The Amazing Kids Ministry Podcast

How to Equip Parents for Discipleship at Home I Matt Markins

We sit down with Matt Markins, President and CEO of Awana, for a rich conversation on children’s ministry, discipleship, church innovation, and what it really takes to form lasting faith in kids.
A major focus of the episode is the tension between content and connection. Churches often tell parents they are the primary spiritual influence in their kids’ lives and give them resources, but many parents still feel insecure because no one has actually shown them how to disciple their children. Matt challenges church leaders to move beyond simply handing out resources and begin relationally training parents, shepherding children, and creating real capacity for discipleship.
Matt shares his personal story of encountering the church as a child during a painful family season, and how loving, faithful adults helped disciple him into the person and leader he is today. From there, the conversation moves into how churches can honor the past while still leading necessary change, why research and data should serve biblical wisdom rather than replace it, and why the church must recover a relational model of discipleship.
This conversation is for every kids pastor, family ministry leader, volunteer, parent, and church leader who wants to see faith formed deeply and lastingly in the next generation.
Explore Amazing+, our comprehensive ministry strategy for 0-18 – Full access to curriculum, media, tech, training, and tools. 
https://www.joinamazing.com/amazingplus
 
 
Matt Markin's Books can be found on Amazon
 
Forming Faith: Discipling the Next Generation in a Post-Christian Culture
https://l1nk.dev/zg3h3y5
 
The Faith of our Children: Eight Timely Research Insights for Disciplining the Next Generation
https://l1nk.dev/x806ka2

How to Stop Falling Behind in Kids Ministry I Amanda Druffel

Kids ministry leaders are often carrying more than people realize: curriculum prep, crafts, volunteer care, family ministry, events, admin, budgets, teaching, discipleship, and everything in between. In this episode, Amanda Druffel joins the Kids Min Podcast to talk about why systems matter, not because ministry should become mechanical, but because the right systems create space for the work kids pastors actually got into ministry to do.
Amanda shares practical insight for leaders who feel tired, stretched, or stuck in weekly survival mode. The conversation explores how curriculum can quietly consume most of a kids pastor’s week, how simple rhythms can bring clarity, and how delegation can open new opportunities for volunteers to serve in meaningful ways. It also gets personal, touching on family, priorities, and learning how to protect the “glass plates” while letting some “plastic plates” wait.
This is an episode for any kids pastor who has ever thought, “I got into this to pastor kids and families, but I spend most of my time just getting Sunday ready.” Amanda offers encouragement, practical tools, and a reminder that you are not crazy—you can keep going.
Explore Amazing+, our comprehensive ministry strategy for 0-18 – Full access to curriculum, media, tech, training, and tools. 
https://www.joinamazing.com/amazingplus

Why Every Kids Pastor Needs This Volunteer Model to Succeed I Larry Cramer

In this episode, Tyler sits down with Pastor Larry Cramer from Christ’s Church of the Valley in Arizona to talk about his unexpected journey into kids ministry, leaving ministry, serving as a police officer, and eventually following God’s call back into church leadership. Larry shares practical wisdom on creating a kids ministry culture that is safe, clean, fun, and biblical — while reminding us that the real impact happens through relationships, small groups, and volunteers who understand the vision. This conversation also dives into recruiting the right leaders, empowering high school students to serve, building invite culture, and why kids pastors need mentorship and community instead of trying to lead alone. Whether you are a kids pastor, volunteer, church leader, or someone who cares deeply about the next generation, this episode will encourage you to keep building the Kingdom right where God has placed you. Explore Amazing+, our comprehensive ministry strategy for 0-18 – Full access to curriculum, media, tech, training, and tools. https://www.joinamazing.com/amazingplus Learn more about KidMin Collective: kidmincollective.org

Why Better Songs Don’t Fix Kids Worship I Yancy

What if kids worship is not just a song slot in your service, but a discipleship opportunity?
In this episode of the Amazing Kids Min Podcast, Tyler welcomes back Yancy for a conversation about kids worship, family worship experiences, and why churches need to be more intentional about helping children encounter God. Yancy shares what she has been seeing while leading live worship events across the country, including families driving hours just to attend Christian worship experiences for their kids. The conversation also explores how churches can involve kids in worship teams, production, creative arts, and ministry leadership without turning it into a free-for-all.
They also talk about:
-Why parents are hungry for Christian family worship events
-How kids can be trained, pastored, and discipled through worship
-Why some kids “don’t know how to worship”
-Practical ways kids pastors can teach worship every week
-The importance of making space for kids to experience the presence of God
-Yancy’s podcast, Stained Glass Kids
-How churches can use Little Praise Party songs in kids ministry environments
 
Explore Amazing+, our comprehensive ministry strategy for 0-18 – Full access to curriculum, media, tech, training, and tools. 
https://www.joinamazing.com/amazingplus
 
Listen to Stained Glass Kids: StainedGlassKids.com
Learn more about Yancy events: YancyMinistries.com/events

Kids Pastors Need Each Other More Than They Think I Justin Edge

What if kids ministry was never your original plan, but exactly where God was leading you?
In this episode, we sit down with Justin Edge from Life.Church to talk about his unexpected journey into kids ministry, the leadership lessons he learned through both success and hurt, and why no kids pastor should lead alone.
 
This conversation is full of practical wisdom for kids pastors, ministry leaders, and anyone who wants to grow in leadership without losing sight of the one child, one family, and one leader God has placed in front of them.
 
We talk about:
How Justin Edge discovered his calling to kids ministry
Why church size should not stop leaders from learning from each other
The danger of leading in isolation
How to stay curious as a ministry leader
Why accountability and feedback matter
How systems can help local leaders thrive
The role of mentorship and ministry community
Why collaboration creates stronger ministry decisions
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more conversations with amazing people doing amazing things in the KidMin world.
Explore Amazing+, our comprehensive ministry strategy for 0-18 – Full access to curriculum, media, tech, training, and tools. 
https://www.joinamazing.com/amazingplus
www.kidmincollective.org
#kidspastors #kidsmin  #amazinglife  #nextgenministry #discipleship #pastor #christianpodcast #volunteers #tools #leadership #ministrytips

Helping Special Needs Kids Feel Safe at Church I Kim Botto

 
Tyler sits down with Kim Botto for a deeply practical and heart-shaping conversation about creating church environments where every child belongs—especially kids who are neurodivergent, have experienced trauma, come from foster/adoptive backgrounds, or carry “big behaviors” into ministry spaces.
Kim shares how her journey through business, church leadership, adoption, and years of kids ministry shaped her passion for the children often pushed to the margins. She challenges leaders to move beyond “this is the way we’ve always done it” and instead lead with kindness, curiosity, flexibility, empathy, and proximity.
This conversation is for every kids pastor, ministry volunteer, senior leader, and church team member who has ever felt unequipped to serve children with extra support needs. Kim reminds us that we do not have to be experts to make a difference—we simply need to believe every child is made in God’s image, get on their level, ask better questions, and create spaces where they can experience the love of Jesus.
 
Explore Amazing+, our comprehensive ministry strategy for 0-18 – Full access to curriculum, media, tech, training, and tools. https://www.joinamazing.com/amazingplus#kidsMinistry #childrensministry  #volunteers  #everychild #specialneedsministry #neurodivergent #ChurchLeadership #amazinglife
#orangestrategy

We Had to Expand the Orange Strategy. Here’s Why... I Chris Heaslip

What if kids ministry burnout is not caused by a lack of passion — but by a lack of the right tools? In this episode, Chris Heaslip shares the heart behind Amazing Life, his journey from Pushpay into children’s ministry, and why the next chapter of KidsMin is about more than curriculum, strategy, or content.
It is about helping pastors pastor again.
We talk honestly about Orange, burnout, parent partnership, technology, and why kids ministry may be one of the most important departments in the local church. Chris unpacks how tools can remove friction, create capacity, and help children’s leaders focus on what matters most: reaching kids, equipping parents, supporting volunteers, and helping the next generation encounter Jesus.
If you are a children’s pastor, NextGen leader, Orange curriculum user, or church leader who cares about the future of KidsMin, this conversation will give you language, clarity, and hope for what comes next.
In this episode:
Why curriculum alone is not enough
How strategy without tools can lead to burnout
What Orange helped shape in children’s ministry
Why technology should serve pastors, not replace them
How Amazing Life is helping kids pastors lead with more capacityExplore Amazing+, our comprehensive ministry strategy for 0-18 – Full access to curriculum, media, tech, training, and tools. 
https://www.joinamazing.com/amazingplus
#orangestrategy  #amazinglife #kidsmin #nextgenministry #discipleship #pastor #christianpodcast #curriculum #orangecurriculum #burnout #volunteers #tools 

Leadership Is Changing Hands: What It Means for You I Keturah Boston

What happens when God asks a new generation to lead what someone else built? In this episode of the Amazing Kids Ministry Podcast, we sit down with Keturah Boston to talk about one of the biggest shifts happening in ministry right now: the leadership baton pass.
As more seasoned pastors and kids ministry leaders step into new seasons, younger leaders are being asked to lead teams, volunteers, and ministries with deep history. But how do you bring change without dishonouring legacy? How do you lead people who are older than you? And how do you know when God is asking you to step into something new?
This conversation is for every kids pastor, next gen leader, volunteer leader, and ministry builder who wants to lead with humility, courage, prayer, and spiritual maturity. You’ll learn how to assess a ministry before changing it, honour what came before you, listen for God’s voice, and lead faithfully through transition.
 
Explore Amazing+, our comprehensive ministry strategy for 0-18 – Full access to curriculum, media, tech, training, and tools. 
https://www.joinamazing.com/amazingplus
 
#leadershiptransition #leadingolderpeople #legacyleadership
#ministrywisdom #kidsministry #youngleaders #ministryleadership #amazinglife

How to Help Kids Worship, Listen, and Love Church

What if kids ministry could be fun, excellent, and deeply transformational all at once?
In this episode, Rudy Rupert shares his journey through church leadership — from growing up in ministry, to missionary years in Germany, to leading at Journey Church in Ohio. Together, we explore one of the biggest tensions in kids ministry today: creating highly engaging environments without losing real discipleship.
Rudy unpacks leadership transitions, raising ministry standards, embracing change, and equipping volunteers to create meaningful moments that help kids connect with Jesus and keep coming back.
This conversation is packed with insight for kids pastors, church leaders, and ministry teams who want to build ministry that is both impactful and intentional.
 
Explore Amazing+, our comprehensive ministry strategy for 0-18 – Full access to curriculum, media, tech, training, and tools. 
https://www.joinamazing.com/amazingplus

Setting up your staff and Volunteers to Win I Emily Smith

What happens when a kid raised in church grows up and reflects on what actually mattered? In this powerful episode , Tyler sits down with Emily Smith, a product of kids ministry, to unpack the real impact of growing up in church. From “I grew up in church. My dad is on staff…” to discovering her own faith, Emily shares what stuck, what didn’t, and what today’s leaders NEED to understand. If you lead kids, serve in ministry, or care about the next generation—this conversation will challenge everything you think matters. 
Watch now and rethink the way you do kids ministry.
 
Explore Amazing+, our comprehensive ministry strategy for 0-18 – Full access to curriculum, media, tech, training, and tools. 
https://www.joinamazing.com/amazingplus