Yana Jenay Conner is a writer and Bible teacher who helps others exchange a secular worldview for a biblical one. A proud St. Louis native now residing in Durham, North Carolina, Yana grew up in the church but didn’t truly encounter the transforming love and grace of God until her junior year of college.
By God’s grace, she has served in full-time ministry for twenty years in both para-church and local church contexts and currently serves as the Adult Ministry Director at Vertical Church. In 2019, Yana earned a Master of Divinity in Christian Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Through teaching, writing, and disciple-making, Yana is passionate about helping others think well about faith, culture, and how the two intersect. She has partnered with the Jude 3 Project to coauthor Through the Eyes of Color and Courageous Conversations—two Black apologetics resources designed to help Christians discern what they believe and why. Her writing has also been featured on platforms such as She Reads Truth, Propel Women, and Gospel-Centered Discipleship.
Her debut book, Living Beyond Offense: Doing the Hard Work of Forgiveness God’s Way, releases this fall.
When she’s not teaching or writing, Yana enjoys deep conversations and laughs with friends, soul-stirring books, and a good taco.
