Caitlyn Smelser
Caitlyn Smelser is the Executive Assistant at Stuff You Can Use and former youth pastor. On any given day you'll find her out for a run, hiking with her dog, Gus, or paddle-boarding on the lake. If you'd like to chat with Caitlyn about where to find the best hiking trails or how to make a perfect french macaron, she'd love to connect with you!
Appears in 15 Episodes
025: More Inclusive Spaces for Kids with Disabilities (Part 1)
Creating an inclusive space requires us to think intentionally about our environments, language, resources, leadership, and the culture we're creating for every kid an...
024: Strategic Nursery Ministry
Few ministry environments require more trust than your nursery. Parents are handing you their tiniest and most vulnerable family members, so creating an environment wh...
023: Behind the Scenes of Grow Kids Curriculum
Behind every series we create at Grow are months of planning, collaboration, biblical study, creative decisions, and lots and lots of revisions. In this episode of Kid...
022: A More Strategic Parent Ministry
Ministry to kids will always, necessarily involve ministry to parents. But building a healthy parent ministry strategy can feel overwhelming when you're not sure where...
021: Let's Plan a Move-Up Day!
There are a few moments in the ministry year that deserve extra attention. Move-Up Day is one of them. It's an opportunity to celebrate growth, ease anxieties, communi...
020: 10 Tips for Summertime in Kids Ministry
Ask a Question: Have a kids ministry question you want us to talk about? Send it in at KMA.show and your question might be featured in a future episode! Subscribe & ...
019: Teaching Difficult Bible Stories to Kids
There are so many wonderful Bible stories to teach to kids every week. But there are a few that seem more intimidating than helpful. We want to stay true to Scripture ...
018: How to Leave Your Ministry Well (Crossover)
Leaving a ministry role can feel overwhelming—full of mixed emotions, hard conversations, and uncertainty about what comes next. In this episode of Kids Ministry Answe...
017: What We Wish We Knew Before We Got Into Ministry
When you’re starting out in kids ministry, it’s easy to feel like you need to have everything figured out—while simultaneously feeling unprepared. In this episode of K...
016: Our Favorite Event Ideas
When planning events, it’s easy to focus on what sounds the most unique or creative—but not every event should be trying to accomplish the same goal. In this episode o...
015: Engaging Kids Who Don't Participate
When a few kids hang back, avoid activities, or seem uninterested, it can feel discouraging and tempting to push harder for participation. In this episode of Kids Mini...
014: How to Handle Behavioral Issues
Handling behavioral issues can feel like walking a tightrope—wanting kids to feel loved and welcomed while also maintaining a safe and fun environment for everyone. In...
013: Empowering Volunteers to Lead
When ministry projects pile up, it’s easy to unintentionally let your volunteer team building take a back seat—leaving even great teams feeling under-equipped or under...
012: How to Stretch Your Curriculum Over 2 Weekly Programs
Trying to plan two weekly gatherings can leave leaders feeling stretched thin—worried about being repetitive, running out of energy, or needing to use a variety of cur...
011: An Event to Help your Team Connect
Building a strong kids ministry team doesn’t start with training—it starts with connection. In this episode of Kids Ministry Answers, Jason Sivewright and Dr. Linda Mo...
