Heather Deal

Heather Deal currently serves as the Director of Development for Baptist Women in Ministry (BWIM) which supports women who pursue ministry and leadership with sustaining resources and community, and advocates for the full affirmation of women in ministry and leadership in Baptist life. Previously, she served as the Director of Development for Baylor University’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work. She is a current doctoral student at the Garland School, researching congregational social justice advocacy, Christian nationalism, and equality for women in ministry.

She has presented at various development and fundraising conferences, including The Bridge Conference, which focuses on integrated marketing and fundraising. At the 2023 CSWE Annual Program Meeting she presented “Culture Wars in Social Work Classrooms and Beyond: How Should Social Work Educators Respond?” and presented “Christian Nationalism and the Christian Social Worker”, “Promoting Sustainability in Social Work: Perspectives of Educators/Students”, and “Minority Stress Theory and Applications to Spirituality in LGBTQ People” at the 2023 NASCW Annual Meeting.

She earned her M.Div. and MSW from Baylor’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary and the Garland School of Social Work, where she specialized in congregational social work and wrote the “Understanding Poverty” unit for the Center for Family and Community Ministries’ Walking Alongside curriculum, which helps guide congregations as they consider how God has called them to serve their communities.