A man with a beard and white shirt sits on a table holding a microphone, speaking to an audience in a room with dark curtains and a whiteboard in the background.

Michael Paul

Cartledge

Neurodiversity | Mental Health | Trauma-Informed Ministry

I work with churches to better understand neurodiversity and mental health, and to develop trauma-informed practices of care within their communities.

I am an educator, researcher, and practitioner focused on helping churches engage in faith formation with careful attention to neurodiversity, mental health, and trauma-informed care.

I currently serve as Associate Director of Grants and Projects at Flagler College, where I direct two major Lilly Endowment–funded initiatives—the Fostering Congregations Initiative and Welcome Works—within the Center for Religion and Culture. These multi-year projects partner with congregations and theological educators to strengthen practices of welcome, care, and formation for children, youth, and families, particularly those impacted by trauma or navigating systems that have not always been designed with them in mind. Across this work, I specialize in translating research into practices that can be meaningfully taken up within congregational life.

Alongside my work at Flagler, I serve as Director of Adult Education and College Ministry at Memorial Presbyterian Church in St. Augustine. In this role, I create spaces for reflection, conversation, and growth across the life of the church—curating adult education offerings, midweek gatherings, and small groups, while also walking alongside college students through weekly community gatherings, service opportunities, and sustained relationships between campus and congregation.

I hold a PhD in Practical Theology from Princeton Theological Seminary, where my research used qualitative methods to explore spiritual formation amid experiences of depression. This work continues to shape my approach to scholarship and practice.

Previously, I was a Postdoctoral Research Scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary, where I launched The Theology and Neurodiversity Project and co-designed the digital course Cultivating God’s Brainforest: Youth Ministry and Neurodiversity in partnership with the Institute for Youth Ministry. During my time at Princeton, I taught courses including Neurodiversity and Faith Formation, Theological Foundations of Youth Ministry, Introduction to Christian Education, and Advanced Studies in Youth, Church, and Culture.

I also teach as an Adjunct Professor at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, offering courses in Christian Education and Formation. Across teaching, research, and consulting, my work is guided by a simple question: What does faithful spiritual formation look like when we take seriously the full range of human difference and experience present in our communities?

I speak at churches, denominational conferences, and organizational gatherings, and partner with faith-based organizations on grant-funded initiatives and workshops. Whether in a classroom, a congregation, or a consulting relationship, my goal is to support communities as they develop practices of care that are both theologically grounded and deeply attentive to the people already in their midst.

People attending a conference or seminar, sitting around a table in a well-lit room with large windows, engaged in discussion.

A man with glasses, a beard, and dark hair, wearing a black shirt and khaki pants, is holding a microphone and speaking to an audience in a church or auditorium setting with wooden decor and musical instruments in the background.

A group of people is seated in a semi-circle inside a barn, attending a meeting or workshop, with some wearing masks. The barn has a high wooden ceiling with string lights, and the open doors reveal a parking lot and outdoor scenery.

A man in a grey blazer and black mask giving a presentation in a classroom, with several seated people wearing masks listening to him.