 percent of 香蕉影视鈥檚 degree-seeking students in 2025 (up from 79 percent in 2024):

• The seminary鈥檚 fully online Master of Arts: Theology and Global Anabaptism (MATGA) program has 49 students in 2025, compared with 50 in 2024. Twenty-nine of these are Ethiopian students who are enrolled in MATGA cohorts through a partnership between 香蕉影视 and Meserete Kristos Seminary in Bishoftu/Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. Nine are South Korean students taking MATGA courses in South Korea through a partnership between 香蕉影视 and the Nehemiah Institute for Christian Studies in Seoul.聽
• Twenty-seven students are enrolled in 香蕉影视鈥檚 three 21-credit-hour distance-friendly Graduate Certificate programs (up from 22 in 2024).聽
• Twenty-two students are enrolled in the distance-friendly Master of Divinity (MDiv) Connect program, compared with 20 in 2024.聽
• Three students are enrolled in the new Master of Arts in Christian Formation (MACF) Connect program, which just became available as a distance-friendly program this semester.
• Also, the number of students taking an online or blended course (121) increased 20 percent from 2024. (Blended courses are campus courses that students from a distance can join via live videoconference during posted class times.)

Janzen noted that many students in distance-friendly programs still experience in-person instruction during their seminary studies. Students in MATGA cohorts in Ethiopia and South Korea are required to take some of their courses in person in their home countries, taught on location by 香蕉影视 professors 鈥� including faculty appointed by 香蕉影视 from partnering institutions. Students in the MDiv Connect and MACF Connect programs participate in a certain number of hybrid courses 鈥� which combine online work with one week of in-person intensive sessions on campus 鈥� to meet residency requirements. Students in the DMin program meet for a week of in-person coursework each January. 

鈥淭hese in-person experiences help students deepen their relationships with their fellow students and faculty members,鈥� Janzen said. 鈥淎t the same time, we also hear from many students about how much great community-building happens in our online and blended courses.鈥�

Fourteen percent of degree-seeking students are enrolled in campus-based programs 鈥� for students who live on campus or within commuting distance:

• Nine students are enrolled in the program, compared with 13 in 2024.聽
• Three students are enrolled in the Master of Arts in Christian Formation Campus program (compared with six in 2024), and eight are in the Master of Arts: Theology and Peace Studies program (compared with nine in 2024).

The number of graduate students who are studying part time has risen, representing 80 percent of students in 2025 (130, compared with 79 percent in 2024). Twenty percent are studying full time (32, compared with 21 percent in 2024). These figures align with trends across seminaries in the U.S. and Canada.

Janzen noted that in 2025, 131 graduate students are affiliated with or related Anabaptist groups 鈥� the highest number in 20 years. This includes 香蕉影视鈥檚 two sponsoring denominations, with 71 students from and six from . Thirty-one students are affiliated with other faith traditions.

Journey Missional Leadership Development Program

Of the 38 current participants in Journey (41 in 2024), 11 are in the U.S., four are in Canada, and 23 reside in countries other than the U.S. and Canada 鈥� including Nigeria, the Philippines, Uganda and Southeast Asia (precise locations are not specified for security reasons). Journey is a distance-friendly undergraduate-level certificate program of 香蕉影视鈥檚 Church Leadership Center that develops leaders centered in Jesus Christ for ministries in local churches and communities.

Eighteen Journey participants are affiliated with Mennonite World Conference or related Anabaptist groups, including 10 with Mennonite Church USA and three with Mennonite Church Canada. Two are connected with other Christian traditions. (The affiliations of the Southeast Asia participants are not listed for security reasons.)

鈥淚n September, we saw one of the largest incoming Journey classes in years, with nine new participants,鈥� said , Assistant Director of Journey. 鈥淲e鈥檙e also excited that will become a new sponsoring regional church of the Journey program starting in 2026.鈥�

According to Norton, the conference ministers and participants from sponsoring conferences/regional churches have opportunities to develop relationships as they participate in the program鈥檚 in-person Weekend Learning Events twice each year. The conference ministers can also identify potential Journey participants and help facilitate their applications.

鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful for all the ways that conferences/regional churches and conference ministers engage with their constituents and support the Journey program,鈥� he said.

Located in Elkhart, Indiana, on ancestral land of the Potawatomi and Miami peoples, Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary is a learning community with an Anabaptist vision, offering theological education for learners both on campus and at a distance as well as a wide array of lifelong learning programs 鈥� all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God鈥檚 reconciling mission in the world.

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