The main focus of this ministry is to help nurture the people of God in the Christian faith. This is usually done within a congregation or church school. AIMs have an important ministry to the Church by leading ministry in a variety of ways. Candidates for the Associate in Ministry choose one of four areas in which to specialize. The four primary areas for service are Education, Music and the arts, Administration, and Service.
Some AIMs are teachers, others are parish nurses.
Some are professional church musicians, others are church administrators in large congregations. AIMs are expected to have at least a Bachelor's Degree before beginning their theological study. They need to have a minimum of 20 course credits in study of the Bible, church history, Lutheran theology and confessions. They also need to have a supervised field experience in the area of their expertise. It has been in existence since 1993 and was created to expand the variety of ministries that can be offered through the various disciplines.