Women in Youth Ministry

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Each year, it is estimates that a million teenagers walk away from faith. This is why Fuller Youth Institute launched Tenx10, a collaboration of youth ministry organizations with the goal of reaching ten million teenagers over the next ten years. Women in Youth Ministry is one of Tenx10's hundreds of partners, as we connect to the belief that by resourcing youth leaders, leaders will be more able to reach the teenagers in their community.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: We grow up hearing "there are no such thing as dumb questions," and yet the Church has historically been a place where questions aren't always welcomed. In order to engage the next generation, how can we not only respond to their questions well, but set up an environment where they are comfortable to ask them? This is what we talk about with this week's guest, Kristel Acevedo.

ABOUT KRISTEL: Kristel is the Spiritual Formation Director at Transformation Church in South Carolina where she oversees discipleship pathways and environments. She also serves in the TC Teens ministry as a small group leader where she has the honor of sharing life with teen girls. Her first co-authored book, 3 Big Questions That Shape Your Future, is a devotional written specifically for teens as they navigate all the big questions of life.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Paula is passionate about creating safe environments for black-and non-black women to have reconciliatory conversations. Paula is the author of Dear Sister: There's Something Black Women Want You to Know, as well as several Dear Sister Events. This week Paula and Heather chat about what conversations need to be had, as well as how women in ministry can come together to support one another.

ABOUT PAULA: Paula Dannielle serves a multi-site congregation in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has worked in Next Gen Ministry for over 25 years. She is passionate about helping people love God more by treating their neighbor better.

Follow @paula_dannielle on all platforms

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Amy is a youth minister, passionate about grief ministry. This week we talk about how to help students who are grieving.

ABOUT AMY: Amy is a youth minister and Director of Operations in Murphy TX and has a Master’s Degree in Christian Counseling. She spends her time ministering at public schools, in the church, and through equestrian ministry. She has a heart for grief ministry and considers her calling to help the hurting like God helped her during a time of her own grief.

You can follow her ministry on Instagram: agape_studentmin
You can follow her blog: Blog: https://livingwithgriefandhope.blogspot.com/

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: I met Roslyn at this year's WYM Conference, when Roslyn was repping Fuller Youth Institute. Roslyn recently posted about two projects from the Centro Latino at FYI that caught my attention: one on the Contextual Needs of Hispanic/Latino Youth & Leaders, and another on Self-Compassion in Ministry. Both of these topics are things we don't hear enough about -- and we talk about both on this episode!

Here are some of the resources that Roslyn talked about:

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Since this year's Women in Youth Ministry Conference, this team of 6 people have not. stopped. texting. Not only do they work together on various projects for WYM, but they're best friends "in real life." Today they're sharing some of their hot takes in youth ministry on various trends that need to die. With six different people comes six different opinions, so gear up!

ABOUT THE WOMEN IN YOUTH MINISTRY CONFERENCE: The third-annual Women in Youth Ministry Conference will be held at Salem United Methodist Church in St. Louis March 6-8th. For more information and to buy tickets, go to womeninyouthministry.com/conference

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Allie was a volunteer in youth ministry, serving as a Chaplain in the Substance Use Disorder unit in a veterans hospital. Then Allie got her first call as a pastor -- and it was to serve in youth ministry! The culture shock was big, but also not as big as you'd think! Her work as a chaplain gave her a big passion for mental health and spiritual resources; laying the groundwork for how Allie interacts with her students.

ABOUT ALLIE: Alie serves as the Youth Pastor at Keller United Methodist Church. Youth Ministry was something Alloe used to do in her free time as a volunteer and then Boom! Her first appointment in the UMC was as a Youth Pastor. Alie loves how utterly weird Youth Ministry can be, and how enthusiastic students are to just be themselves. Whether they’re discussing Barbenheimer or theologically themed inside jokes, you can find Allie almost always laughing with her students.
Follow her on Instagram @ordinarilyallie

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: As women in youth ministry, there are all kinds of different ways that we find ourselves struggling to fit in boxes that don't fit us. There are unique ways as women that we try to fit into boxes to create work-life balance. Add in church ministry -- especially youth ministry -- and we struggle to see what we have to give. And since most women are bivocational in ministry, this gives an additional tension.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Lisette and I are both romantics when it comes to the Church, despite having experienced church abuse at the hands of narcissistic leadership. This week, we discuss the signs of a narcissistic leader, what happens when you call out church abuse, and how to spot narcissistic tendencies in yourself.

If you have experienced church abuse, this might be a difficult episode to listen to -- or it might be a healing one. Always feel free to reach out at heather@womeninyouthministry.com to discuss and for support.

DISCLAIMER: This podcast episode jumpstarts with an appreciation for Lizzo, her music, and the way she empowers women. Ironically, the day after we recorded this, allegations about Lizzo came out. Hostile work environments happen everywhere. No person or organization is immune, no matter how "safe" they market themselves as. We don’t know the details of this situation, but none of us should be surprised if any or all of it is true. In fact, we should be cautious: that any power we are given — in management, in privilege, in parenting, or in any relationship — is not to be taken lightly. That we are no better than those we lead. That we have to rely on checks and balances, because any of us are capable of abusing power. And that is what this episode is about.

ABOUT LISETTE: I'm a Dutch-Canadian living in the US. I love young people (once a youth pastor always a youth pastor, I believe in the local church (as flawed as it may be), I think there is a ton of hope, I'm thrilled that things have to change, it's about time!

To learn more about Lisette and read her full bio, go to https://www.lisettefraser.com

Follow Lisette on Instagram: lisette.fraser

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Youth leaders are exhausted, and it's not because of the work itself -- it's from managing the grief of "what was" in ministry and wondering "what's next." Clearly the model we have had for youth ministry the last 20 years didn't work the way we wanted, as more and more people are leaving the faith-- so what can we do different to create life-lasting faith? Heather chats with expert Jen Bradbury about the work that Fuller Youth Institute did to explore how we can do things differently.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Natalie grew up in a conservative sect of Lutheranism, found a call to ministry, and has moved to a more progressive sect. This week we talk about the gifts that her upbringing gave her, and how she is raising her kids differently than she was raised.

ABOUT NATALIE: I’m a Wisconsinite who transplanted to Long Island, NY for 10 years, to come back to the Midwest in 2021. I grew up in a very conservative sect of Lutheranism that showed me how not to “do church” to find myself serving in the “moat liberal” synod; rooted in Lutheran Theology through liberation of those on the margins.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Heather met Sydney through Twitter (X? Are we calling it X now?) after seeing some of Sydney's spicy takes about church leadership go viral. Sydney experienced first-hand what it is like to be groomed by an adult in the church, and has used her online platform to call out church abuse. Today we talk about some signs of grooming in the church.

If you do not have a child protection policy, it is important to get one. For more information on signs of abuse and how to report, go to https://www.rainn.org/

ABOUT SYDNEY: My name is Sydney Twichell and I have been working in children's and youth ministry for almost a decade. I currently reside in Texas where I served as a youth pastor in a UMC until 6 months ago. I am now working on combining ministry with film to connect youth to their faith using entertainment.

Follow Sydney online: Instagram @thesydneytwichell, TikTok @thenerdyyouthpastor Twitter @TwichellSydney

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In March, Heather met Azia at the WYM Conference and it was love at first sight. Azia's passion for student leadership landed her an instant invite to create content for the WYM TikTok account. Today, Azia shares about her heart for student leadership and how we can use students in any role that we use adults.

ABOUT AZIA: Azia is a youth pastor, an English teacher, the founder of Young Leaders Life, and one of the TikTok Content Creators for WYM. Azia loves seeing students use their spiritual gifts to serve the needs of hurting, hopeless people with just as much courage and wisdom, with as much capability and reach as any adult leader.

You can follow her on Instagram or TikTok @youngleaderslife or on Facebook as Young Leaders' Life

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: During undergrad, Mary Helen completed a Senior Capstone Project titled “Why is the Church such a mysterious entity?” In other words - why does the WORD church stir up so many emotions in folks. Through a few years of research she discovered the terms "linguistic relativity" & "expectation violation theory", and how they contribute to why people mentally check out of the church around 14 and physically around 16. We chat about how youth ministers can create more inclusive environments through strategic language!

ABOUT MARY HELEN: Mary Helen is a big fan of glitter, a champion for student ministry, and a seasoned communicator. She is passionate about empowering youth to own both their faith and doubt by creating environments that use strategic language to foster a life-long faith.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Melissa is passionate about getting creative in youth ministry and inspiring youth and youth directors to do the same. In this episode she talks about a new initiative where students can "choose their own adventure" in student leadership courses that apply to them. As a bonus, we talk about how BOTH Melissa and Heather got kicked out of church as young people!

ABOUT MELISSA: Rev. Melissa Collier Gepford is the Intergenerational Discipleship Coordinator of the Great Plains Conference (all of Kansas and Nebraska), where she supports United Methodist Churches to establish healthy kids and youth ministries.  She teaches, consults, and writes curriculum, articles, and books distributed worldwide through the United Methodist denomination; a couple of her projects have been translated into Spanish and Korean. Her most recent endeavor has been creating Dandelion Marketplace, a digital platform for progressive faith formation resources. Melissa enjoys drinking good coffee, working out, and testing her semi-green thumb. She has been married to Bill for nearly a decade, and their four-year-old son Finnegan keeps them on their toes, which just reinforces Melissa’s coffee habit.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: The next Women in Youth Ministry Conference is coming up, and our Conference Team asked that I publish the keynotes from last year so that you all could get a glimpse of what is in store. This last keynote of the series was the last session of the conference, and my friend Gina Abbas got to do it. Gina was a key source of encouragement for me when I got started in ministry, and I found her by Googling "women in youth ministry." In this keynote Gina encourages women to be who God created them to be!

ABOUT GINA: Gina writes, consults, coaches, and speaks on the topics of women in leadership, multisite, youth ministry, parenting, and career advancement for women facing barriers to success. When she isn't drinking coffee or trying to decode Taylor Swift lyrics for secret messages, she likes to hang out with her family—sometimes defeating them at Mario Kart. Gina is married to Tim, an online Social Studies teacher- resulting in lively dinner conversations centered around faith, democracy, and education. Gina lives in Zeeland, Michigan, with her husband and three kids.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: The next Women in Youth Ministry Conference is coming up, and our Conference Team asked that I publish the keynotes from last year so that you all could get a glimpse of what is in store. As I relistened to Erica's keynote, I kept thinking about how this keynote embodies the theme of this year's conference: how do we find hope, even though the last few years have robbed us of our joy?

ABOUT ERICA: Erica Schimelpfenig has spent the past 20 years at YouthWorks in many different roles. In her current role as President, Erica gets to live out her passion of pointing teenagers toward God through service experiences that broaden perspectives and help develop lifelong passions.  Erica lives in Minneapolis, MN with her husband, Cody and their 3 kids.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: The next Women in Youth Ministry Conference is coming up, and our Conference Team asked that I (Heather Kenison) publish the keynotes from last year so that you all could get a glimpse of what is in store. In this first keynote, I have the privilege of sharing my testimony, why I created Women in Youth Ministry, and the values that we hold as an organization that you will experience at the conference. The feedback I heard after this keynote was incredible -- women saying that they never went to a conference before that cared about their safety, valued diversity and displayed it, and created space for vulnerability. My hope is that this episode explains exactly what WYM is like as an organization.

ABOUT HEATHER: Heather serves at St. Luke’s UMC in Indianapolis as the Director of Student Ministries, leading a diverse team of staff and volunteers at one of the biggest UMC churches in the country. Heather is also the Founder & CEO of Women in Youth Ministry, an organization that celebrates the leadership of women. A certified leadership coach, Heather’s two biggest passions are youth ministry and youth pastors. In her free time, Heather is obsessed with makeup, competition reality television, “cozy” gaming, and personality tests. She is married to PJ and they live in Indianapolis with their three beloved pets.

You can follow Heather everywhere online @heatherlea17 and at https://heatherleakenison.blog/ where she occasionally puts out content.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Paige and Diane met while completing youth ministry masters' degrees, and have spent their entire relationship as youth pastors in two different churches! They share about how they have set boundaries while still being each other's best ministry volunteers, how to connect churches together so that they can both thrive, and being there for one another even if one is thriving and one is not.

ABOUT PAIGE & DIANE: Paige and Diane are community (and self) described #YouthPastorCoupleGoals. Paige and Diane both have undergraduate degrees in Youth Ministry/Religion (from separate colleges), and Masters of Arts in Youth Ministry degrees from the same seminary/program (Memphis Theological Seminary/CYMT). They have been together for over 5 years, and have just recently gotten married at a summer camp themed wedding because as previously mentioned #YouthPastorCoupleGoals. Paige and Diane have the unique opportunity to be in very similar ministry positions at 2 different churches in suburbs of DC. They consider both churches their home church, and all of the young people they work with are their kids.

You can follow them online at Insta & Twitter: @pdhbach @di_maloney

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Gabby spoke this spring at the Inaugural Women in Youth Ministry Conference about  reaching Gen Z and Gen Alpha, from the eyes of a Gen Z youth pastor. Since the conference, Gabby started the project called "Dear God, I'm sad" to remove the stigma regarding mental health in Christianity. If we want Christianity to remain relevant, especially to the rising generations, we have to have these conversations.

ABOUT GABBY: My name is Gabby Wilkinson and I am currently a seminary student at Emory University's Candler School of Theology where I am getting my Master of Divinity and studying the intersectionality of mental illness and Christianity through the lens of church trauma. I have been working in ministry since 2014 and am currently serving in the Youth Ministry at Dunwoody UMC and in the Wesley Foundation at Georgia Tech. I recently started a brand called "Dear God, I'm Sad" that has a mission to craft a healthier and more holistic relationship between mental illness and Christianity through reflection, investigation, and exploration!

You can follow Gabby on Instagram: _gabswilks_ and deargod_imsad

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Creating gender-inclusive spaces is a passion that I (Heather) share with this week's guest, Rev. Nora Elliott. Nora shares about how to create spaces for transgender and non-binary students in terms of "levels" -- applicable actions no matter your church context. 

ABOUT NORA: Rev. Nora Elliott, ordained 5 years ago with the United Church of Christ, currently serving a PCUSA congregation in MN. Nora uses she/they pronouns and her call started as a youth and family pastor, but has grown to include comprehensive sexual health and wellness education for the church and wider world at large. She's an avid gamer who uses Dungeons & Dragons to engage youth in the necessary work of social and critical thinking skill development. She's on tiktok providing good news on a semi-regular basis, as well as Facebook sharing theological memes for the digital age.

You can follow her at Facebook.com/revnora

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: It's been 6 months -- what's happened since the Women in Youth Ministry Conference? The first guest of this season is a new friend I made at the Conference, Sam Greene. Sam is a youth pastor and the host of the Stuttering Christian Podcast. Sam shares about her experiences as a person who stutters and a youth pastor, as well as some tips for youth pastors on how to be a safe place for students who stutter.

ABOUT SAMANTHA: Howdy! My name is Samantha Green! I serve full time at First United Methodist Church of Waxahachie. I’m probably the biggest fan of Elvis Presley and Harry Styles. Being a person that stutters and working in youth ministry is a testimony within itself.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: There's no better way to wrap up this podcast than interviewing Dr. Amanda Innovation Drury (we added the middle name). Mandy is passionate about innovation, and on this episode shares about the different innovative projects. Mandy helped Heather's church with an innovation project, and Heather shares about what they produced!

ABOUT MANDY: Dr. Amanda Drury is an ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church and teaches practical theology courses at Indiana Wesleyan University where she is also the director of The Imaginarium, a Lilly Endowment initiative on congregational innovation with youth. She has extensive experience in grant writing, speaking, consulting, game making, and youth ministry. Amanda has authored several books including Saying is Believing: The Necessity of Testimony in Adolescent Spiritual Formation and Testimony and Trauma.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: When Jean posted about her mystery trip for middle schoolers in our Facebook Community, I asked no more questions; I invited her on the podcast so I could ask them! Listen to how Jean's church creatively engages with families to create a trip that's a complete mystery to everyone -- even the volunteer leaders -- until they get there.

ABOUT JEAN: Jean Lapitan is the Director of Middle School Ministry at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, GA. When she’s not working at the church, she enjoys watching Friends, playing with her cats, and talking to her mom on the phone.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Jess has been at her church for 11 years - incredible! Jess had the typical student ministry, until a student with autism joined her group. This totally changed the way she did ministry in really cool and unexpected ways. By responding to these students' needs, now Jess's church has an intentional community of college students and young adults with disabilities who live together.

ABOUT JESS: I am a youth pastor who love adventures but I often find myself falling into them rather than choosing them. My latest adventure is living in community with college students and young adults with disabilities as roommates. My heart lives at the intersection of Student Ministry and Disability Ministry and watching the two groups of people I love the most collide in the best possible ways makes my heart happy.

You can follow @jessberryhill on Insta and the Terre Haute Friendship House Facebook Page @THFriendshipHouse

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: I invited my friend Matumaini Taylor on to talk about her program "Teens who Brunch," and she shares about her youth council, engaging students digitally, and more!

ABOUT MATUMAINI: Pastor Matumaini Taylor, M.Div. is the Director of High School Ministry at Faithful Central Bible Church in Inglewood, CA. She has 20 years of youth development and ministry experience and loves encouraging teenagers. You can follow her on Insta at @matubelieves, her church at @thesourcefcbc, or her foundation at @onlybelievefoundation

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: As we continue our discussion on Innovation, we are blessed to have an OG in ministry, Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean. Kenda talks a bit about the future of student ministry and women's role in driving the change we need to see.

ABOUT KENDA: I'm a UMC pastor and the Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary, and the Co-Founder of Ministry Incubators. My most recent books are Delighted: What Teenagers Are Teaching Churches about Joy (Eerdmans, 2020). and Knee-Deep in Flotsam: Why Churches Innovate and How to Start (Market Square, 2021). My husband Kevin and I just got caught up on Ted Lasso...and my kids are grown and flown and are my favorite people to hang out with! 

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Some people love them, some people hate them -- and it might just be the most controversial topic a youth pastor Facebook group sees. Ana and a group of youth pastors in New England decided to reimagine the way they did overnighters and contextualize them to their churches.

ABOUT ANA: Ana Maciel has been serving as the director of Youth Ministry and Communication at Trinity Community Church in Norwood, MA since 2013. She has a passion partnering in ministry with her Youth Pastor Colleagues in New England and cannot live without coffee and a good pastry. You can follow her on Instagram at @aflavuh

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: At first, TikTok just seemed like a funny place for weird dance moves, pranks, and pet videos. But then Bethany posted a video affirming the LGTBQ+ community and went viral. Now, Bethany has over 300,000 followers and is embracing ministry in a whole new way.

ABOUT BETHANY: Rev. Bethany is a PCUSA Pastor currently serving at Everybody’s Church in Birmingham Michigan. During the wild west frontier that was ministry in a pandemic she started posting 15second videos on TikTok. A year later she has nearly 300,000 followers and has launched a digital ministry where they can heal from religious trauma and reconnect with God.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: This season we are focused on innovation. For Samantha and her key volunteer Maddie, they were excited to start something new and shiny in their program. But all of that halted when one of their students told them that the students feel like the adults in the church don't listen to them. They ripped up what they knew about ministry and started at the base again: building relationship with students in a more meaningful way. 

ABOUT SAMANTHA HASSELL: Rev. Samantha Hassell has served the Cumberland Presbyterian Church as a Christian educator and youth pastor for over 20 years.  She is a graduate of Bethel College (B.A.) and holds a Master of Arts in Youth Ministry from Memphis Theological Seminary.  Samantha served as a Lead Innovator in the Center for Youth Ministry Training’s Innovation Lab and she and a team from the Sturgis Cumberland Presbyterian Church learned together what innovation looks like in youth ministry and beyond. Samantha has been a contributing writer for Faith Out Loud, Feasting on the Word, Growing in Grace and Gratitude and was the writer of the 2016 Presbyterian Youth Triennium Small Group Manual. She and her husband, Rev. Victor Hassell, have three children.

Along with Samantha is Maddie Roberts.  Maddie grew up in the Sturgis Cumberland Presbyterian Church and served on its Innovation Team.  Maddie remained active on the team even after relocating from KY to MI – that’s what value she saw in this process for her home church!

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: This season we are focused on innovation. Caroline is a self-described "baby youth leader." At 25, Caroline is on a team of youth pastors at the church she's attended her entire life. The staff have all been there a long time, so you can imagine that driving innovation at a church with a bunch of tenured humans who are used to doing things the same way for a long time can be difficult. Even if you're not at a big church, we think this episode has something for you -- Caroline talks about what innovation looks like when you are the youngest person on your staff, when you have sacred cows all around you, and how innovation looks different than adaptability.  We talk the creation of Small Groups ministry in churches and launching a volunteer culture. 

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: This season we are focused on innovation. Kat went through an amazing innovation process at her church and created "FailSafe Studios." Hear about why how Kat answered her student's needs in a way that she never expected.

ABOUT KAT BAIR: Kat Bair is the Director of Youth Ministries at First United Methodist Church of Fort Worth, Texas, and, in 2019, earned a MA in Youth Ministry from Austin Seminary through the Center for Youth Ministry Training. She lives with her nerd-chic video game developer husband, Andrew, and is an avid writer, West Wing superfan, and Nashville native.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: This season we want to focus the podcast on innovation -- a hot topic in the youth ministry community right now. Between some grants that have been available to youth pastors and a pandemic that forced people to get innovative, all of us have been faced with obstacles and been forced to turn them into opportunities. Who better to kick off this season than with Elle Campbell, who heads up Stuff You Can Use and Grow Curriculum? Elle's gift is innovation, and shares her wisdom with us today.

ABOUT ELLE CAMPBELL: Elle is the co-founder and Chief Content Officer of Stuff You Can Use and Grow Curriculum. She has been doing youth ministry since she was a teenager and is passionate about ministry that empowers both teenagers and adult volunteers to lead and serve in significant ways. When she’s not doing ministry stuff, Elle is probably reading a book or making something — food, a scarf, a new business, a puzzle, or a LEGO set maybe?

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: For our last episode of the season, we are excited to have Pastor Kelsey Beebe of the Lady Preacher Podcast! Kelsey talks about what it looks like to embody our faith.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: We've all heard about keychain leadership - giving teens the keys to the church - but Mari shares about HOW her church in California is doing this to totally reinterpret church and the way it looks.

ABOUT MARI TRAPP: Mari serves at the Youth Minister at Sunny Hills Church of Christ in Southern California and teaches Youth Ministry at Hope International University as an adjunct professor. She loves to encourage and show students that they are amazing creations of God and ready to be used to change the world today. Mari has been married to the love of her life, Stephen, for two years and they have a wonderful daughter together.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: This week our guest is Anne Wilson. We discuss Marvel rankings, as well as what it looks like to be a Kingdom-Minded Leader, rather than a Success-Minded Leader.

ABOUT ANNE WILSON: Anne is a leader, youth pastor, writer, and Bible teacher with a passion to see this generation know and follow Jesus. She currently serves as the lead youth pastor at Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis, IN, and has served as at churches in North Carolina, Ohio, and Indiana, both in church communications and youth ministry. She holds a degree in biblical studies and general ministry from Cincinnati Christian University. Anne and her husband, Kyle, have two kids.

Follow her on social media @annemwilson

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Confirmation is the best part of youth ministry at many mainline churches. But how do we make it more meaningful for our students and leaders? Shannon shares with us her "three C's!"

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Last week we talked about keeping our children and youth safe in the church, and we are continuing that conversation by talking about how we can be trauma-informed as leaders. You never know who is walking around with trauma, and Sara Nichole gives us several practical ways to care for our people.

ABOUT SARA NICHOLE: Sara has been serving as a Children’s and Youth Ministry Director in Newark, Delaware for the last 2 years. Formally, Sara was a social services leader where she led programs serving those facing trauma. Sara loves coffee, empanadas and watching crime documentaries to relax at night. Sara can chat all day about the importance of healing from trauma.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: This week our guest is Ansley Higgenbotham. We talk about a topic that is one of my greatest soapboxes: SAFETY! We hear about the knucklehead things that youth pastors do all the time, so let's talk about how to set up some boundaries and create a policy that protects your children, youth, and vulnerable adults as well as your staff and volunteers.

ABOUT ANSLEY HIGGINBOTHAM: Ansley is a youth ministry veteran and lifelong United Methodist who now lives on her husband's family farm with her kids and cattle. She has a certificate in Youth and Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary. She works with DYM, consults youth pastors, does speaking gigs, writes curriculum, and is currently getting her coaching certification with the Youth Cartel. 

ABOUT SAFE SANCTUARIES: 

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Heather brings in Mama Caro to encourage youth workers to finish this year strong. Mama Caro imparts some wisdom as we plan a new school year, and encourages us to embrace safety this summer.

ABOUT STEPHANIE CARO: Stephanie Caro has been involved in ministry to children, youth, and adults in the local church (both large and small) since…a long time ago. Her humorous, straightforward style keeps her busy presenting and coaching at conferences, training events, camps, mission trips, retreats, churches, etc. She is now Senior Consultant for Ministry Architects, which allows her to help churches assess, vision, and formulate their ministry game plans. 

Her books, Thriving Youth Ministry in Smaller Churches and 99 Thoughts for the Smaller Church Youth Worker, were published by Group/Simply Youth Ministry. Her book, Smaller Church Youth Ministry: No Staff, No Money, No Problem, was published by United Methodist Publishing House. Her next book, Ten Solutions for Smaller Churches, comes out soon. Stephanie is a contributing author to several ministry resources like YouthWorker Journal and Group Magazine. Check out Stephanie's blogs at youthministry.com, youthspecialties.com, Princeton Theological Seminary, and others. Stephanie and her husband, Steve, live in Katy, TX. Their 7 children are all grown!

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: This week's episode is a gift. Erica Schimelpfenig is the Executive Director of YouthWorks. Like youth ministry, the missions field has a reputation for being led by primarily white men. What is it like to lead as a black woman in a primarily white space -- especially in Minneapolis, the home of the murder of George Floyd and the very public trial of his murderer? 

ABOUT ERICA SCHIMELPFENIG: Erica has spent the past 20 years at YouthWorks in many different roles. In her current role as President, Erica gets to live out her passion of pointing teenagers toward God through service experiences that broaden perspectives and help develop lifelong passions.  Erica lives in Minneapolis, MN with her husband, Cody and their 3 kids.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: When we talk about sexual purity with our students, what we are REALLY doing is promising that our kids will get married one day. So how do we talk about sex instead? A much-anticipated podcast episode from our Facebook group, Rebekah gives us some new ideas.

ABOUT REBEKAH: Rebekah Strobel is an ordained reverend who worked in youth ministry for over 10 years! She currently serves a non-profit focused on working with residents in affordable housing, where her favorite part of the job is still hanging out with kids every week. Her recent move to the Seattle area has been full of adventures; she and her husband spend their weekends hiking, biking, and exploring the variety of local foods.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: This episode of the podcast packs a punch: We discuss the sexual misconduct of male leaders in Christian Ministry, and how women can avoid those mistakes by partnering with one another. We do discuss sexual trauma, so if you are sensitive to that subject you may want to skip this episode and we'll see you next week!

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Have you ever been a guest on your own podcast? This week Heather is interviewed by April Diaz on the transformation of coaching groups, including the announcement of coaching groups beginning in May! Heather will be leading a group designed for women in ministry, although there are many other groups available to choose from. Heather shares about her most vulnerable struggle -- Imposter Syndrome -- and how coaching helped her through one of the most difficult seasons of her life.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: We are BACK with Season THREE of the podcast! This season Heather invited 12 AMAZING guests, and we are excited to kick it off with Gwendolyn DeRosa. Gwen shares "all means all," how to include our LGBTQ+ youth, even if you do not come from an affirming point of view. 

ABOUT GWEN: Gwendolyn DeRosa (she/her/hers) loves teaching, storytelling, and being creative. Gwen graduated with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Youth Ministry from Oral Roberts University. After returning to Ohio in 2010, Gwen earned her Masters in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from Ohio Dominican University. Gwen, and her wife, Felicia, have been members of King Ave UMC since February 2015. Gwen and Felicia have a snack-loving sugar glider named Madeleine.

In her staff role at King Avenue United Methodist Church, Gwen is responsible for planning and organizing children’s classes during worship services, Sunday School classes for age 4 through high school, Confirmation, and supporting activities, events, and retreats for children and youth. She also writes and presents the Children’s Message every Sunday. You can find her stories on King Avenue’s YouTube Channel.

It's the last episode of our season "Women Teach the Bible." It's been awesome hearing from each of these 12 women a story in the Bible that they hold close, and how they've interpreted it. This week Bethany brings a fresh look at the Samaritan Woman. 

ABOUT BETHANY: Bethany is the Middle School Youth Director at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Columbia South Carolina. She loves board games, escape rooms, Stardew Valley, and petting dogs. This summer she’s marrying her partner of 6 years and is so excited to begin life with him. You can find her on all social media platforms @bethanyjoydixon.

---

We've got two episodes left of this series before we start our new season! Shuree speaks SO much truth into us about Proverbs 31 -- but it's not the same ol' rusty sermon you've heard before. 

ABOUT SHUREE: Shuree is an urban activist and performing vocal artist with a demonstrated history of working in the music industry and in urban communities.  Ms. Rivera is best known for her more than a decade of work as an influencer and social change agent in urban communities.  She has led grassroots, inner-city community action initiatives in Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and now throughout the city of Los Angeles.  She is driven each day by a passion to do work in communities of color that has lasting impact and that inspires others to be their best.

Shuree is professionally trained and experienced in music and video production, creative design, songwriting, content development, music publishing, theater, dance and public speaking.  She graduated from Nyack College, New York, with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in Music Business.