Supporting Queer Youth in Churches

This workshop at Covenant Conversation: East Iowa/Great Rivers provided church leaders and congregants with the tools to create a welcoming and supportive environment for LGBTQIA+ youth in their faith communities. Participants explored the challenges faced by queer youth, learned inclusive practices, and developed strategies for fostering understanding and advocating for queer youth within the church.

Rev. Katie Styrt (she/her) currently serves as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Milan, IL. She grew up in a church where being bisexual was no barrier to being loved and supported, and works to foster that same spirit of welcome in the congregations she serves. She is passionate about contextualizing scripture, board games, and pub trivia. Milan is the fourth First Presbyterian Church she’s served!

Slats Toole (they/them) is a writer, musician, preacher and theater professional currently based in Minneapolis, MN. Slats’ Lenten poetry series has been compiled in the collection Queering Lent, and their work has also been published in places like Call to Worship, The Presbyterian Outlook and Sacramental Life. Slats has led workshops on expansive language and queer theology (with a particular emphasis on gender identity) throughout the United States and Canada, and is proud to serve on the Covenant Network board.