Ministry Quest
Explore God’s call to pastoral ministry, church leadership, and global mission.
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”" Isaiah 6:8
What is Ministry Quest?
Ministry Quest is a unique opportunity to:
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Discover a biblical understanding of Calling
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Explore Christian leadership
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Engage in game-based learning
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Be equipped as leaders
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Experience mentoring and discipleship
Most high school students haven’t considered pastoral ministry or global mission as a vocation. Ministry Quest partners with the church in its responsibility to call people into pastoral ministry, global mission, and congregational leadership.
When you are nominated for Ministry Quest, it means leaders in your church see gifts, faith, and leadership potential in you and wants to encourage you to consider how God may be calling you.
Ministry Quest is an 8-month discipleship and leadership experience where you will gather for two retreat weekends with a small cohort of youth from other churches who are also exploring what it means to follow Jesus, serve the church, and grow as leaders. During the retreats, you can expect times of worship, biblical teaching and reflection on biblical call stories, stories from leaders about how God has shaped their lives, experiential learning activities that help you develop practical ministry and leadership skills, small-group Bible study and prayer, space for fun and community-building, and guided time to start shaping your own call story.
Between retreats, a mentor from your local church will walk alongside you by praying for and with you, asking thoughtful questions, encouraging your growth in faith and character, and helping you discern meaningful next steps in ministry and service.
🎓 For Students in Grades 11 & 12
📅 Retreat Dates:
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First Retreat - October 22-25, 2026
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Second Retreat - April 29 - May 2, 2027
📍 Retreat Location: Valley View Bible Camp (MacGregor, Manitoba)
💵 Program Costs
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Total cost for the student for two retreats and materials - $250
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Total cost for the sending church for two retreats and materials - $450
🚗 Retreat Transportation
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Participants are responsible for transportation
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MBCM will assist with carpooling options
Pastor Information
As a pastor, you can see the giftedness, potential, and growth of your students. You often observe the work of God in their lives when others don’t notice it. You have an incredible impact on their faith, and your leadership in their lives has a significant impact on the future leadership of the church.
An essential part of this experience is your role in discerning, nominating, and mentoring a student. God has given the church the privilege and mandate to discern, call, equip, and send leaders. To support your discernment and nominating process, MBCM has mailed you the book Finding Leaders for Tomorrow's Churches.
Next steps:
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Pray for discernment and student readiness (limit 3 per congregation).
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Discern and affirm spiritual gifts and leadership potential.
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Ask students to consider participating in the Ministry Quest retreats AND a year-long mentoring experience.
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Nominate - this is both a commitment to a student's growth and an affirmation.
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Send - pass along the application form, information package, and parent consent package to the student and their family.
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Funding - each congregation is asked to provide a $450 program fee and receive $250 from the participant.
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Mentor - appoint a mentor and provide bi-weekly mentoring between October and May.
Pastors, please return all forms and funding to communications@mbcm.ca
Participant Information
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Pray about this opportunity.
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Are you curious about or interested in Christian leadership, pastoral ministry, or global mission?
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How is the Holy Spirit prompting you?
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Discern your interest. Can you commit the time?
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Two weekend retreats, October 22-25 and April 29 - May 2, at Valley View Bible Camp.
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Two meetings each month with your mentor for the rest of the school year.
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Apply
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Give your completed application form and the $250 registration fee to the person who nominated you.
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Go! - You will be one of 12-16 students who have this opportunity.
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Bring your bible and expect to use it.
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Bring your questions about what it means to be a pastor or missionary.
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Bring your curiosity to learn.
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Discover new friendships with others who are asking similar questions about what God’s plan is for their future.
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MQ Team
Cam Priebe
Cam Priebe is a leadership coach who is passionate about helping leaders discover their strengths, embrace their God-given potential, and navigate their unique leadership journeys. He has invested hundreds of hours coaching leaders in both one-on-one and group settings across churches, universities, and organizational contexts.
Cam previously served as Provincial Director for the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba and was Director of Ministry Quest from 2006–2009. His connection to Ministry Quest runs deep because of its commitment to investing in young leaders who will have Kingdom impact. He believes in helping emerging leaders understand their identity in Christ, discern God's calling on their lives, and respond to that calling with purpose and confidence.
Early in his ministry, Cam was deeply influenced by the mentorship of Henry, a retired seminary president. Henry generously took the time to answer questions, share stories of both successes and failures, and encourage Cam as he began his ministry journey. That experience shaped Cam's own commitment to investing in and mentoring the next generation of leaders.
John Neufeld
John Neufeld is the Provincial Director of the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba. He has over twenty years of pastoral experience in MB churches and has served in leadership roles with other organizations including MB Seminary and CCMBC.
John created Ministry Quest in 2002. Since then, hundreds of students from churches across North America have participated, many of them now serving as church leaders and pastors. John is passionate about fostering servant leadership and encouraging others in their relationship with Jesus Christ.
An important mentor in John's life was Henry Schmidt. He invited John onto his team, showed him the ropes, and equipped him. He opened his heart and his home, and for many years after working together, he frequently checked in on John.
Jodie Dyck
Jodie Dyck is the Youth Pastor at Lakeview Community Church and she is passionate about investing in the next generation through meaningful mentorship and discipleship. Along with working directly in youth ministry, Jodie also spent a number of years teaching high school, providing her with valuable opportunities to connect with students in a classroom setting. One of the highlights of her current job is watching youth and young adults grow in their unique giftings and leadership styles, and above all, in their love for Jesus.
When she’s not at the office, Jodie farms alongside her husband and three children. She is a small town girl to the core and loves life in her rural community. A handful of years ago, Jodie was one of the original Ministry Quest students to be part of the program, and she is excited to be part of Ministry Quest team once again.
Janelle Braun
Janelle Braun is an energetic, engaging educator (who also loves alliteration!). Although she is a teacher by trade, she has served in various leadership roles outside the formal classroom, discipling youth and young adults. She invested in young athletes and students during her time as an Admissions Counsellor and basketball coach at CMU. She also spent a brief period coordinating the TREK Central Canada program as well as the SOAR Heartland program with Multiply, and she spent four years working with MBCM as their Leadership Development Coordinator. She loves being a part of the “a-ha” moments and seeing people encounter Jesus in new and meaningful ways!
Last year was her first time participating in the Ministry Quest Program as part of the leadership team, and she loved it! It was inspiring to be around young leaders, engage with them, and learn alongside them. She looks forward to meeting a new group of young leaders again this year!
Janelle is very passionate about community and has had several mentors who have believed in her over the course of her life. However, one that stands out is her former pastor, Russ Toews. He was someone who not only saw her God-given gifts but also provided opportunities and encouragement for her to grow into these giftings. To this day, he is one of her biggest cheerleaders.
Randy Krahn
Randy is a disciple-maker, trainer, and facilitator. He aims to be a local guide on the journey with Jesus, participating in God's work of developing Kingdom people.
Randy currently serves as Mission Training Mobilizer with Multiply. He previously led a discipleship program through Steinbach Bible College called Pursuit and has a background in camp ministry. His passion is developing kingdom people through discipleship, spiritual formation, and leadership development. Ministry Quest is exciting because it gives young leaders an opportunity to discover their gifts through hands-on experience and practical application of spiritual principles.
A significant mentor in Randy's journey, named John, invested in him by asking good questions, advocating on his behalf, and taking time to hear about his experience in ministry. This relationship bears fruit to this day through ongoing relationship and an intentional desire to pass these gifts along to young leaders.