Student
The vision of the Student Leadership Network is to see generations of students formed in Christ awakening churches, communities, and cultures.
The Student Leadership Network helps dioceses, churches, parents, and student ministry leaders form every generation in Christ. We value:
- The Gospel Story
Inviting students into the story of God’s saving work in Christ under the authority and truth of Scripture - Student Integration
Embracing students as the church of today and incorporating them into the full life of the body of Christ - Household Faith
Affirming the central role of the household in student discipleship and calling the entire church to support them - Leadership
Equipping and empowering all students and adults - Purposefulness
Creating spaces, resources, and events that effectively foster life together in Christ and his Kingdom
Learn how to explore, contextualize, and activate these values in your own student ministry using our guide.
OUR WORK
Youth Becoming Leaders
Youth Becoming Leaders is partnering with Asbury University to raise up the next generation as leaders for our church, communities, and culture.
This important new family resource integrates the whole of the Catechism with the Family Devotion format from the Book of Common Prayer to place our common prayer and our common teaching in the most influential space for a young person: the home.
Champion Grants
The Champion Grant exists to come alongside student ministry champions with financial support for their ministry ideas.
Anglican Student Ministry Gathering
Join the Student Leadership Network from February 26-28, 2025 for a time of shared learning and connection with Anglican Student Ministry Leaders.
Back to Basics: Helping Students say yes to Jesus?
Assessment
The Student Ministry Assessment is a 9-minute introduction to help NGLI and the Student Leadership Network walk alongside you in thinking through the bigger picture of your ministry. It is designed to give you the space to think through your ministry context without getting caught up in too many details. Then, when you are ready for a conversation about what’s next in your ministry, we are ready to better support your student ministries.
Cohorts
SLN regularly hosts cohorts of student ministry leaders either focused on soul care and spiritual wellbeing of leaders (formation cohorts), or shared learning and workshopping around a specific topic (learning cohorts).
We will not hide them from their children,
but tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
and the wonders that he has done.
Psalm 78:4
Abiding in the Spirit: Church of the Vine’s First Youth Retreat
As the Student Ministry at Church of the Vine in Newberg, Oregon has been growing in the past two years, they began to look for new opportunities to form students to welcome the transformation of the Holy Spirit. With the help of the Champion Grant, they took students...
Youth delegate statement from Provincial Assembly
We, the youth delegates of Assembly 2024, love the Anglican tradition and find depth, beauty, and meaning in the Anglican way of formation, mission, and worship. We value the high emphasis on scripture and the way the cross is central. We look forward to ways that...
Caring for and discipling high school students
The Champion Grant allows churches to answer their “what if” questions and “how might we” wonderings with new or expanded ministry ideas. In coming alongside Anglican student ministries with financial support, we are seeing students formed into the likeness of Christ....
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
The Rev. Aaron Buttery, Director
Rev. CN. Aaron Buttery is deeply committed to the raising of generations of spiritual leaders and followers of Jesus. He is a 20+ year next generation ministry leader, a two-time church planter, and currently an executive leadership coach with Spiritual Leadership Inc. He is particularly focused and passionate about the relationships and systems that empower people to follow Jesus and lead others to him. Aaron currently leads as Associate Rector of International Anglican Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Next Generation Leadership for the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others (C4SO).
Anna Burden
Anna Burden grew up in the church and has felt called to student ministry since she was in seventh grade. She studied Youth Ministry at Eastern University and has experience working with churches and student ministries of various sizes. Anna and her husband, Colin, now live in Quincy, MA with their two cats. She is the Director of Youth Ministry at Church of the Cross in Boston, Massachusetts. Anna is passionate about helping young people discover their identity in Christ, their belonging in the family of God, and their gifts for Kingdom purposes.
Ryder Mills
Ryder Mills has been a youth worker in various roles for the past 8 years – as a volunteer and in part-time and full-time work. Through the Student Leadership Network, he loves encouraging and equipping youth workers to make disciples of the next generation and develop leadership within them while they are students. Ryder is the Director of Outreach at Christ Church Anglican in Kansas City, where he facilitates local (to Kansas City) and global (in Uganda and Honduras) partnerships as well as supporting spiritual formation ministries. He has been on staff since 2017, serving his first 5 years as Student Life Director. Morgan, his wife, is a Marriage and Family Therapist, and they live in Kansas City, KS with their (soon-to-be born) son and a very spirited dog.
Smyth Taylor
Smyth is the Youth and Young Adults Director at Village Church in Greenville, SC, where she was born and raised. She went to the University of Georgia for undergrad and Beeson Divinity School for seminary. She loves to be outside as much as possible, spend time with good friends, and eat good food!
Beau Pruitt
Beau Pruitt is the Director of Student Ministries at Christ Church in Austin, Texas, his hometown. Beau received his Masters of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he attended alongside his wife, Danielle. Together, they have two children, Flora and Townes, and one spotted dog, Luna.
Josh Kimmel
Josh is the Youth Pastor at Wellspring Church in Englewood, Colorado. He has lived all over the country, growing up in Pennsylvania, attending college in Chicago, and starting his ministry in Atlanta before finally settling in Denver. Josh is passionate about helping the next generation experience ‘wholeness and fullness.’ In his free time, he enjoys exploring the beauty and adventure Colorado has to offer with his wife, Katie, and their two children, Eli and Ruthie Ray.
join OUR NETWORK
he Student Leadership Network meets monthly via Zoom on the second Thursday of the month at 10:00 am Central Time. Click here to register for the meetings. You only need to register once, and we will send you a meeting reminder each month via email.
Questions? Email Anna Burden.
