All Mom Does Podcast with Julie Lyles Carr · Purposely

Our Children's Spiritual Formation with Amanda Jass

April 1, 2026·39 min·3 clips

Studies show that kids who keep their faith into adulthood aren't primarily shaped by church attendance, but by seeing faith modeled at home.

1. All Mom Does Podcast host Julie Lyles Carr speaks with Amanda Jass, a children's curriculum developer and Christian author, about spiritual formation and her new devotional book. 2. Amanda Jass is a former full-time children's ministry curriculum writer at a large multi-campus Midwest church who transitioned to freelance Christian children's publishing after having three daughters aged nine, eight, and six. 3. The episode's core thesis is that parents — not church programs — are the primary agents of children's faith formation, and that good resources can equip even busy, non-seminary-trained families. 4. Jass references Barna research indicating that kids who maintain faith into adulthood are primarily shaped by seeing faith modeled at home, not by church attendance or Christian school enrollment. 5. She distinguishes between being told about faith and seeing it lived out, arguing that children are highly attuned to parental hypocrisy and will notice gaps between stated beliefs and daily behavior. 6. The hosts discuss two historical extremes in children's ministry: the rigid sit-still, lesson-and-quiz model that fails to engage kids, and the entertainment-heavy smoke-machine approach that prioritizes fun over substance. 7. Jass argues neither extreme serves the goal of building a lasting biblical foundation, and that the answer lies in age-appropriate engagement that centers Scripture without turning church into a performance. 8. Julie Lyles Carr notes that the generation raised during the media-heavy children's ministry boom of the 1990s-2000s did not carry that engagement into adult faith, prompting reflection on what actually works. 9. Both hosts discuss the value of allowing children to ask difficult theological questions, including questions about the Trinity, God's eternal existence, and why God created Satan knowing the fall would occur. 10. Jass says parents should be comfortable answering 'I don't know — let's figure it out together,' citing that even professional theologians lack definitive answers to some core theological paradoxes. 11. Julie references Kay Arthur's precept Bible study method and her own university background as preparation that still left her stumped by her children's questions, validating Jass's point about openness. 12. Jass warns against parents feeling they need a seminary degree or elaborate craft projects to have meaningful spiritual conversations — simple, consistent engagement is more effective. 13. The hosts note that age-segregated church models can leave parents feeling secondary to professional children's ministers, when in fact daily home interactions are the primary formation context. 14. Jass describes her new book 'Adventures in the Friendly Forest' as a 30-chapter storybook devotional following fictional forest animal characters who learn biblical character principles. 15. Each chapter of the devotional opens with a Bible verse, tells a short story, and ends with discussion questions and a prayer designed to connect the fictional scenario to real-life application. 16. A specific example from the book features Blaze the Bunny struggling to stop eating cookies as an accessible illustration of self-control and why God values it. 17. Jass explains the book can be used as a traditional devotional with discussion questions or read straight through as a storybook, giving families flexibility in how they engage. 18. The episode has a warm, conversational interview tone with Julie Lyles Carr asking open-ended questions and sharing personal parenting experiences alongside Jass's practitioner knowledge. 19. Parents of elementary-age children looking for practical, non-overwhelming tools to discuss faith at home will find the most value here. 20. Parents seeking theology-heavy content, academic frameworks, or resources for teenagers will likely find this episode too practical and introductory.

As heard by us

A gentle reminder that faith modeled at home matters more than church attendance alone.

Julie Lyles-Karr and Amanda Jass keep the discussion focused on a simple but sturdy idea: a child's faith is shaped less by church attendance than by what is modeled at home.

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Why you'd press play

If you want a calm, faith-centered take on raising curious kids, start here.

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