The Child Discipleship Podcast

How would you respond if your church was directly impacted by the coronavirus? In this episode you’ll meet Dan, whose church was impacted by the coronavirus directly and you’ll meet Gary Goodrow, an Awana missionary who committed to praying for Dan’s church during this uncertain time. It sounds simple, but you’ll hear how God used Gary’s commitment and how the power o...

Melanie Hester and Brian Rhodes return to the podcast to share their own experience and insight into the power of surrounding children with a community of loving caring adults. Melanie, Brian, and Ross Cochran also discuss how to bring senior church leaders into this conversation around child discipleship, and what parents can do today to begin raising resilient disciples. In the book, Resilient:...

Ross Cochran connected with Stephanie, Awana leader Mary Jane, and eight-year-old Cooper. Cooper is a great example of what it means to be a resilient child disciple during this time, and Mary Jane and Stephanie share how they’ve worked together to help answer Cooper’s questions and be there for him as he begins his relationship with Jesus. Learn more about Mary Jane’s church  he...

Samuel Porcha and Matt Markins continue their conversation on how parents and church leaders can guide the children in their life through talking about racism and racial injustice. You can read a statement from Awana responding to the murder of George Floyd  here . SUBSCRIBE  wherever you get your podcasts today so you never miss an episode. You can leave a voicemail for the show at 630-289-5353 a...

Samuel Porcha and Matt Markins open a conversation on how parents and church leaders can guide the children in their life through talking about racism and racial injustice. You can read a statement from Awana responding to the murder of George Floyd here . SUBSCRIBE  wherever you get your podcasts today so you never miss an episode. You can leave a voicemail for the show at 630-289-5353 and email...

Jeff Dalrymple, Executive Director of The Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention , joined Ross Cochran and Kevin White, the Chief Operating Officer at Awana for a critical conversation about protecting our kids. Jeff and his team are experts in the arena of child abuse prevention and child protection. Jeff reveals some statistics that may surprise you and offers a plan on how you can address thi...

Taylor and Leah Baugh join Ross Cochran and Awana Missionary Brian Lunger. Taylor and Leah are part of a military family, and have lived all around the world. Leah and her husband Jon have consistently connected all of their kids to local Awana clubs, wherever they’ve lived. They’re an inspiring family, and we were so glad to have them on the podcast! Learn more about Brian and his min...

In this two part episode, Valerie Bell shares a vision of the “greatest generation of disciples ever” that was originally heard during the Make Resilient Disciples Online Experience. Part Two of this episode is a letter written to a child from the church. The church that cares for them deeply, and misses them terribly. We are all that church! Here are Valerie’s slides from the Ma...

Chris Marchand returns to the podcast to discuss what discipleship looks like in an era of social distancing and in an increasingly screen dependent world. SUBSCRIBE  wherever you get your podcasts today so you never miss an episode. You can leave a voicemail for the show at 630-289-5353 and email the show at  podcasts@awana.org . Don’t forget to follow Resilient Disciples on all  social media pla...

As part of the Make Resilient Disciples Online Experience, Mark Matlock shared research behind his book, Faith for Exiles, and shares a path forward to a future filled with resilient disciples. Check out the full video of the Make Resilient Disciples Online Experience, here . Mark’s portion begins at 22:56. SUBSCRIBE  wherever you get your podcasts today so you never miss an episode. You can...

Jim Wideman is a pioneer in children’s ministry who has been faithfully serving for decades. He and Ross Cochran discuss the current state of children’s ministry during the Coronavirus pandemic, how we arrived at this conversation around child discipleship, and what to do if your ministry is struggling to make disciples. We also discussed the Make Resilient Online Experience, which you...

Jeff Gilpin is an Awana Missionary serving in the Nevada area alongside his wife Judy. When the Coronavirus first began to change our lives, Jeff made clear that, “although our meetings our postponed, our mission is not!” Ross Cochran and Jeff discuss how their ministry has changed because of the pandemic, and how discipleship is still happening. You can learn more about Jeff and Judy...

Melanie Hester and Brian Rhodes return to the podcast with a conversation all about resilient child discipleship! These two individuals have seen the fruits of discipleship play out in their own lives as father and daughter, as well as their dedication to child discipleship in their careers. SUBSCRIBE  wherever you get your podcasts today so you never miss an episode. You can leave a voicemail for...

Dr. Josh Mulvihill from Renewanation and Ross Cochran discuss how a church revival can start in the children’s ministry and how KidMin leaders and parents can work together to make resilient disciples. SUBSCRIBE  wherever you get your podcasts today so you never miss an episode. You can leave a voicemail for the show at 630-289-5353 and email the show at  podcasts@awana.org . Don’t forget to...

Mark Matlock and Matt Markins connected with Ross Cochran to preview the upcoming event, Make Resilient Disciples Online Experience . Check out this conversation to learn more about how both of these men are processing this current crisis, and what gives them hope about the future of the faith. We can’t wait to connect with you on May 12th at 2pm ET! REGISTER for Make Resilient Disciples Onl...

Shawn Thornton, Senior Pastor at Calvary Community Church , joins Valerie Bell and Ross Cochran to discuss how he measures the pulse of his church and how children ministry leaders can help convict others on the importance of child discipleship. SUBSCRIBE  wherever you get your podcasts today so you never miss an episode. You can leave a voicemail for the show at 630-289-5353 and email the show at...

Melanie Hester and Ross Cochran have a practical conversation on how children’s ministry leaders can raise resilient disciples instead of creating “fans” of entertaining experiences. In part two of this conversation, Melanie has a conversation with Karen Palmer, an Awana Ministry Director from Florida , who helps contextualize what leading a ministry during this pandemic looks li...

Teasa Northern, Outreach Coordinator and Minister to Women at Grace Covenant Church in Virginia joined Valerie Bell to share how her ministry has adapted during the coronavirus. Teasa cares deeply about child discipleship, and shares lots of practical ideas that might work for your ministry during, and after, this crisis. SUBSCRIBE  wherever you get your podcasts today so you never miss an episode...

Sam Luce, a children’s pastor and children’s ministry thought leader from New York, joined Matt Markins for an honest conversation on the current state of children’s ministry and what making resilient disciples looks like in today’s world. Learn more about Sam Luce here . Check out all of our resources on how to help you to continue to make resilient disciples at home via o...

Catherine McNeil and Ross Cochran discuss an unprecedented Holy Week, parenting during the Coronavirus, and Catherine’s latest blog for Awana, “ Five Ways to Easter in Place .” Catherine McNiel is the author of All Shall Be Well: Awakening to God’s Presence in His Messy, Abundant World and Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline . Find her at catherinemcni...

Valerie Bell, Matt Markins, and Mike Handler all connected with Ross Cochran to discuss how, even during a pandemic, we can be raising the greatest generation of disciples. Read Valerie Bell’s article, “Then Came COVID-19 … And Then Came the Greatest Generation of Disciples” here . SUBSCRIBE  wherever you get your podcasts today so you never miss an episode. You can leave a voice...

Michael Handler, Chief Communications Officer at Awana, joined Host Ross Cochran to reflect on how he and his family are dealing with the Coronavirus. He recently wrote an article for Resilient Disciples, “ Super Human in the Midst of a Pandemic, ” and while the conversation starts around the article, it quickly moves forward to tangible examples of what discipleship might look like fo...

Ed Gossien, Vice President of US Field Operations at Awana, joined host Ross Cochran via Zoom to discuss his beliefs on what God is up to during this pandemic. Ed has a DEdMin from Dallas Theological Seminary. He, like so many of you, is simply an Awana kid who became invested in the ministry as an adult. This conversation covers the coronavirus pandemic, but looks forward to how God might be aski...

Dr. Sean McDowell joined Matt Markins, President and Chief Strategy Officer at Awana, for a wide ranging conversation with host Ross Cochran. Dr. Sean McDowell is a professor of Christian Apologetics at Biola University, best-selling author, popular speaker, part-time high school teacher, and the Resident Scholar for Summit Ministries, California. While this conversation focuses on the Resilient D...

Valerie Bell, Chris Marchand, and Kristin Thompson joined Ross Cochran for a conversation on how to help our children during this uncertain time. We are praying for you and your children and want to do everything we can to continue to come alongside you, especially during this unpredictable season. Here is the article written by Valerie Bell, CEO at Awana. Here is “Talking With Children abou...