Opening the Door to Ministry

Children's pastor Ashley Williams was raised in a Christian home and received the call to ministry at church camp. While attending Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas, she majored in human services with a focus on psychology. She also received associates degrees in intercultural studies and in Bible.

"I thought I was going to become a missionary,” Williams says, “but while at Southwestern I served as children's pastor at a local church. God used that experience to grow my passion for reaching kids for Christ."

AGTrust recognizes that educational costs are often what keeps young people from being able to enter ministry after graduation. For many college graduates, their debt load plays a big part in whether or not they can even afford to accept certain job offers. That’s why AGTrust's AG Next Generation Grant was developed.

To help reach her ministry goals, Williams applied for and was a recipient of an AG Next Generation Grant. The grant assists graduates in paying off educational debt so they can move into full-time ministry sooner.

After graduation, Williams returned to her home state of Nebraska and joined the ministry team at North Shore Church in Eastings as children's pastor. The church reaches out to the children in the community through a growing bus ministry and offers Sunday breakfast for them.

“The AGTrust AG Next Generation Grant freed me up for ministry, and I was able to pay off my loans in half the time,” Williams says. "Thank you for believing in and supporting me and so many other young ministers in our journey."

Through the assistance of AGTrust partners, AGTrust has awarded AG university students and graduates 1,286 scholarships and grants in the total amount of $3,338,945. AGTrust provides scholarships and grants in partnership with the Alliance for AG Higher Education.

Applications for the 2018 AG Next Generation Grant are now available with a deadline of Sept. 15, 2018. Learn more about AGTrust scholarships and grants available for AG university students and graduates here.