09/22/2026
IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY! One year ago today, Arise Student Ministry officially launched as a nonprofit organization!
Arise launched with a simple conviction: every student deserves a safe space when questions arise, and that space should be a local church. But for most students, school and church live behind separate doors — good things happening in each, with no real way to walk between them during the day. We believed churches are stronger working side by side than working alone, so one year ago today, we built the structure to open that door — churches partnering with schools, legally and sustainably.
Here's what we've seen in the last year:
→ 3 high schools running full school-year programs (Fishers, HSE, Westfield)
→ 3 more communities currently in the launch phase (Carmel, Elwood, North Central)
→ 17 more communities in active development toward fall 2027 launch
→ $187,000 raised from donors to fuel it
→ 92% of participating students from year 1 are now attending a local church regularly.
This year many leaders got to see the Arise model up close — here's how they described it:
"What Arise has built in our community is rare... Arise has created a moment where homes, schools, and churches move together — united around the young people who live at the intersection of each." — Scott Fadness, Mayor, City of Fishers, Indiana
"The Arise model, which requires a minimum of four local churches to collaborate before a program is launched, is the most structurally compelling expression of community-based youth ministry collaboration we have encountered." — Rev. Randall J. Davis, President & CEO, National Network of Youth Ministries
"Arise is not a program that competes with the local church. It is a tool that serves it, and it is working." — Rev. Dr. Jo Anne Lyon, General Superintendent Emerita, The Wesleyan Church
None of this happens without the churches who said yes first, the schools who opened the door, and the donors who backed a brand-new nonprofit before there was a year of results to point to.
Happy birthday to us. Here's to Year Two!
