The Child in Our Midst

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...

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 l...

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...

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...

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 childr...

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...

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...

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...

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...

As we approach the end of our first season, we focus on the love of Jesus and its power to transform our lives. Jared Patrick Boyd, author of Imaginative Prayer and Finding Freedom in Constraint joins Lindsey and Ahyuwani for a conversation about how to create spaces where we can experience and pay attention to the love of Jesus together. Children share what they love about their fa...

We all have some sense that "reading the Bible" is important and something that we *should* be doing in our homes. But what happens when we actually read the Bible? How can we handle the difficult topics contained in Scripture and what should we do with the tricky questions it raises for our kids (and for us too!)? This week, we hear what real kids have to say about the Bible, reflect on how readi...

But is worship even developmentally appropriate for kids? What can they get out of worship? Dr. Robbie Castleman, author of Parenting in the Pew helps us to see the worship service as a story that we can share with our children. Through her own stories, she helps us to think long-term about the investment we make when we invite children to worship. Several kids share what they think about worship....

Is faith good for kids? Can it help them face the hard things they face now and will face in the future? Dr. Holly Allen shares where research on resilience and spirituality intersect. We’ll discuss what a connection to Jesus and to a faith community have to do with children’s ability to bear up under the large and small challenges they will face. Children share stories of hard things & what h...

If God is engaging with the children in our lives, how can we come alongside the children we know to notice & respond to God’s voice? Lacy Finn Borgo works as a spiritual director with children at Haven House, a transitional living facility for families. Lacy, Lindsey, and Ahyuwani discuss the questions that help a child pay attention to the activity & invitations from Jesus in their own l...

Are children growing in faith? How can we know? Are these even the right questions to ask? Dr. Scottie May, who literally wrote the book on thoughtful ministry with children, schools Lindsey & Ahyuwani on what it looks like for children and adults to mutually contribute to one another’s faith development. Children will help us to reflect on what genuine faith looks like. The Child in Our Midst...

Welcome to The Child in Our Midst! Meet the Center for Faith and Children staff and learn about why belonging is so foundational to a child’s faith development.  In this episode, Ahyuwani and Lindsey talk with the Executive Director of the CFC, Dr. Mimi Larson, about the central idea that undergirds all the work the center does–a warm and stubborn belief in God’s love for children. Together w...

The Child in Our Midst is more than just another parenting podcast. It's for parents & ministry leaders who want to help their children feel loved and valued by God, going beyond rules & regulations and seeing their children with more kindness and empathy. Join co-hosts Lindsey & Ahyuwani on a warm and relatable journey as they explore faith through the eyes of children....