About Dr. Andrew Zirschky

Andrew Zirschky, Ph.D., is a professor, scholar, ministry leader, consultant, and expert witness whose work focuses on church safety, youth ministry, abuse prevention, injury prevention, risk management, and standards of care in faith-based organizations.

Dr. Zirschky serves as Research Professor of Youth Ministry and Director of the Master of Arts in Youth Ministry program at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. and Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts from Northwest Nazarene University.

For more than two decades, Dr. Zirschky has worked with churches, denominations, youth ministries, camps, seminaries, and faith-based organizations in areas related to youth ministry practice, organizational leadership, theological education, ministry formation, and the care and supervision of children and youth. His professional work has included teaching, research, writing, program leadership, curriculum development, consulting, and direct engagement with ministry leaders across a wide range of Protestant traditions.

As an expert witness and consultant, Dr. Zirschky assists attorneys and courts in understanding the standards of care applicable to churches, youth ministries, camps, mission programs, and faith-based organizations. His work includes matters involving child sexual abuse prevention, serious physical injury, negligent supervision, volunteer and staff screening, youth ministry safety, church governance, denominational accountability, and historical and contemporary standards of care.

Dr. Zirschky's expert analysis brings together academic research, practical ministry experience, historical source review, denominational knowledge, and an understanding of how churches and youth-serving ministries actually function. He is especially attentive to the difference between written policies and implemented practices, and to the question of what reasonably prudent churches and faith-based organizations were expected to know and do at a given time.

His consulting work also helps churches and faith-based organizations strengthen their safety systems before harm occurs. He works with organizations to develop policies and practices that are clear, workable, meaningful, and sustainable for real ministry settings.

Dr. Zirschky's professional experience spans a broad range of Protestant contexts, including the Evangelical Covenant Church, Presbyterian Church (USA), Cumberland Presbyterian Church, United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Episcopal Church, Church of the Nazarene, Assemblies of God, Evangelical Free Church of America, United Church of Christ, American Baptist Churches USA, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), independent churches, and non-denominational churches.