Church for the Rest of Us Podcast

Family Church
  • 4.9 (79)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY

A place for leaders to find principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have.

  1. 04/01/2025

    CFTROU 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!  CFTROU 211: KIDS: SPIRITUALLY SIGNIFICANT CAMPS | Camps & EventsClick To Tweet it’s an accelerator for our church culture." username= "JimmyScroggins"]CFTROU 211: KIDS: SPIRITUALLY SIGNIFICANT CAMPS | Camps & EventsClick To Tweet 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 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 Google Play Stitcher 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 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.

    27 min

  2. 03/18/2025

    CFTROU 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.Click To TweetChrist should be the center of your life in all aspects.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X  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 Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher 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 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.

    27 min

  3. 03/04/2025

    CFTROU 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.Click To TweetCFTROU 209: Kids: Celebrating Life’s Milestone Moments | MilestonesClick To Tweet." 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 Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher 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 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

  4. 02/18/2025

    CFTROU 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.  CFTROU 208: Kids: Leading Elementary Kids WorshipClick To Tweet. — 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 Google Play 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.

    30 min

  5. 02/04/2025

    CFTROU 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.  CFTROU 207: Kids: Leading Preschool Kids Worship | PreschoolClick To Tweet that we want to give kids a faith that they can grow into, not a faith that they grow out of. -Zack Rickards]CFTROU 207: Kids: Leading Preschool Kids Worship | PreschoolClick To Tweet 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 Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher 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 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

  6. 01/21/2025

    CFTROU 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.Click To Tweet 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 Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher 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 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.

    30 min

  7. 01/07/2025

    CFTROU 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 Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher 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 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

  8. 12/24/2024

    CFTROU 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…Click To TweetOne 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.Click To Tweet 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 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 Google Play Stitcher 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 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
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A place for leaders to find principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have.

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