Today's Children's Ministry Experts
Steve Adams is the Children's Pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. He has served in children's ministry for nearly twenty years, thirteen of which were spent at Calvary Church in Naperville, IL. Steve is a leader of leaders and has mentored many children's leaders over the years. God has blessed him with a creative mind, a true pastor's heart, and a passion for serving God and others through children's ministry. Steve and his wife, Stephanie, have two sons, Tyler, 18, and Matthew, 13.
Karl Bastian has over fifteen years of experience as a full time Children's Pastor in large, small, and mobile churches. He is also the founder of Kidology.org, one of the leading Internet destinations for those who minister to children. He has a Bible Theology degree from Moody Bible Institute and a M.A. in Children's Ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Karl is an author of and contributor to several children's ministry books and magazines, a trainer and encourager at conferences around the world, but his favorite place to be is in front of kids creatively teaching them the Bible and training them to serve God. In his workshops, Karl brings the joy of children's ministry to life, and with it, creative and practical ideas and principles that will recharge your ministry.
Judy Bryson, president of Pioneer Clubs, has more than 35 years of experience as a Christian educator and church consultant. She has been extensively involved in club and camp ministry for almost 35 years. Currently, she serves as a leader at the Pioneer Clubs program at her church. She is a frequent conference seminar leader, conducting workshops on a variety of topics for Christian education workers. Prior to being named president in July 1996, Judy served as vice president of marketing, concentrating her efforts on curriculum research and design. Judy holds a BS in Christian education from The King's College, an MBA from Lewis University, and is currently working on a doctorate in applied management and decision science.
Judy Comstock has a M.A. in Education Leadership and serves as the Executive Director for the International Network of Children's Ministry. She has been a Children's Ministry Trainer, CPC presenter and a volunteer ministry team leader. Prior to joining INCM, Judy served as the Director of Children's Ministries at Church of the Resurrection, a church of 15,000 members in Leawood, Kansas. Judy has worked as Director of Christian Education at an inner-city church in Detroit. She is the author of Children's Ministry.
Georgia Fawcett, the Director of Children's Ministry at Granger Community Church in Granger, Indiana. For the past eight years, she has guided a team of more than 450 staff and volunteers for the church's nationally recognized interactive Children's Center, a ministry that has grown from engaging 400 to 1,100 children per week. Her role—and her goal—is to help her teams create unique, safe, and stimulating environments where kids can meet Jesus through drama, song, Bible study, and creative play. Her staff oversees a kid-led worship team, an award-winning puppet team, and a team that cares for special needs children. Georgia and her team lead one-day workshops throughout the year on Granger's strategy for creating fun, safe spaces for kids to know God. At home, Georgia enjoys spending time with her husband. She has one daughter, who is a freshman in college.
Few people know Awana as intimately as Larry Fowler. Larry has served the ministry in a dizzying array of capacities: club director, missionary, curriculum writer, program developer, author, conference speaker, seminar leader, youth pastor, doctrinal expert, Bible teacher, and currently as executive director of Global Training and the Rorheim Institute. Larry's vast experience has made him well versed in every aspect of the Awana program. As an executive director, he is a valued authority and source of ideas, insight and inspiration for the direction of the organization. Recently, Larry used his more than a quarter-century of service in Awana to write Rock-Solid Kids. He and his wife, Diane, have two children and seven grandchildren.
Ryan Frank serves as the children's pastor at Liberty Baptist Church in Sweetser, Indiana. He is the creator of KidzMatter Inc. and the publisher of K! Magazine. Ryan also serves on the board of directors for the International Network of Children's Ministry. Ryan entered full-time ministry in 1998 after graduating from Indiana Wesleyan University with a degree in Christian Education. He was hired as children's pastor at Liberty Baptist Church where he currently serves. He then began work on his master's degree from Pensacola Christian College and was awarded a MA in Bible Exposition in 2000. In 1999 Ryan married Beth Bishir. Today they have one daughter named Luci. The Franks reside in Converse, Indiana. Ryan enjoys writing, reading, and traveling. You can follow Ryan on Twitter at twitter.com/r_frank.
Lynda Freeman is the creator of kidz Connection Curriculum, a curriculum for preschool- through elementary-aged children. She is also the editor of 'RoundAboutTheChurch.com, a website for curriculum reviews and resource information. Lynda attended Liberty University and Grand Rapids School of Bible and Music and has served as the children's ministry director in a number of churches. She has written for Your Church Magazine as well as Children's Ministry Magazine and is one of the contributing authors for Humongous Book of Bible Skits for Children's Ministry and VeggieTales VeggieConnections Preschool Curriculum. Lynda has consulted for Gospel Light, Group Publishing, ZonderKidz/Willow Creek and ZonderKidz/Big Idea and taught children's ministry workshops across the country. Lynda and her husband Dave have two grown children and a daughter-in-law. She is also the delighted grandmother of Josiah—the cuddly owner of chubby, kissable cheeks! She and her family live in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area where she spends much of her time teaching, writing, and consulting.
Sheryl Haystead has been a leader in children's ministry for over 25 years. She has a solid understanding of real-life children's ministry through her contact with children's pastors around the United States. She is also a committed Sunday school teacher in her own church. As Senior Managing Editor at Gospel Light, Sheryl has written and edited a wide variety of popular Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, and children's church resources, as well as numerous teaching resources. Sheryl and her husband Wes live in California. Sheryl believes that it's never too soon (or too late!) to nurture children in the faith.
Kim Huffman is the Children's Director of The Great Adventure at The Chapel's Libertyville campus. She works with a dedicated staff and volunteer team to bring innovative and quality programming to over 350 children each weekend. Kim has a passion for recruiting, building, and empowering ministry teams that communicate the love of Christ to kids and families. Kim directs a discipleship program called 5th Grade Force that prepares 5th graders for their transition into junior high. She is also co-developer of a monthly family ministry program called "Family Fusion." She counts partnering with husband, Dan Huffman, Children's Pastor and Executive Director of The Great Adventure, as one of her greatest God-given honors. She's been married to Dan for 17 years and lives in Round Lake, IL, with their 3 children: Noah, age 13; Grace, age 11; and Ben, age 7.
Mike Johnson has been the Children's Pastor of Fellowship Church since 1993. In that time, he has seen "FC Kids" grow from 150 to over 4000 children, with over six campuses in Texas and Florida. In addition to his responsibilities as a children's pastor, Mike oversees the weekly creation of Elevate and Elevate Jr., two Bible based, DVD-enhanced curriculums for children 3 years old through 5th grade. Mike graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1993 with a M.A. in Biblical Studies as well as a M.A. in Christian Education (with a Children's emphasis.) In his spare time, Mike enjoys sculpting, carpentry, and most of all, spending time with his wife Karry and their two daughters, Kaitlynn and Annie.
Scottie May is an experienced church educator and developer of materials for children's ministries. She is the coauthor of Children Matter and Listening to Children: Discovering Their Heart for God, to be released in late 2009, as well as a contributor to Perspectives on Children's Spiritual Formation: Four Views and Children's Spirituality: Christian Perspectives, Research, and Applications. Currently an associate professor of Christian Formation and Ministry at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, Scottie holds a PhD in education from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. For several years she served as a consultant for a major curriculum publisher, providing resources and workshops for 100 churches a year. She serves in elementary-age children's ministry at her own church. Scottie is passionate about children's spiritual formation and has researched how the local church influences the way they come to faith. Her other areas of interest include the power of church learning environments—particularly "authentic" experiential learning—the implications of the church being "the family of God," and intergenerational worship and learning experiences. Scottie has three adult children and eight grandchildren. (One of her sons is the creator of VeggieTales).
Sue Miller is a leader, author, and gifted communicator with a passion to equip parents with the skills they need to raise great kids. While serving as a children's ministry director for seventeen years at Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois, Sue became convinced that every child needs a relationship with a really big God that they can depend on as they grow up in this world. She also discovered that parents have a huge effect on whether or not this foundational relationship happens. However, it was the actual parenting of her own two children, with her husband Rick, that convinced her to do something to bring those two needs together for the sake of parents and their kids. In 2005, Sue and her family moved to Atlanta, and she started working at The Rethink Group. She joined a talented, motivated team committed to helping churches work together with parents as they disciple their children. This team writes curriculum for children and families, creates resources for parents to use at home, and speaks and trains church leaders all over the world. Their goal is to help church leaders partner with parents to help good parents become great parents.
Sondra Saunders has served as a Children's Minister for 46 years. She has given leadership to the preschool and children's ministry at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas for the past 30 years and has seen it grow to over 6,500 children with an average attendance of over 3,200 in Bible study alone. Sondra has presented seminars in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, Colorado and California and was the recipient of the 1999 International Network of Children's Ministry Excellence in Ministry to Children Award. She has also written periodicals for LifeWay and Group Publishing.
Mary Manz Simon holds an M.A. from the Erikson Institute for Early Childhood Education (Loyola University), and a PhD from St. Louis University. Mary serves as a corporate consultant on the children's marketplace for entertainment entities, periodicals, and major publishers. A national conference presenter, including at ACSI and the Children's Pastor's Conferences, she flies up to 100,000 miles a year throughout the U.S. and Canada. In 2008, Front Porch Parenting, her short-format radio show, celebrated the tenth year of national syndication. The program airs daily on 200 broadcast outlets. Mary's books have sold nearly three million copies and are available in ten languages. Her most recent book, The Anytime Bible was released in January. The Read and Learn Christmas Countdown, will release in fall. Mary has written hundreds of articles including a signature column for Focus on the Family newsletters. She is also an advisor to MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and consultant for their publications, Momsense and Fullfill. Mary and her husband, Hank, a Lutheran pastor, will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary in July. They are the parents of three adult children and the grandparents of two boys.
Patty Smith is currently the director of Children and Family Ministries in the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church. Before joining the Conference staff, she was the senior product developer for Children and Youth Ministries at Group Publishing in Loveland, Colorado. At Group she developed numerous resources for children's ministry, including books, music videos, CD's, and Bible studies. During her time at Group, Patty also served as the program developer and senior editor for the Training and Events Department, where she created, tested, and implemented innovative content for national training events. Before joining the Group family, she served as the Minister to Children and Families at Christ Church United Methodist in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Patty is an avid runner, ardent reader, and an awful cook!
Patrick Snow works at Christ in Youth where he is the director of SuperStart!, a national, touring weekend event for preteens. Through SuperStart! Patrick uses his creative talents to teach and speak to over 8,000 preteens throughout the year. Patrick is incredibly passionate about helping the local church grow in its vision for ministries that are specific to preteens. Patrick is also author of the book Leading Preteens.
Jim Wideman is an internationally recognized voice in children's and family ministry. He is a popular speaker, teacher, author, personal leadership coach, and minister who has over 30 years experience in helping churches thrive. Having served for 17 years at Church on the Move in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Jim understands what it takes to grow dynamic, relevant ministries for people of all ages. Along with overseeing one of America's largest children's ministries, Jim has also held various other positions giving him a background in almost every area of the local church and Christian school. Jim currently serves as Associate Pastor at World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro, TN where he oversees the next generation and family ministries.
Yancy is a unique artist with a simple goal: to make good music that glorifies God and that reaches audiences. Growing up in the home of a children's pastor (author and speaker Jim Wideman), Yancy's heart to serve the local church blossomed, and she developed a passion to provide churches and families with positive music resources. Her most recent releases include a CD/DVD for preteens called Rock-N-Happy Heart and a CD/sing-along DVD for preschoolers called Little Praise Party-My Best Friend. Yancy's pursuits are not limited to the stage, however. She's also written two devotionals specifically for worship leaders and teams. Yancy serves as the Director of Amber Sky Records, part of the reThink Group. In this position, Yancy writes monthly resources for churches, including weekly devotions, planned worship sets, and scripts to help worship leaders better communicate as they worship. Yancy resides in the Nashville, Tennessee area with her husband Cory. She keeps a busy schedule traveling the globe, sharing her music, leading worship, and training and mentoring worship leaders.
Our Editors
David Staal, Senior Editor
David Staal, senior editor of Today's Children's Ministry, serves as the president of Kids Hope USA, a national non-profit organization that partners local churches with elementary schools to provide mentors for at-risk students. Prior to this assignment, David led Promiseland, the children's ministry at Willow Creek Community Church in Barrington, Illinois. David is the author of Words Kids Need to Hear (2008) and lives in Grand Haven, MI, with his wife Becky, son Scott, and daughter Erin.
Heather Dunn, Editor
Heather has more than 30 years of experience in children's ministry as well as 15 years of experience in curriculum writing in both secular and Christian worlds. She has degrees in education and school administration and has considerable background in special needs children. She is a student of scripture, leadership, and current trends in ministry. Heather has been married to the same husband for 34 years. Together they've raised two great children whom they dearly love.
Dana Wilkerson, Editor
Dana Wilkerson is a writer, editor, and ministry volunteer who has a passion for training and equipping people for ministry. She enjoys writing and editing Sunday school curriculum, ministry training pieces, books, and various other publications. She is excited about the July 2009 release of a book for women leaders, Transforming for a Purpose: Fulfilling God's Mission as Daughters of the King, on which she collaborated with Anita Carman, founder and president of Inspire Women.
Dana holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education from William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and a Master of Divinity degree in Christian Education from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. Her ministry positions have included: Sunday school director, youth minister, children and youth Sunday school teacher, VBS director, teacher trainer, and church pianist. She hails from central Missouri and currently resides in St. Louis.
Drew Dyck, Editorial Manager
Drew Dyck is the managing editor of Today's Children's Ministry. He received an M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. His ministry experience includes serving as a youth pastor and Bible study group leader. He lives with his wife, Grace, in Carol Stream, Illinois and attends Jericho Road Church.
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