Church for the Rest of Us Podcast

By Family Church NetworkReligion & Spirituality Christianity

Church for the Rest of Us Podcast episodes

April 01, 2025CFTROU 211: KIDS: SPIRITUALLY SIGNIFICANT CAMPS | Camps & Events
CFTROU 0211: KIDS: SPIRITUALLY SIGNIFICANT CAMPS | Camps & Events
After months of focusing on our kids and youth ministries, we conclude this season’s episodes with the spiritual significance of church-led events, specifically church camps. Pastors Zack Rickards and Cole Bearden join us to share their early childhood camp experiences, explain why camp is an essential part of the Family Church DNA, and highlight how it accelerates spiritual growth. They also offer best practices for attending another church’s camp, powerful testimonies on camp’s lasting impact, and a practical guide to starting your own. Tune in to learn how church camps can spark transformation, deepen faith, and create lifelong connections!

Key Points From This Episode:
Why camps are an irreplaceable and vital cog of the Family Church wheel.
A short trip through Zack, Cole, Leslee, and Jimmy’s childhood camp experiences.
Church camp: the great accelerator for relationships and culture.
A step-by-step breakdown of how we put our camps together.
Triumphant stories of how kids and adults have been impacted by our camps.
How to start your own church camp and use it to your best advantage!

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it’s an accelerator for our church culture.” username= “JimmyScroggins”]

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literally have to this day formed when they went to kids camp in the third grade. That’s pretty amazing!” username=”LesleeDBennett”]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Jimmy on X
Leslee on X
Family Church Network
Family Church on Facebook
Family Church on Instagram
Church for the Rest of Us on X
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This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.
28 min
March 18, 2025CFTROU 210: Kids: Starting the Leadership Pipeline | 5th Grade Young Leaders
CFTROU 210: Kids: Starting the Leadership Pipeline | 5th Grade Young Leaders
Family Church is unique for many reasons, but one of the most prominent ones is its 5th grade young leaders program – where their leadership pipeline begins. Joining us to talk about our 5th grade young leaders are Zack Rickards and Tyler Hamilton. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about the importance of having a leadership pipeline, why Family Church starts it at the 5th grade level, what the 5th grade young leaders program is, how to become a leader, and what their responsibilities are. We go on to discuss the family commitment that comes with being a 5th grade young leader before touching on the importance of making sure all members participate in the running of the church. We even hear about some of our guest’s most excellent 5th grade young leaders. Finally, we discuss the benefits of young leadership programs.
Key Points From This Episode:
The importance of having a leadership pipeline and why Family Church starts in 5th grade.
What the 5th grade young leaders program is, how kids become leaders, and their roles.
The kinds of things parents need to commit to when their kids are 5th grade leaders.
Why we want everyone to be involved in Family Church through deliberate participation.
The benefits of young leadership programs and a reminder not to underestimate kids.
Don’t underestimate just how valuable and how gifted these kids are.
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Christ should be the center of your life in all aspects.
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Jimmy on X
Leslee on X
Family Church Network
Family Church on Facebook
Family Church on Instagram
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Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us.
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If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below.
Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review!
This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.
28 min
March 04, 2025CFTROU 209: Kids: Celebrating Life’s Milestone Moments | Milestones
CFTROU 0209: Kids: Celebrating Life’s Milestone Moments | Milestones
KIDS: CELEBRATING LIFE’S MILESTONE MOMENTS | Milestones
How do we guide children and families through life’s significant moments with purpose and faith? In this continuation of our ongoing series about student and kids ministries, host Jimmy Scroggins and co-host Leslee Bennett are joined by Zack Rickards and Gina Carmichael, key leaders in the Family Church Kids Ministry. Together, they unpack the Milestone Program, a thoughtful framework designed to help families mark key spiritual moments, from Parent-Child Dedication to Baptism and beyond. You’ll discover how intentional guidance and community support can significantly shape a child’s faith journey and equip parents for their pivotal role.
Key Points From This Episode:
The importance of marking significant events in a child’s spiritual journey.
An overview of our Kids Ministry milestones: Parent-Child Dedication, Kids’ New Believers Class, Baptism, and How to Have the Talk.
Gina’s perspective on how any church of any size could create a family program like this.
Ensuring readiness for the baptism milestone and the importance of parental involvement.
How to Have the Talk: equipping parents for key conversations on gender, sexuality, and tech.
Practical tips and inspiration to help church leaders launch their own kids’ ministry.
Kids Ministry and Student Ministry – puts the “family” in Family Church.
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”You
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.” username=”LesleeDBennett”]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Jimmy on X
Leslee on X
Church for the Rest of Us Conference
Family Church Network
Family Church on Facebook
Family Church on Instagram
Church for the Rest of Us on X
Full Circle Parenting
Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us.
Subscribe via
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If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below.
Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review!
This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.
33 min
February 18, 2025CFTROU 208: Kids: Leading Elementary Kids Worship
CFTROU 0208: Kids: Leading Elementary Kids Worship
Today, we’re diving into Elementary Kids Worship at Family Church, known as The Treehouse. Joining us are Zack Rickards and Erica Brooks. In our conversation, we dive into the philosophy behind why we line up all our teachings on a Sunday, discuss what Kids Worship looks like at Family Church, and explain why we decided to have separate worship for adults and kids. We break down how the team outlines and plans Treehouse worship experiences, unpack the different elements incorporated to help share the big idea of the week, and share ways we ensure our kids build intentional Biblical literacy.
Key Points From This Episode:
Zack defines what Kids Worship looks like at Family Church.
What changed Pastor Jimmy’s mind about having separate Kids worship.
Break down how they outline and plan the Treehouse worship experience.
The intention behind Treehouse as a church for kids.
We unpack the elements incorporated into Treehouse and how they help share the big idea.
The different ways we ensure our kids build intentional Biblical literacy.
How we’d advise other churches to begin their own Kids Worship.
”Our
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. — We want our Kids ministry to be an extension of the total ministry of the church, not an alternative” username= “JimmyScroggins”]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Jimmy on X
Leslee on X
Family Church Network
Family Church on Facebook
Family Church on Instagram
Church for the Rest of Us on X
Church for the Rest of Us Conference
Family Church Elementary | Treehouse Takeover
Family Church Preschool | Heartland
Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us.
Subscribe via
Email
iTunes
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RSS
If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below.
Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review!
This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.
31 min
February 04, 2025CFTROU 207: Kids: Leading Preschool Kids Worship | Preschool
CFTROU 0207: Leading Preschool Kids Worship | Preschool
Today’s topic of conversation centers around preschool worship, what we refer to as Heartland at Family Church, and is something that’s near and dear to Pastor Jimmy’s heart! We are fortunate to have the masterminds of Heartland joining us on the show today, Zack Rickards and Janelle Bannister. Join us as we dive into a typical morning at Heartland! Janelle breaks down the Gospel Project curriculum and we explain the what and why of preschool worship. We also share what our team’s work week looks like in preparation for Sundays, express the pivotal role of volunteers in making Heartland happen, and delve into our use, production, and the behind-the-scenes of our Heartland videos.
Key Points From This Episode:
A typical morning at Preschool church.
Janelle gives us a breakdown of The Gospel Project curriculum.
What it would look like at a smaller church, with a smaller number of preschoolers.
We dive into the what and why of preschool worship or Heartland worship.
More details about our Heartland program: ages, time frames, and format.
The pivotal role of volunteers in making Heartland happen.
”One
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that we want to give kids a faith that they can grow into, not a faith that they grow out of. -Zack Rickards]
”You
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curriculum, you make it as engaging and as intriguing as you can because, at the end of the day, you’re trying to help these little minds grown in their knowledge and love for the Lord.” -Janelle Bannister]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Jimmy on X
Leslee on X
Family Church Network
Family Church on Facebook
Family Church on Instagram
Family Church Heartland
Church for the Rest of Us Conference
Church for the Rest of Us on X
Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us.
Subscribe via
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If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below.
Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review!
This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.
28 min
January 21, 2025CFTROU 206: Kids: Keeping Kids Safe | Child Safety Meeting
CFTROU 206: Kids: Keeping Kids Safe | Child Safety Meeting
Child safety is important for any church, not just ours, and we are thrilled to be joined by Family Church Kid’s Ministry Pastor Zach Rickards and Wendi Serna, who walk us through the best practices for child safety on church grounds. We begin by explaining why child safety is such an important issue before learning why it sits at number one on Kid’s Ministry’s list of objectives. Then, we unpack the traits that make up the perfect Kid’s Ministry volunteer, how we find and enlist them, other policies worth mentioning about child safety at Family Church, and why we hold an annual child safety meeting for the parents in our congregation. We end with helpful advice for improving child safety at your church, and Leslee shares her perspective on what parents look out for when bringing their kids to church for the first time.
Key Points From This Episode:
Understanding why safety is number one on the Kid’s Ministry’s list of priorities.
The characteristics that define the perfect Kid’s Ministry volunteer.
Kid’s Ministry’s protocol for finding and enlisting volunteers.
How to start improving child safety at your church.
Background checks and other non-negotiables for child safety on church grounds.
What parents view as important when taking their kids to church for the first time.
We need to be as vigilant; careful; and as aggressive as we can about creating a safe environment for the kids.
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Jimmy on X
Leslee on X
Church for the Rest of us Conference 2025
Family Church Kids Elementary
Family Church Kids Preschool
Family Church Network
Family Church on Facebook
Family Church on Instagram
Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us.
Subscribe via
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If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below.
Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review!
This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.
31 min
January 07, 2025CFTROU 205: Kids: How We Engage Kids | Theology, Philosophy, Methodology
CFTROU 0205: Kids: How We Engage Kids | Theology, Philosophy, Methodology

Family is a big deal to God; it’s a big thing in The Bible, and it’s a big thing here at Family Church! So, we love to spend our time having intentional conversations about how we pass our faith on to the next generation. Today, we are joined by Family Church Kids Pastors Zach Rickards and Keenan Casteel to walk us through the theology, philosophy, and methodology of our kid’s ministry. We discover why kid’s ministry is a number one priority at Family Church before learning about how we show up for our youth, how we serve our kids through the kid’s ministry mission statement, the role of parents in bringing their kids close to God, and how our theology impacts our philosophy and methodology. We also unpack how The Bible is communicated to our kids at Family Church, what it means to have childlike faith, and how we ensure that our kids are always having fun as they learn about Biblical foundational truths.
Key Points From This Episode:
Understanding why kid’s ministry is so important to Family Church.
Our kid’s ministry mission statement and how we serve them.
The role of parents in raising God-fearing kids.
Exploring the way our theology impacts our methodology.
How the way Family Church communicates The Bible to kids differs from others.
What it means to have childlike faith.
How we generate fun each week for our kids at Family Church.
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Jimmy on X
Leslee on X
Keenen Casteel on Instagram
Zachary Rickards on Instagram
Family Church Network
Family Church on Facebook
Family Church on Instagram
Family Church Kids Preschool
Family Church Kids Elementary
Church for the Rest of Us Conference 2025
Church for the Rest of Us on X
Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us.
Subscribe via
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iTunes
Google Play
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If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below.
Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review!
This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.
28 min
December 24, 2024CFTROU 0204: Students: Celebrating Life’s Moments | Milestones
CFTROU 0204: Students: Celebrating Life’s Milestone Moments | Milestones
As our children move through different stages of life, it’s essential to give them tools that help them make sense of life and keep following Christ through it all. Today on the show, we’re wrapping up the first half of this season, focused on Student and Kids Ministries at Family Church. This episode concludes the Student Ministry part of our series, and in our next episode, we’ll shift our focus to Kids Ministry. In this conversation, we’re exploring how to celebrate life’s milestone moments, joined by Pastors John MacTaggart, Derek Simpson, and Todd Thomas. We’ll talk about why we emphasize these milestone moments, what our current milestone path looks like, the impact of long-term commitment to these moments, and how they’re adapted over time to meet our community needs and culture changes. Celebrating life’s milestone moments is a valuable tool we use at Family Church, so tune in to learn more.

Key Points From This Episode:
Why we emphasize milestone moments at Family Church.
We unpack what our milestone path currently looks like.
A look at what our 6th-grade milestone looks like and what we do there.
Pastor Todd shares his experience as a dad who took part in the 6th-grade milestone.
Pastor John breaks down what our senior milestone includes.
Why these milestones tend to adapt and change over time, and factors that influence them.
The benefits that flow out from celebrating these milestones.
We share stories of how our student milestones have impacted families.
Milestones are a way that we celebrate an accomplishment. It’s where we celebrate the changing of a season of life. It’s where we celebrate a new season of growing up with our kids and with our families. And we’ve found this to be…
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One of my favorite things about these milestones is that they help our kids celebrate good holy, wholesome, righteous things as they follow God’s design. It’s good that they’re getting to choose over what the world has to offer.
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Todd Thomas on X
Jimmy Scroggins on X
Leslee Bennett on X
John MacTaggart on X
Derek Simpson on X
Church for the Rest of Us Conference
Family Church Network
Family Church on Facebook
Family Church on Instagram
Church for the Rest of Us on X
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Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us.
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If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below.
Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review!
This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.
24 min
December 10, 2024CFTROU 0203: Students: Finding the Right Volunteers | Recruiting & Training Adult Volunteers
CFTROU 0203: Students: Finding the Right Volunteers | Recruiting & Training Adult Volunteers

Today, we’re continuing our discussion on student ministry at Family Church by diving into practical matters—like how to recruit the right volunteers. Joining us on the podcast are Pastor John MacTaggart and Pastor Brian Stebbins to unpack our approach to recruiting and training adult volunteers, focusing on finding and retaining significant adults. As you tune in, you’ll hear why we prioritize recruiting and training the right volunteers, what we look for in people to serve in student ministry, and the critical role significant adults play. We’ll also share practical insights into our onboarding booklet, our seven-step process, and intentional training methods for our adult volunteers.
Key Points From This Episode:
Why recruiting and training student volunteers is so important.
The value and priority of retaining significant adults: setting high expectations.
We talk about our onboarding booklet and the seven-step process.
Basic steps churches of any size can take to recruit and onboard student ministry volunteers.
The importance of giving parents access to small group leaders and allowing them to get to know the person investing in their child’s life.
How we do intentional training with our adult volunteers.
“If
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“Every
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“I
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Jimmy on X
Leslee on X
John on X
Brain on X
Church for the Rest of Us Conference
Family Church Network
Family Church on Facebook
Family Church on Instagram
Church for the Rest of Us on X
Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us.
Subscribe via
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If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below.
Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review!
This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.
26 min
November 26, 2024CFTROU 0202: Students: Sundays First | Strategy of Sunday Morning
CFTROU 0202: Students: Sundays First | Strategy of Sunday Morning
If your goal is long-term family formation and raising disciples, consider cultivating a student ministry that fully integrates students into the larger life of the church, and that starts with Sunday mornings. In this episode, we continue our series on how we at Family Church approach Student Ministry, focusing on our philosophy of putting Sundays first. Join Pastor Jimmy Scroggins and his co-host Leslee Bennett as they chat with Pastor John MacTaggart; who leads our Student Ministry across our network of churches, and Pastor Tyler Core; the campus pastor at Family Church Gardens and our former student pastor. In this episode, we dive into our ‘Sunday’s First’ philosophy in Student Ministry, discuss how Pastor John applies this approach, the importance of integrating students into the broader church life, and the role of parents in this journey. We also touch on how this philosophy plays out across our campuses and unpack the purpose of our mid-week activities in supporting our students’ spiritual growth.

Key Points From This Episode:
What we mean by our ‘Sunday’s First’ philosophy in our Student Ministry.
How the Student Ministry team plans their week with a focus on Sunday mornings.
How we work out our Sunday morning philosophy throughout all our campuses.
Why it’s crucial to integrate our students into the life of the larger church.
Our goal with mid-week activities.
Leslee shares her perspective as a mom who has raised teenagers and the value of Sunday mornings.
One word of advice to pastors and leaders to change their course and focus to Sunday mornings.
If you want to build families, the center of the target has to be Sunday mornings.
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Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
Jimmy Scroggins on X
Leslee Bennett on X
John MacTaggart on X
Tyler Core on X
Church for the Rest of Us Conference 2025
Family Church Network
Family Church on Facebook
Family Church on Instagram
Church for the Rest of Us on X
Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us.
Subscribe via
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iTunes
Google Play
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If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below.
Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review!
This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.
26 min