“In 2025, the Center for Faith and Family at Olivet Nazarene University strengthened and grew the implementation of the CFF curriculum with churches and families,” says Dr. Leon Blanchette, director of the Center for Faith and Family (CFF). “We are also celebrating the reach and integrity of our Faith Together podcast. We are taking the next steps in developing our podcast by inviting authors, scholars and practitioners to appear as guests.”
CFF began in 2023 with a five-year grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. Today, the resources and research provided by CFF are reaching more families and more churches than ever before.
Faith Together Podcast
CFF’s Faith Together weekly podcast began airing on October 15, 2023, for the purpose of providing practical tools to help parents and caregivers pass their faith to their children. Now in its third season, the podcast has focused on Ages and Stages, For Families, Celebrating Easter, Page to Practice and O Holy Night (an Advent series).
“Much of the impact of the CFF curriculum project has come via our podcast,” says Rev. Lindsey Bush, assistant director of CFF. “While the target audience of the project is the Olivet Educational Region, this podcast is reaching others in the United States and around the world. We have heard from contacts in Tanzania, Kenya and Zambia that people from these countries are listening to the podcast.”
This podcast — hosted by Olivet’s broadcast network, Shine.FM — is available on Spotify, Apple and on the Center for Faith and Family’s YouTube channel and website https://www.centerff.com/faith-together-podcast. There are currently more than 1,000 followers through podcast platforms and the website, and more than 350 subscribers to the YouTube channel.
More 2025 Accomplishments
CFF’s online video-assisted curriculum www.centerff.com is a training tool for parents and caregivers. It was introduced to the public at the Children’s Pastors Conference, hosted by the International Network of Children’s Ministry, in January 2025. The curriculum series includes: Foundations of the Faith, Healthy Parenting, Screen Time Safety, How to Study the Bible and Celebrating Advent as a Family. Each series has a video teaching component, downloadable leader’s guide, downloadable participant sheet, a guide on how to use the curriculum, and additional resources. All curriculum is free to anyone who signs up on the CFF website.
Many have demonstrated specific interest in the curriculum’s Screen Time Safety series. This series is impacting churches and families — and surprisingly, secular organizations and schools as well. “As we interact with these organizations, we are discovering the impact of the Screen Time Safety series,” says Dr. Blanchette. “The issues associated with social media and its impact on our children have no boundaries and go well beyond the Church.”
Plans for the Future
In June 2026, Olivet will host the quadrennial PALCON (Pastors and Leaders Conference), a discipleship conference that focuses on equipping pastors and church leaders. The CFF will sponsor one of the general sessions, provide a track of five workshops and host a “prayground” experience for families.
In the coming year, the CFF team will add two new online video-assisted curriculum series: Shalom at Home, focusing on family rituals, traditions and spiritual practices; and Healthy Parenting 2.0 to further develop concepts shared in the original Healthy Parenting series.
A new training video is in development and will soon be available to all church leaders who use the curriculum. The video supplements the current training document. It will help equip church leaders to use the curriculum effectively to guide parents and caregivers through each lesson.
CFF Staff and Team
Leon Blanchette, Ed.D., serves as director of the Center. He is leading a team of curriculum designers, researchers, data analysts and theologians in developing training materials, training opportunities and other resources to provide what today’s families need for their children’s spiritual development. He also serves as a professor at Olivet, specializing in children and family ministry.
Rev. Lindsey Bush, M.A., is the assistant director of the Center and co-host of the Faith Together podcast. In addition, she serves as Children’s Pastor at GatheringPoint Church of the Nazarene in Bourbonnais, Ill.; a Resident Director at Olivet; and a leadership coach with the International Network of Children’s Ministry.
The CFF team is also includes:
- Dr. Mark Frisius, theologian and church historian
- Dr. Lisa Gassin, researcher
- Dr. Kristian Veit, researcher
- Dr. Lance Kilpatrick ’02, curriculum and instructional designer
- Keylan Salazar ’23 website editor
- Ruby Vega ’25 podcast editor
- Jenny Adams, administrative assistant
An advisory board also serves for the purpose of accountability and general advice. The board is made up of scholars, administrators, pastors, church and community leaders.
Olivet’s Center for Faith and Family began in 2023 with a five-year grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. In 2027, CFF will be eligible to apply for an extension of the current grant or for a new grant. As CFF continues to expand research and services, funding needs will increase. Donations from churches, foundations, individuals and other sources will be important for this work to continue.
To learn more about the benefits of The Center for Faith and Family at Olivet, visit the CFF website www.centerff.com
