The Child in Our Midst

You’ve seen it: great curriculum, full classrooms and happy parents. Yet kids are still leaving faith behind anyways. For children’s ministry leaders, something is missing even when everything looks right.In this season opener, Dr. Mimi Larson and Joy Wendling look below the surface and share this year’s guiding question: Why is relational ministry essential for a child’s faith to flourish? Children’s faith is formed through relationships, not through programs alone.Relational ministry means more than a leader’s own relationship with the kids. It means building bridges for kids to have relationships with so many others in the church. Mimi and Joy talk about the pull toward programs and curriculum, the pressure of that one hour on Sunday morning, and the freedom of knowing that prioritizing relationships is good, worthy ministry.Plus, hear from kids in their own voices about church and the people in it.Try this week: Ask a volunteer or a child in your ministry one question about their life outside of church.New episodes release monthly. Subscribe, rate and review, and share it with a friend in ministry.

Life with young kids can be chaotic. So many things are competing for our attention, and we might not even be aware of where our priorities lie. Esau McCaulley joins Lindsey and Ahyuwani to talk about the process of getting ready for church with a family, how church forms us, and why prioritizing spiritual formation for children is important. The Child in Our Midst is a podcast of the Center for Faith and Children, where we’re reimagining church where a child’s faith flourishes. Visit our website for more about this episode.It’s produced by Area Code Audio. 

Welcoming children just as they are is a counter-cultural practice that invites us to examine our values and what we believe about the kingdom of God. Kaitlyn Schiess talks with Lindsey and Ahyuwani about what this question shows us about what we might believe about the church, who we might be excluding, and what opportunities we might be missing as a result. Children share how they know someone likes having them around. The Child in Our Midst is a podcast of the Center for Faith and Children, where we’re reimagining church where a child’s faith flourishes. Visit our website for more about this episode.It’s produced by Area Code Audio.

When our kids say church is boring, we might think we’ve failed them in some way. But what if this statement is an invitation to deeper conversation and an opportunity to learn how children experience church. In this week’s episode, Lindsey and Ahyuwani learn from Tim Beilharz, a kid’s pastor at Soul Revival Church and lecturer in intergenerational ministry at Youthworks College in Australia. Tim shares how helping kids identify with the people of God addresses this issue. Visit our website for more about this episode. The Child in Our Midst is a podcast of the Center for Faith and Children, where we’re reimagining church where a child’s faith flourishes.It’s produced by Area Code Audio.

How do we know if kids are paying attention? What ways of participating in church actually “count”? Do questions like this help us or make it harder for us to connect with our kids around faith? Dr. Robin Barfield, a lecturer in children’s ministry from the UK and a parent of four, talks with Lindsey and Ahyuwani about questions of agency, artistry, and responding to God. The Child in Our Midst is a podcast of the Center for Faith and Children, where we’re reimagining church where a child’s faith flourishes. Visit our website for more about this episode.It’s produced by Area Code Audio. 

What can we control, and what can’t we control about how our kids engage in worship? Do our worship services even acknowledge that kids will be there? Kelsey Kramer McGinnis, musicologist and mom of small kids, helps us think about the role of music in the life of the church and challenges the idea that we can “make” our kids do anything. Kelsey and our hosts explore what it means for children to be participating in singing and how parents and ministry leaders can get buy-in from kids. Spoiler alert: it’s simpler than you might think! Kids share their stories and thoughts about singing in church. The Child in Our Midst is a podcast of the Center for Faith and Children, where we’re reimagining church where a child’s faith flourishes. Visit our website for more about this episode.It’s produced by Area Code Audio. 

Does asking your kids, “What did you learn in church today?” actually do anything? Are there better ways to start faith conversations with kids? And once you do, what’s your goal? Sarah Cowan Johson, author of Teach Your Children Well, the 2023 CT Marriage & Parenting Book of the Year, challenges whether the idea of “getting it” is really worth our time, and along with our hosts, considers how we might engage in relationships with our kids that include faith and discipleship. The Child in Our Midst is a podcast of the Center for Faith and Children, where we’re reimagining church where a child’s faith flourishes. Visit our website for more about this episode. It’s produced by Area Code Audio.

There are a lot of stories in the Bible that aren’t really appropriate for kids. What do we do if the sermon or scripture passage is too much for kids to handle? Dr. Bob Keeley shares his wisdom from decades of ministry and his love for the Bible with Lindsey & Ahyuwani as they think about how to navigate the tension of including children when it gets complicated. The Child in Our Midst is a podcast of the Center for Faith and Children, where we’re reimagining church where a child’s faith flourishes. Visit our website for more about this episode. It’s produced by Area Code Audio.

Welcome to Season 2 of The Child in Our Midst! This season, we’re asking common questions about kids and worship and going beyond the questions to see what we can learn about God, ourselves, and children. In this episode, Ahyuwani and Lindsey talk with the Executive Director of the CFC, Dr. Mimi Larson, about the tension churches face between belonging and programming and how parents can pay attention to the environment a church is promoting surrounding faith and a child’s life with God. Children share what they think is most important about church. The Child in Our Midst is a podcast of the Center for Faith and Children, where we’re reimagining church where a child’s faith flourishes. Visit our website for more about this episode. It’s produced by Area Code Audio. 

In the final episode of Season 1, Ahyuwani & Lindsey are joined by Kelli Dunn & Melissa Deelstra. Kelli & Melissa are both parents and ministry leaders who have been working out a lot of what we have talked about in this podcast both in their ministry contexts and at home. They share about the idea of Sacred Play & join Ahyuwani and Lindsey in reflecting on the first season of The Child in Our Midst. Kids school us on how to play. We hope you'll connect with us online at faithandchildren.org or by following us on Instagram and Facebook @faithandchildren. Stay tuned for Season 2!