Kristia Oney

Associate Director

Kristia Oney is an experienced ministry leader and coach with over a decade of experience in youth and young adult ministry. Originally from Cheyenne, Oklahoma, she earned her B.A. in Religion from Oklahoma City University and her M.A. in Youth Ministry from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in association with the Ministry Leadership Center).

While at OCU, Kristia co-founded Love-Not-Hate Day, a campus-wide initiative promoting compassion and justice. She also founded Kappa Phi Beauty Week, a philanthropic event focused on curbing fatphobia, promoting self-confidence, and raising funds for eating disorder awareness. Both initiatives remain active more than a decade later. Her passion for inclusive ministry and mental wellness continued through her professional work in the mental health field, where she supported young people in recovery from eating disorders.
During her graduate studies, Kristia’s experience in college ministry contributed to the Center for Youth Ministry Training’s growing focus on young adult discipleship, helping inspire its 2025 rebrand as the Ministry Leadership Center. She now serves the Ministry Leadership Center as its first college ministry coach.

Kristia is a co-founder and current Board Chair of the Open Space Ministry Collective, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that equips ministry leaders to plant progressive, innovative, evangelistic young adult faith communities. Since joining the project in 2016, Kristia has helped demonstrate its scalability by planting two communities, training leaders who launched two more, and coaching them through the process of forming contextual ministries. She is also a board member for Progressive Youth Ministry.

As a Yoga Alliance-certified RYT 500/E-RYT 200 instructor and educator with trauma-informed and mental health certifications and advanced study through Loyola Marymount University’s School of Yoga Therapy, Kristia integrates embodied mindfulness practices and holistic perspectives into her ministry work.

Kristia currently serves as Associate Director of The Wesley Foundation at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, where she mentors students, shapes worship, and leads a team of student interns.

Outside of her professional life, Kristia enjoys kayaking, making homemade pizza, brewing exceptional coffee, and spending time with her husband Nathan, their son Elliott, and their dogs Tucker and Pepper.

405-372-5830 | kristia@okstatewesley.org