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(Decatur, Ga) – Columbia Theological Seminary has appointed Rev. Lindsay Geist as the new Campus Minister, effective August 1.
Geist, a licensed clinical social worker, has always been drawn to the intersection of mental health and faith. Most recently she served as the Director of Wellbeing at the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church, providing mental health resource support for more than 1300 active and retired clergy. She is also the co-host of the podcast, “Not Alone: Conversations on Faith and Wellbeing.”
“I’m excited about working with Columbia Theological Seminary in this inaugural role as we prioritize wellbeing for students, faculty, and staff,” Geist said. “It will be a great opportunity to bring my experience of clergy wellbeing, crisis experience, and theological training together to strategize and vision mental health support and resourcing for individuals across the Seminary.”
A Deacon in Full Connection in the North Georgia Conference of The United Methodist Church, Geist earned her undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University and graduate degrees at Duke Divinity School and UNC-Chapel Hill.
Her postgraduate career began supporting individuals in crisis through assessment and leading spirituality and forgiveness groups at an inpatient mental health and substance abuse detoxification center in North Carolina. Geist returned to North Georgia in 2012 as the Campus Pastor at The United Methodist Children’s Home in Decatur (now known as Wellroot). Geist later served at Atlanta Mission as a crisis intervention social worker, helping women get connected with mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence emergency resources. While at Atlanta Mission, Lindsay helped create new metrics to track client success and redesign the women’s day shelter program to best meet women’s needs and assess crises.
“We are so grateful to have Lindsay Geist as our new Campus Minister this year,” said Kathryn Threadgill, Columbia’s Vice President and Dean for Student Formation and Campus Culture. “Lindsay brings a wealth of knowledge in clinical pastoral care, and a passion for God and the people of God. I am so excited God has called her to this important role in Student Formation and Campus Culture. She will be such an asset to our emphasis on mental health and wellness within the campus culture of CTS. We look forward to her start on August 1st in this important role.”
In 2016, Geist opened her own practice, Seeds of Hope Counseling, serving individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, and faith concerns. In addition to her counseling work, Lindsay has served as a consultant, partnering with churches and non-profit organizations to lead trainings on mental health, clergy ethics, navigating church crises, addressing anxiety, and soul care. She has facilitated church staff and congregant retreats, led continuing education training for clergy, served as a speaker for church youth parents on multi-week mental health series, and served as a guest preacher at various churches around the topic of mental health and faith.
“The Rev. Lindsey Geist, a clinician and UMC pastor has extensive knowledge of the intersection of faith and mental health, specifically in the area of clergy and student wellbeing,” said Columbia President Rev. Dr. Victor Aloyo Jr. “As a social worker, therapist, and LCSW, Lindsey will serve in guiding the Seminary in developing platforms for understanding the need for personal care, crisis destabilization, and mental health and helping leaders care for their souls while caring for the souls of others.”
