The Institute for Youth Ministry

Princeton Theological Seminary established the Institute for Youth Ministry in 1995, providing fertile ground where a new conversation about theologically informed youth ministry could take root and flourish. Committed to integrating theology and practice, the Institute for Youth Ministry (IYM) collaborates with church leaders, congregations, scholars, and young people to promote the strategic importance and practice of ministry with youth from early adolescence through college age. The IYM seeks to revitalize ministry with young people by helping the Church integrate youth ministry into the total mission of the congregation and by encouraging a theologically rich approach to this ministry.

The IYM initiates and integrates research related to the church’s mission with young people through offering programs, events, and resources for leadership development. Princeton Theological Seminary’s professors and doctoral students intersect with the work of the IYM through research in practical theology, as well as lectures at Forums, online classes and programs, and digital content.

Our Vision

We help Christian leaders know and love young people,
so that the whole church might participate in the transformative work of God in the world.

Our Staff

Abigail Visco Rusert | Director

Abigail is the Director of the Institute for Youth Ministry and teaches a practicum course in youth ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary. She is the Principal Investigator on the Log College Project grant—an initiative to help churches research and design new forms of youth ministry for the 21st Century. Abigail has worked with youth and adults as an associate pastor, youth director, seminary intern, chaplain, and camp counselor. She speaks regularly at ministry training events, churches, and conferences. Abigail is a graduate of Valparaiso University and Princeton Theological Seminary. She and her husband, Thomas, live in Doylestown, Pennsylvania with their kids: Dorothy, Solveig, and Frank.

Contact Abigail

Megan DeWald | Assistant Director

Megan is the Assistant Director of the Institute for Youth Ministry, and in this role, she leads the IYM’s certificate programs and manages our digital resources. She has over 15 years of experience in youth and young adult ministry, serving in a variety of contexts and traditions, from camps and congregations to nonprofits and social justice organizations. Megan writes and speaks for national and international audiences, and she also serves as a staff consultant with Ministry Architects. She is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas and Princeton Theological Seminary.

Contact Megan

Carmelle Beaugelin | Program Coordinator | Log College Project

Carmelle is the Program Coordinator for the Log College Project, a research grant which aims toward a deeper understanding of faithful and innovative forms of youth ministry for the 21st Century. For her own experiment in innovative ministry, Carmelle designed and helped launch The Feed Truck Café, a small café ministry that mysteriously pops up in downtown Princeton throughout the semester, serving local high school, college, and graduate students. Carmelle has served as an interim children’s minister in the United Methodist Church and youth leader in the Church of God. A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary, Carmelle uses her theological training to bridge the gaps between pneumatology, spirituality, and the arts.

Contact Carmelle

Seminary Student Staff

Mailing Address
Institute for Youth Ministry
Princeton Theological Seminary
P.O. Box 821 Princeton, NJ 08542-0803
Phone Number
609.497.7914

Contact the IYM

THE INSTITUTE FOR YOUTH MINISTRY