Faith Forward podcast host Dave Csinos recently met Natasha Crozier at a conference where she presented about how children's literature can be an avenue for fostering wonder and curiosity. In this episode, they talk about how families, faith le

Episode 25 - A Decade of Children's Ministry in the Way of Jesus, with Ivy Beckwith

May 17th, 2023 42m 19s

Ivy Beckwith and Dave Csinos celebrate the ten-year anniversary of their book, Children's Ministry in the Way of Jesus. They talk about their visions for the book, how children's spiritual formation has changed in the past decade, and their hop

Episode 24 - Dancing in the Darkness, with the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III

Mar 13th, 2023 34m 20s

This episode is sponsored by Atlantic School of Theology.In this episode, the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss III joins Dave Csinos to talk about his new book "Dancing in the Darkness." Dr. Moss shares about how hope can help to heal the spiritual crisis

Episode 23 - The Past, Present, and Future of Godly Play, with Jerome Berryman

Nov 14th, 2022 49m 21s

This episode is sponsored by Atlantic School of Theology.Godly Play has become a well-known and well-loved approach to nurturing faith in children in many different contexts. But how did it begin? What does it aim to accomplish? And where mig

Episode 22 - Holy Work with Children, with Tanya Marie Eustace Campen

Nov 14th, 2022 38m 4s

This episode is sponsored by Atlantic School of Theology.How can adults join children in making theological meaning? In this episode, Dr Tanya Marie Eustace Campen shares about her recent book Holy Work with Children: Making Meaning Together.

Episode 21 - Youth Ministry, Identity, and Empowerment, with Eser Kim

Nov 14th, 2022 28m 12s

This episode is sponsored by Atlantic School of Theology.Dr Eser Kim discusses her recent research into identify formation and empowerment of young people in congregations. She explains why youth remain marginalized in churches, why racialize

Episode 20 - New Directions for Holy Questions, with Claire Brown and Anita Peebles

Mar 9th, 2022 29m 36s

Claire Brown and Anita Peebles sit down with Dave Csinos to talk about how families and churches can nurture the theological imaginations of young people. They tell the story behind their new book New Directions for Holy Questions and unpack al

Episode 19 - Children, Spirituality, and Resilience, with Holly Allen

Mar 9th, 2022 31m 38s

Holly Allen shares about her new book Forming Resilient Children and how nurturing spirituality in children and youth can help promote resilience in the face of grief and trauma. There aren't any steps to follow to form resilience in young peop

Episode 18 - Youth Ministry as a Practice of Nonviolence, with Elizabeth Corrie

Sep 20th, 2021 32m 43s

Elizabeth Corrie shares about how youth ministry can be a space where practices of nonviolence and peacebuilding thrive. Drawing from her recent book Youth Ministry as Peace Education, Beth explains how adults and young people alike need to ove

Episode 17 - Holy Listening with Children, with Lacy Finn Borgo

Sep 20th, 2021 24m 36s

Lacy Finn Borgo joins Dave Csinos to describe holy listening with children, a process for engaging in spiritual direction with young people. Based on her book Spiritual Conversations with Children, Lacy unpacks key ideas undergirding "holy list

Episode 16 - Emancipatory Youth Ministry, with Annie Lockhart-Gilroy

Sep 20th, 2021 38m 22s

In this episode, Dave Csinos talks with Annie Lockhart-Gilroy, an expert in youth ministry and religious education and author of Nurturing the Sanctified Imagination of Urban Youth. Believing that there is tremendous value doing new things with

Episode 15 - Pandemic-Era Innovation, with Mary Nichol, Steven Argue, and Traci Smith (Part 2)

Mar 28th, 2021 22m 27s

This episode features the first part of a panel discusison hosted by Atlantic School of Theology. Dave Csinos interviews Mary Nichol, Steven Argue, and Traci Smith about how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped and re-shaped how ministry happens wi

Episode 14 - Pandemic-Era Innovation, with Mary Nichol, Steven Argue, and Traci Smith (Part 1)

Mar 28th, 2021 32m 17s

Episode 13 - The Myth of Post-Racialism in Youth Ministry, with Montague Wiliams

Mar 19th, 2021 30m 43s

Montague Williams takes listeners into a deep exploration of race and racism within congregational youth ministry. He challenges readers to tackle the anti-virtue of post-racialism and to see how colour-blindness amounts to nothing short of the

Episode 12 - Talking Race and Gender in Sunday School, with Henry Zonio

Dec 2nd, 2020 31m 44s

In this episode, sociologist and former children's pastor Henry Zonio explores his PhD dissertation research into how children's ministry curricula teach about race and gender in implicit and explicit ways. You'll learn about how you can ensure

Episode 11 - Talking (Non)Violence in Scripture, with Catherine Maresca

Dec 2nd, 2020 31m 14s

Catherine Maresca shares wisdom from her decades of teaching Catechesis of the Good Shepherd and helps listeners learn how to invite children to discover the Bible for themselves. She shares from her new book "Violence and Nonviolence in Script

Episode 10 - The Work Experience Podcast Crossover Episode

Dec 1st, 2020 38m 52s

This crossover episode with the Work Experience Podcast (workxpc.com) features a conversation with Bradon French of the Uniting Church of Australia. Dave and Bradon talk about what it means to be progressive, why intergenerational ministry matt

Episode 9 - Melvin Bray

Jun 8th, 2020 40m 19s

In the wake of George Floyd's murder, Melvin Bray shares about how God calls us to do better. Tackling difficult but necessary topics, like what lives are worth protesting and the supremacist logic built into the church, Melvin doesn't mince wo

Episode 8 - Jennifer McLaughlin

Jun 8th, 2020 32m 27s

At the 2017 Faith Forward gathering, Jennifer McLaughlin decided to start a revolution through her church's VBS. Now it's a flourishing program where children, teen volunteers, and adult leaders meet to unpack and dismantle racism in their live

Episode 7 - Traci Smith

Jun 8th, 2020 27m 52s

What can families do to nurture faith in the midst of quarantine? Traci Smith offers helpful advice and practical ideas for integrating spiritual practices and prayer into the everyday lives of families.

Episode 6 - Brian McLaren

Mar 1st, 2020 29m 55s

In this episode, Brian McLaren and Dave Csinos reflect on the conversation they shared ten years ago that launched the Faith Forward movement. What’s changed since then? What challenges persist? How can ministry with children and youth be a cat

Episode 5 - Cindy Wang Brandt

Mar 1st, 2020 27m 11s

Cindy Wang Brandt joins Dave Csinos to share about how healthy spirituality can be fostered in families healing from religious trauma. An unfundamentalist parenting advocate and author of Parenting Forward, Cindy offers insights about the impor

Episode 4 - Daneen Akers

Mar 1st, 2020 25m 33s

Dave Csinos is joined by Daneen Akers to discuss how learning about unconventional faith leaders can catalyze a spirit of faith-filled activism among children and youth. Daneen shares about how a dearth of resources for progressive families spu

Episode 3 - Robyn Henderson-Espinoza

Dec 2nd, 2019 24m 11s

Activist-theologian Robyn Henderson-Espinoza joins Dave Csinos to talk about how leaders in ministry with children and youth can create runways for lives of imagination, activism, and good theology. They speak about how the faith of Robyn's chi

Episode 2 - Mary Hawes and Murray Wilkinson

Dec 2nd, 2019 25m 31s

In this episode Dave Csinos speaks with Mary Hawes and Murray Wilkinson about their work to pioneer a revolution in ministry with children and youth across the United Kingdom. After being part of Faith Forward they returned to Britain on a miss