We’re excited to welcome Justin Hedges to the Schweitzer team as our new Middle School Pastor! A native Oklahoman, Justin grew up in the Nazarene church and was ordained as an Elder in 2008. He and his wife, Amber, live in Springfield with their teenage son, Ethan, and a very spoiled Shetland sheepdog.
Justin and his family relocated to Springfield from Oklahoma City a few years ago for a job opportunity. After visiting several churches, they found Schweitzer to be a unique fit—drawn in by strong theological teaching and the church’s community engagement through initiatives like Flourish.
While he never set out to work in student ministry, Justin says every ministry role he’s held has come through a door God opened—often unexpectedly. He was originally interning in every area except
youth ministry when his church’s youth pastor resigned. After much prayer, he stepped in—and never looked back.
Justin believes the middle school years are pivotal for faith development—the stage when a student’s faith starts to become their own. He finds deep joy in guiding students through “ah-ha” moments when scripture clicks, service brings unexpected joy, or they recognize God’s presence in difficulty.
Outside of ministry, Justin expresses his creativity through cooking. He’s a big fan of college football (especially Oklahoma—Boomer Sooner!), the OKC Thunder, and is a champion of Garth Brooks name-that-tune-challenges. Warm sand and blue water are his ideal vacation.
A meaningful passage for Justin is Matthew 25, where Jesus makes it clear where He is found: among the hurting and the overlooked. That calling—to meet teens in their struggles and help them seek Jesus in the margins—shapes Justin’s ministry.
Justin encourages the church to support student ministry in two ways: first, by investing early through children’s ministry; and second, by building relationships with teens, learning their names, showing up, and praying for them. “Everyone can be a youth pastor to someone,” he says. “If everyone did this,
our teenagers would graduate with a strong sense of belonging not only to the church, but to their faith.”