Rev. Krueger and youth at Birchwood Camp.

During the 2026 Dakotas Annual Conference in Bismarck, North Dakota, Rev. Autumn Krueger was named one of the recipients of the Dakotas Conference Youth Worker of the Year Award, recognizing her dedication to young people and her continued leadership in youth ministry.

Krueger is currently serving in the Alaska Missionary Conference on loan from the Dakotas Conference, where she serves as the associate pastor of student and family ministries at St. John United Methodist Church in Anchorage, Alaska. In her role, she leads youth programming, including a collaborative effort among multiple churches to provide confirmation and youth group opportunities. She also serves as the adult chair of the Conference Council on Youth Ministries in Alaska and continues to promote camping through her leadership at Birchwood Camp.

“For me, this is an affirmation of the missional work the Dakotas Conference has said 'yes' to me doing in Alaska,” she said. “I have turned to my colleagues in the Dakotas for ideas, guidance, and wisdom throughout my time in Alaska, especially with camping and youth ministry.”

For Krueger, youth ministry has been woven through each stage of her journey, from a young person being shaped by the church to the pastor now creating opportunities for the next generation.

“Youth Ministry has been a central line throughout my calling,” she said. “It was my safe place for me as a youth and where I began serving as a middle school youth supporter while in high school.”

That early experience continued to grow throughout college and seminary, where she served in camping ministry and local church youth ministry. Today, she takes that same passion into her pastoral ministry in Alaska as she works to strengthen existing youth opportunities and create new ones.

She points to Harrisburg United Methodist Church as an important part of her story. The congregation supported not only youth ministry but also youth leadership, encouraging her to serve on CCYM and step into leadership at both the local church and Conference levels. Later, the church supported her as an Elisha Intern.

“They gave me a springboard into ministry,” Krueger said. “The local church is where life-long disciples are made.”

Rev. Krueger confirming a student at St. John UMC.

Now, Krueger seeks to offer that same kind of springboard to the young people she serves.

Two principles have guided her approach to youth ministry in recent years: never do anything alone and let the youth lead.

“Planning, creating, dreaming, praying, leading, all of it is better when we do it together within community,” she said. “When I’ve stepped back and given or created space for youth to lead, I watch holy things happen. Youth are not just capable but ready to lead.”

Although her current appointment has taken her thousands of miles from the Dakotas, Krueger remains deeply connected to the Conference and the people who have shaped her ministry.

“Weeks later, I am still shocked I received this award,” she said. “I am so grateful for the Dakotas’ support of my appointment to the Alaska Conference and the continued connections we make while serving together.”

Krueger’s story is a reminder of the lasting impact a church can have when it creates space for young people to belong, lead, and discover their calling. The youth ministry that once provided her with a safe place has become a central part of her own ministry, and today, she is helping create those same spaces for young people in Alaska.