Amstutz retires from AMBS Development Team

Published: February 4, 2026

By Annette Brill Bergstresser

ELKHART, Indiana (Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary) — Doug Amstutz, MDiv, of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, retired from his role as half-time Development Associate for Canada for Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS) in Elkhart, Indiana, after five years of service. His last day was Jan. 31, 2026. He is continuing as half-time Pastor of Mannheim Mennonite Church near Kitchener, where he has served since September 2023.

An AMBS graduate and longtime pastor, Amstutz joined the Development Team in January 2021, working remotely from Kitchener. During his time at AMBS, he built relationships with donors across Canada and with pastors, congregations and leaders in Mennonite Church Canada’s five regional churches. He also contributed to broader development efforts, including the seminary’s Forming Leaders Together campaign, planned giving, endowment growth and scholarships.

“Doug has served as a vital connection between AMBS and our Canadian friends and supporters,” said Bob Yoder, DMin, CFRM, CFRL, CPGM, Director of Development. “He has helped those of us south of the Canada–U.S. border grow in our understanding of Mennonite Church Canada and of Canada more broadly — especially during this past year, when so much change and uncertainty have shaped the relationship between our two countries. In all of this, Doug has been a gracious and faithful bridge.”

Amstutz came to AMBS with extensive pastoral experience, having served in multiple Mennonite congregations — including Erie View United Mennonite Church in Port Rowan, Ontario (2019–23); Poole Mennonite Church (2017–19) and Riverdale Mennonite Church (2015–17) in Millbank, Ontario; Rainham Mennonite Church in Selkirk, Ontario (2014–15); and Crosshill (Ontario) Mennonite Church (2012–13). He and his wife, Wanda Roth Amstutz, MDiv — whom he met while they were students at AMBS — co-pastored Grace Mennonite Church in St. Catharines, Ontario (2001–07), and Scottdale (Pennsylvania) Mennonite Church (1996–2001).

Amstutz, who grew up on a farm in Kidron, Ohio, also brought his experiences of living and serving in crosscultural settings. He was an InterMenno trainee with Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) in Switzerland and Germany (1986–87) and a teacher with MCC in Cairo, Egypt (1990–93). He and Wanda also served with MCC as Co-Country Representatives for Ethiopia (2007–11), and he served as a volunteer ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher in a Low German Literacy Program in Linwood, Ontario (2014–15). He also taught high school social studies at Sarasota (Florida) Christian School (1987–90).

In his work for AMBS, Amstutz enjoyed developing relationships with people across Canada and hearing their stories — which fit with his vocation as a pastor. Yoder affirmed his gifts for working in development.

“Doug has been a generous listener and a thoughtful, big-picture thinker, even as we attended to the many local realities of our work,” he reflected. “As an alumnus with years of ministry experience, he knew firsthand the gift of an AMBS education, and he shared that gift naturally and warmly with donors, alumni, church leaders and all those he connected with on behalf of the seminary. We’re grateful for the many ways he has strengthened our shared mission.”

Amstutz holds an Associate of Arts in Liberal Arts from Hesston (Kansas) College (1981); a Bachelor of Arts in History and Secondary Education from Goshen (Indiana) College (1986); and a Master of Divinity with a major in Pastoral Ministry from AMBS (1996).

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 — all with the goal of educating followers of Jesus Christ to be leaders for God’s reconciling mission in the world. ambs.edu

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