Nathan Stiffler
10/22/25Youth Pastor, Memorial Heights Baptist Church
Nathan Stiffler serves as the youth pastor at Memorial Heights Baptist Church in Cumberland, Md., where he is tasked with leading, planning, and coordinating ministries for the church’s teenagers.
“I originally wanted to be a mechanic,” Stiffler confided. “My youth pastor was very influential in my life and I just wanted to help people in the same way he helped me. God put that in my heart and called me to be a pastor.”
A native of Pennsylvania, Stiffler moved to Martinsburg, W.Va., with his family when he was 12. He was born with partial hearing loss in both ears. This disability primarily affects his ability to perceive higher-pitched sounds and often necessitates him turning his head to the left to optimize hearing from his “better” (left) ear.
Although not immediately apparent, his disability hindered his academic performance.
Stiffler sought help from the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services, which assisted him with his education and navigating financial aid options.
With the help of Monty Hogbin, a vocational counselor for WV DRS who works with individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, Stiffler enrolled in Appalachian Bible College in Mount Hope, W.Va. He graduated in 2023 with a major in Bible and theology and a minor in pastoral studies.
“Nathan’s best personal characteristics are his dependability, his honesty and his determination,” said Hogman, who helped Stiffler find resources to help him with his studies.
That sentiment was shared by the church’s lead pastor, D.J. Richie.
“He’s very honest, he’s very sincere, he’s able to connect on a personal level with the kids because he’s got really good relational skills,” Richie said.
Richie praised Stiffler’s adaptability, alluding to how Stiffler learned to play the drums because the church needed a drummer for its praise team. The youth pastor also pitches in on digital and technical tasks, putting together a website and working on video announcements for the church.
“He’s been great to jump in wherever he can serve, and I really appreciate that,” Richie said.
Outside of his church duties, Stiffler enjoys spending time with his family, which includes his wife Albina, their 20-month-old son, and an 11-year-old niece they are in the process of adopting. A big sports fan, he enjoys cheering for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Steelers.
Stiffler said he is thankful for the assistance he’s received from the WV DRS as well as the support and encouragement he’s received from his mom and his wife, who helped keep him on track through his studies.
“I’m going to be here until the Lord calls me somewhere else,” he said. “I’m perfectly content being a youth pastor and I can see myself being a pastor until I retire.”