For Carson Krueger, ministry has never followed a perfectly straight path. His journey has included everything from working as a club and wedding DJ to touring with a band, mixed martial arts, construction, teaching and pastoral ministry. Each experience, however different, has given him another way to connect with people.
Today, that journey has brought him to Orange Beach Church, where he oversees Next Generation ministries and the development of programming for ages birth through 30.
At the heart of that work is a simple idea: supporting young people also means supporting the parents raising them.
“Parenting is tough and it’s awkward,” Krueger says. No book, podcast or parenting strategy can prepare a family for every challenge. Sometimes what matters most is having someone willing to see you, listen and walk beside you.
Through Bright Beginnings, children’s ministry and student ministry, Orange Beach Church works to provide that support throughout the different stages of childhood and young adulthood. Krueger’s hope is that parents feel empowered to become their children’s strongest spiritual role models without believing they have to be perfect to do it.
Since moving from the Memphis area, Krueger has also found something in Orange Beach for which he is especially grateful: a community willing to work together.
In Memphis, he remembers spending years trying to establish meaningful connections with local schools. In Orange Beach, he has experienced a much more collaborative relationship among churches, schools, families and community organizations.
“The community itself wants our kids and really our parents to feel supported,” he says.
That spirit of connection is creating new opportunities to serve.
One initiative, Mission and a Meal, brings different generations together around service and fellowship. A teenager, a 25-year-old and a 60-year-old might find themselves working side by side on a mission project before sitting down together to share a meal.
For Krueger, those moments matter because community grows when people move beyond simply occupying the same place and begin investing in one another.
The church is also continuing to strengthen relationships with local schools. Krueger and the church’s student pastor are involved with area athletics, and Krueger plans to work with Orange Beach High School and Middle School wrestling programs this fall and winter.
Living in a destination as beautiful as the Alabama Gulf Coast can make it easy to feel as though you have arrived, Krueger says. But gratitude, in his view, should inspire people to look beyond what they have received and consider what they can give.
“There’s still work to be done,” he says. “There’s still a mission to stand for.”
Giving back does not necessarily require special qualifications, extensive training or a perfectly polished life either.
“You just have to have a willing heart and a willing spirit.”
Ultimately, Krueger hopes Orange Beach Church becomes so woven into the fabric of the community that its presence is felt not only on Sundays, but in schools, homes, celebrations and difficult seasons.
It is a vision rooted in gratitude for where they live, the relationships they have built and the opportunity to serve.
Because even in paradise, people need people. They need places where they can arrive exactly as they are, be seen and know they do not have to navigate life alone.
For Krueger, that may be one of the greatest gifts a community can give.