The KidzMatter Podcast

If you're a children's pastor feeling alone, overwhelmed, or questioning whether you can keep going, Ryan and Beth Frank want to meet you at The KidzMatter Conference. This conversation isn't just about breakout sessions (though there are 170+ of those). It's about sacred space. It's about discovering that you are not alone. It's about hearing God's voice again. And it's about figuring out the one next right thing you need to do, instead of drowning in all the "nexts."

In this episode, you'll hear why this year's conference theme—rooted in Psalm 78:4—is designed for you, and why creators and first-time attendees often leave saying, "That changed my life."

Come as you are. Get your tickets at thekidzmatterconference.com - $95 for first-timers and $50 for students. Need financial assistance? Email [email protected].

Lift Curriculum helps you LIFT the name of Jesus every single week by helping kids see that every part of the Bible points us to Jesus. Get 52 weeks of Elementary AND Preschool Ministry lessons PLUS Worship Videos, PLUS Game Videos, AND EVEN VBS - ALL for only $97 for the entire year! Just visit liftcurriculum.com, select the "annual billing" option, and enter the code KIDZPOD in the discounts box on the payment page. Don't wait - the code is only good for the first 100 people, AND it expires on September 30th.

🔌 Connect with all of the KidzMatter resources in our free KidzMatter Community.

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🎟️ JOIN US at the KidzMatter Conference 2026 — NEXT — October 6–8 in Evansville, IN.
🌎 Discover more children's ministry tools, training, and curriculum: kidzmatter.com

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Sunday is always coming, and it's easy for kids' ministry to run on autopilot. The same games, the same songs, week after week. But what if there was a simple framework to help you evaluate every element of your large group ministry and ensure it's moving kids toward lasting spiritual impact?

In this episode, Hannah Augustine sits down with Curt Hale, curriculum writer and developer for Brite Curriculum at Awana, to unpack the AGE Impact Triangle, a practical decision-making tool for kids' ministry leaders. Tune in to learn how to keep your environments on track!

Get FREE sample lessons from Brite Curriculum at https://britecurriculum.com/. Access your FREE trial of Planning Center at planningcenter.com/kidzmatter. Get your tickets to The KidzMatter Conference today to meet the Brite and Planning Center teams in person!

🔌 Connect with all of the KidzMatter resources in our free KidzMatter Community.

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🎟️ JOIN US at the KidzMatter Conference 2026 — NEXT — October 6–8 in Evansville, IN.
🌎 Discover more children's ministry tools, training, and curriculum: kidzmatter.com

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Conflict is part of ministry — you can't avoid it, but you can lead through it well. In this episode, Hannah sits down with certified coach, speaker, and DISC behavioral analyst Shelby Honeycutt for a sneak peek of her upcoming KidzMatter Conference breakout on emotional intelligence. Whether you're navigating a tough conversation with a volunteer or trying not to bring your worst self home after church, this episode will help you lead from a place of health.

Get your tickets for The KidzMatter Conference in Evansville, Indiana - October 6th-8th, 2026 - today!

🔌 Connect with all of the KidzMatter resources in our free KidzMatter Community.

📌 SUBSCRIBE for weekly podcast episodes.

YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Other platforms: kidzmatter.com/podcast

📫 Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know about all of our LIVE events.

🎟️ JOIN US at the KidzMatter Conference 2026 — NEXT — October 6–8 in Evansville, IN.
🌎 Discover more children's ministry tools, training, and curriculum: kidzmatter.com

📱Follow KidzMatter:
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Big budget or no budget — what matters is how you steward it. In this episode, Hannah Augustine sits down with Melanie Ringle, a 10+ year KidMin veteran and self-proclaimed "thrifting" expert, to talk about stewarding your kids' ministry budget with creativity and intention.

Melanie shares her top strategies for planning ahead, building a team of deal-hunters, and getting maximum mileage out of every dollar. Don't miss this practical and encouraging episode!

Stretch your budget with a free sample of The Park curriculum at parklearning.com. 

🔌 Connect with all of the KidzMatter resources in our free KidzMatter Community.

📌 SUBSCRIBE for weekly podcast episodes.

YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Other platforms: kidzmatter.com/podcast

📫 Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know about all of our LIVE events.

🎟️ JOIN US at the KidzMatter Conference 2026 — NEXT — October 6–8 in Evansville, IN.
🌎 Discover more children's ministry tools, training, and curriculum: kidzmatter.com

📱Follow KidzMatter:
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Comparison is a thief of joy — and so is trying to run before you've learned to crawl. Charlie Alcock (Good Days with Eddy and Charlie, youth pastor track leader at this year's KidzMatter Conference) and Hannah Augustine dig into how leaders can grow at their own pace, help their teams do the same, and build real partnerships between kids' and youth ministries.

Save 25% when you preorder Spy U, the 2027 VBS theme from Answers in Genesis, at AnswersVBS.com (offer valid until January 10th, 2027). Get your FREE Youth Leader tickets to The KidzMatter Conference at thekidzmatterconference.com with the code YOUTH2KM.

🔌 Connect with all of the KidzMatter resources in our free KidzMatter Community.

📌 SUBSCRIBE for weekly podcast episodes.

YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Other platforms: kidzmatter.com/podcast

📫 Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know about all of our LIVE events.

🎟️ JOIN US at the KidzMatter Conference 2026 — NEXT — October 6–8 in Evansville, IN.
🌎 Discover more children's ministry tools, training, and curriculum: kidzmatter.com

📱Follow KidzMatter:
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Kids are hungry for heroes — and too often, culture hands them fictional ones instead of the real, flesh-and-blood believers whose stories can shape their faith for a lifetime. In this episode, Hannah Augustine sits down with New York Times best-selling author Ellen Vaughn to talk about her children's biography, Elisabeth Elliot: The Brave Girl Who Chose to Love, and why stories like Elisabeth's still matter for kids today.

Get your copies of The Brave Girl Who Chose to Love at thegoodbook.com. Visit rnow.me/kidzmatter and try out God's Kids, the latest kids' ministry curriculum from Right Now Media, for free.

🔌 Connect with all of the KidzMatter resources in our free KidzMatter Community.

📌 SUBSCRIBE for weekly podcast episodes.

YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Other platforms: kidzmatter.com/podcast

📫 Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know about all of our LIVE events.

🎟️ JOIN US at the KidzMatter Conference 2026 — NEXT — October 6–8 in Evansville, IN.
🌎 Discover more children's ministry tools, training, and curriculum: kidzmatter.com

📱Follow KidzMatter:
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Is fun a distraction from real ministry — or the doorway into it? Hannah sits down with Kayla Fowler (Team Lead for Hyfi, Lifeway's next-gen curriculum) to unpack why fun isn't optional in kids' ministry — it's foundational. If you've ever wondered whether the games and goofiness "count" as real ministry, this conversation will change how you see it.

Visit KidsGoBible.com to learn more about the GO! Bible and to get your free curriculum resources. For a free trial of Hyfi by Lifeway, visit myhyfi.com.

🔌 Connect with all of the KidzMatter resources in our free KidzMatter Community.

📌 SUBSCRIBE for weekly podcast episodes.

YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Other platforms: kidzmatter.com/podcast

📫 Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know about all of our LIVE events.

🎟️ JOIN US at the KidzMatter Conference 2026 — NEXT — October 6–8 in Evansville, IN.
🌎 Discover more children's ministry tools, training, and curriculum: kidzmatter.com

📱Follow KidzMatter:
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If you've ever stood in front of a room full of kids and felt the chaos creeping in, this episode is for you. Hannah Augustine sits down with Steve Bloom, executive producer of The Park Curriculum, to talk through practical strategies for large group ministry — from classroom management and behavior challenges to putting the right leaders in the right seats. Steve brings 16 years of kids ministry experience and a refreshing honesty about what actually works (and what doesn't) when you're leading elementary kids in a large group environment.

Visit parklearning.com to check out The Park's sample lesson today! And get 25% off your KidMin Academy tuition with the code PODCAST at kidminacademy.com, or email [email protected] to try a FREE class.

🔌 Connect with all of the KidzMatter resources in our free KidzMatter Community.

📌 SUBSCRIBE for weekly podcast episodes.

YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Other platforms: kidzmatter.com/podcast

📫 Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know about all of our LIVE events.

🎟️ JOIN US at the KidzMatter Conference 2026 — NEXT — October 6–8 in Evansville, IN.
🌎 Discover more children's ministry tools, training, and curriculum: kidzmatter.com

📱Follow KidzMatter:
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What if the real problem in your kids' ministry isn't a lack of volunteers — it's that you can't keep the ones you have?

In this episode of the KidzMatter Podcast, Hannah Augustine shares a sneak peek inside a KidzMatter PRO April coaching call featuring three KidMin Academy students: Dave, Rose, and Christi. All three are dedicated kids' ministry leaders at their local churches, and they bring raw, real insight into what has kept them committed to kids' ministry for the long haul — and what leaders can do to care for and retain their teams.

Visit thegoodbook.com and use the code KIDZMATTER to get 30% off the Seek and Find Bible Series, now through July 31st, 2026! Get your free trial of KidzMatter PRO at kidzmatter.com/pro.

🔌 Connect with all of the KidzMatter resources in our free KidzMatter Community.

📌 SUBSCRIBE for weekly podcast episodes.

YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Other platforms: kidzmatter.com/podcast

📫 Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know about all of our LIVE events.

🎟️ JOIN US at the KidzMatter Conference 2026 — NEXT — October 6–8 in Evansville, IN.
🌎 Discover more children's ministry tools, training, and curriculum: kidzmatter.com

📱Follow KidzMatter:
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How do you build a children's ministry from scratch — or step into one and make it better? In this special collaboration between the KidzMatter Podcast and the Cross Formed KidMin Podcast, hosts Hannah Augustine, Hunter Williams, and Tim Beilhartz give you a practical, theology-grounded roadmap for starting strong.

Whether you're brand new to kids ministry or a veteran who needs to get back to basics, this episode is packed with frameworks you can apply right away.

Visit https://crossformedkids.com/podcast/ to listen to the Cross Formed Kidmin Podcast!

🔌 Connect with all of the KidzMatter resources in our free KidzMatter Community.

📌 SUBSCRIBE for weekly podcast episodes.

YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Other platforms: kidzmatter.com/podcast

📫 Sign up for our newsletter to stay in the know about all of our LIVE events.

🎟️ JOIN US at the KidzMatter Conference 2026 — NEXT — October 6–8 in Evansville, IN.
🌎 Discover more children's ministry tools, training, and curriculum: kidzmatter.com

📱Follow KidzMatter:
   Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Join our Facebook Community