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Sarah Stillson participates in the first-ever cohort of a two-year program for Salvation Army youth workers.
For almost 25 years, Sarah Stillson has worked with youth for The Salvation Army in Southern California.
“I had really good youth leaders growing up,” she said. “It made me want to do the same thing.”
Today, as Corps Ministry Assistant at the Pasadena (California) Tabernacle Corps, she’s responsible for womens’ and older adults’ ministries, along with youth.
“I always say basically everything but men’s ministry,” she said, noting youth is her main focus.
From 2022 to 2024, Stillson was one of the first participants in FORGED, a hybrid program for Salvation Army youth workers offered through Asbury University that aims to increase their longevity and effectiveness.
When Stillson first heard about FORGED from then Pasadena Tabernacle Corps Officer Major Paula Wild, she said it piqued her interest.
“To me, FORGED means that we never stop learning in youth ministry or our Christian walk.”
Sarah Stillson
“Her leadership challenges and equips youth for real-life situations, always ensuring Christ remains at the center of their journey,” Wild said.
The corps submitted her application and she was accepted.
Over a two-year period, the program included three in-person retreats at Asbury and monthly one-on-one coaching calls or Zoom meetings—except during the summer when youth ministry can be especially busy.
Stillson’s cohort included eight other Salvation Army youth workers from the Central and Southern territories; she was the only participant from the West.
“To me, FORGED means that we never stop learning in youth ministry or our Christian walk,” Stillson said. “God is constantly shaping us and maybe even hammering us out a bit. We need to allow him to teach us and mold us to be more like him, to be his hands and feet here on earth.”
Stillson said she enjoyed sharing ideas with others in her cohort.
“It was nice to hear other people’s perspectives who are going through the same thing,” she said.
It was the soul care, though, that impacted her the most—something nonprofit Rooted in Ministry affirms “has to be one of the first tasks in pastoral ministry.” Yet for youth ministers, it’s not often at the top of the to-do list.
During their phone calls, her coach would check on her.
“She’d ask: “How are things going in your life? How is it with your soul?’” Stillson said. “It actually made me stop in the middle of my work week, month, whatever—and focus on the biggest thing…soul care.”
Stillson said FORGED also led her to consider the question of “hero vs. human” and the idea that as a youth minister, she had to be responsible for everything.
“We think of ourselves as heroes sometimes,” Stillson said. “But we’ve got to remember we’re human. We can say no to things [and] ask people to help.”
Stillson said her motivation to keep her ministry fresh—and to participate in FORGED—is the kids she serves.
“I don’t ever want to see a time when there’s nothing for kids, because they’re our future,” she said. “They’re not even our future—they are our now…Like my teens right now. They’re all leaders. It’s fantastic. You know, you don’t always see what comes of [your efforts]. But when you do, it’s amazing. You can say, ‘OK, it was worth it.’ That’s why we do it.”
Newly appointed Western Territorial Mission Strategist, formerly the longtime Territorial Director for Youth Ministries, Jim Sparks is a soldier (member) of the Pasadena Tabernacle Corps. He said he loves that The Salvation Army is investing in its youth leaders through FORGED.
“We already have a great youth leader in Sarah,” he said. “Knowing that she is able to go through a program like this to add to her gifts makes me very excited about the future of the youth ministry at this corps.”
Since FORGED, Stillson said she’s seen a change at the Pasadena Tabernacle Corps.
“One of the big wins was that our youth group has grown,” she said. “We’ve had kids actually bring in their friends. If they’re bringing their friends and want to show them their youth group, then I must be doing something right. We’ve actually had kids come and stick.”
Stacie Brown, Territorial Officer and Family Care Specialist and soldier at the Pasadena Tabernacle Corps, has raised her children there. She said Stillson is a role model who plays a crucial role in the development of the corps’ youth.
“As a parent, I am so grateful that Sarah has had an indelible impact on the lives of my two children as they continue to navigate the challenges of adolescence, exploring their faith and discovering their own identity in Christ,” Brown said.
Sometimes people ask Stillson if she’s interested in becoming a Salvation Army officer (pastor). But she tells them: “I’m a local leader.”
“For now, my future is here at the corps,” Stillson said, “being one of the pillars of the corps, always being here.”
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