Blog

My first love is youth ministry.
My second love is youth ministers.

My name is Heather, and I’m a Student Pastor in Indianapolis, the founder of Women in Youth Ministry, and a certified Spiritual Leadership Coach. I dream big and love walking alongside others to help them achieve their dreams.

16 Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Service Projects

Just one week before our youth mission trip to St. Louis—and right before a major holiday—our only scheduled service project completely fell through. With a group of teens ready to serve and no time to secure new partners, I had a choice: panic… or pivot. So instead of “crashing out” (as the kids say), I…

Craftivism: A Creative Approach to Justice for Youth

At our 2024 Fall Retreat, we embraced an approach to justice that felt as cozy as it was radical—Craftivism. Eight themed “Stations of Craftivism” offered youth the opportunity to engage deeply with issues of justice, faith, and community through creativity, contemplation, and action. Craftivism, a term coined by Betsy Greer in 2003, is “a way…

Embracing Unity: Lessons from the Converge Conference

This spring, I had the honor of speaking at the first-ever Converge Conference—a collaboration between Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City and the United Methodist Conferences of Missouri and Great Plains. With students and leaders from across Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska gathering under one roof, we leaned into a theme that’s as timely as…

Crafting Inclusive Safety Policies for LGBTQIA+ Youth

One of the most common questions I see in youth ministry Facebook groups is: “How do I create a safety policy that fully includes and protects LGBTQIA+ teenagers?” A few years ago, I noticed more queer youth showing up in the congregation I served. As I listened to them, I realized some of our well-meaning…

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