OUR STAFF

Laura was born and raised in south eastern Wisconsin.  She surrendered her life to Christ at the young age of ten and has never looked back.  Laura has been involved in ministry since the age of 12 as a volunteer and intern in her home church, with experience as a church staff member since 2010.  Laura holds a certificate degree from Valley Forge University in Children’s ministry and is pursuing her Bachelor of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministry with SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary.

Laura currently serves as the Next Gen Pastor at New Life Church International in Lima, Ohio.  Youth are not just the church of tomorrow, they are the future leaders, movers and shakers of our world!  It is for this reason, that Laura strives to remind students of their identity in Christ and that He has BIG plans for them! Passionate about discipling this next generation, Laura loves to train up young leaders and help them find their sweet spot in ministry.  God is about to do big things within Generation Z!

Laura married her high school sweetheart, Joel, in true Wisconsinite fashion – during a blizzard in December 2010. Joel and Laura welcomed their ‘little buckeye’ Nathaniel David in June of 2017.  Laura has been labeled an official coffee snob, makeup junkie, and a Thai food connoisseur. In her down time she loves to cook, shop for bargains and embark on DIY projects.

IMN Youth Vision/Mission

Many people have lost hope for this generation. Students are living in a world where there is not one defined truth. Instead, they are told to create a truth that ‘works for them.’  My heart is for students within our ministries and churches to not only know the Truth of the Gospel, but fully embrace it within their lives. My prayer is that as our district grows, our students encounter the Holy Spirit and desire God’s plan for their life. I pray that the youth of our district are students that are on fire for God and determined to make a difference in their world for Christ!

The youth within our churches are not only the future of the kingdom, but our district.  The students within our ministries may very well be the leaders of our churches, maybe even the International Ministry Network in the years to come.  These students are worthy of our investment. It is for this reason that we will be focusing on three areas:

1. Connect and empower active youth pastors, ministers and leaders within our district. We have started a Facebook group in which we can connect, swap ideas, pray for each other and celebrate together.  We will also be hosting a time of fellowship in October 2018.
2. Aid district churches/pastors in developing and launching effective youth ministries. Navigating youth ministry can be confusing.  We want to come along side you, pastors, as you look to pour into the youth of your city. As you raise up key leaders within your church to minister to your students, we would love to connect with and support them!
3. IMN Youth Summit.  This past Youth Summit was a blast!  Not only did students connect with friends and leaders from other churches, but they met with God.  Students left from Youth Summit much different than they came. I believe we only saw the tip of the ice berg of what God wants to do in our district youth!  I would love to see additional district churches send their students to the 2019 Youth Summit!