Heather Crews
In June 2021, Pastor Heather Crews, D.Min., accepted the invitation to support female clergy across the North American Division as part of the ministerial department. She is pleased to serve as the pastor to the pastors, assisting them so they can be effective where God called them to serve. She also serves as an Associate Ministerial Director for the Potomac Conference.
Heather previously pastored the innovative and creative Courthouse Road Church in Richmond, Virginia. While there, she supported the church’s mission of building bridges back to God through community connections, evangelistic invitations, and resourcing ministry leaders to accomplish the dreams God placed on their hearts.
Before moving to Richmond, Heather served a three-church district in Williamsburg. There, she discovered the delight in ministering to families with small children and creative outreach.
While taking pre-med at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, Heather had a life-changing experience. God made it clear it was time for a career change to the Gospel ministry. In December 1998, she completed her Bachelor of Arts in Theology at Southwestern Adventist University and began ministry as the Associate Pastor at the Cleburne church in Texas.
In 2002, Heather completed her Master of Divinity degree at the Andrews University Theological Seminary. She then returned to the Texas Conference where she became the first female district pastor in that conference. Heather was entrusted with the leadership of two churches: Brownwood and Coleman County. While serving in this district, her ministry focused on lifestyle evangelism, worship, and Biblical spirituality. After two and a half years with these congregations, God opened the doors to transition to a new role as Pastor for Church Life at the Keene Church at Southwestern Adventist University.
Ten years at the University Church in Keene gave Heather a wide range of ministry experiences. As she focused on training and support of Bible workers, prayer meeting series, and outreach events, she connected new members to the church community, supported ministries for new moms and young families, and led out in young adult ministry..
Heather enjoys researching the spiritual practices of our early Adventists pioneer leaders – how they spent time with God by employing discipleship practices like Bible study, prayer and more. She Completed her Doctor of Ministry degree in 2016, which included writing a resource book that is a small group study on how to create a deepening relationship with God by following in the pioneers’ footsteps.
Pastor Heather grew up in a double pastors’ family. Both parents served the Seventh-day Adventist church in various ministry, leadership, and missionary capacities. She learned early that Adventist faith is a mission adventure that invites involvement and disciple-making as a way of life, defining who she is not what she does.
In addition to living out her calling and passion for the church mission, Pastor Heather is blessed when she makes time to go on adventures with her family. In 2006, she married her husband Eric, a software engineer. Together they have two children, Molly and Owen, who attend Richmond Academy.
