Thought Leadership for Children's Ministry Leaders

  • Nashville - Thur/Fri Sept. 25/26, 2025

  • Online Tickets STILL AVAILABLE including Exclusive Bonus Content.

  • Nashville Tickets SOLD OUT! Thompson Station Church

  • 2604 Thompson's Station Rd E, Thompson's Station, TN 37179

New Theme for 2025

  • Gospel Truth: Jesus Changes Everything
  • Families: Jesus Changes Everything
  • Culture: Jesus Changes Everything
  • Our Ministries: Jesus Changes Everything

Transformational Change for Your Ministry

• Teach biblical truth in today’s culture
• Help kids navigate anxiety & trauma
• Equip parents for home discipleship

Save Your Seat

Who Should Attend?

  • Children’s Ministry Leaders & Teams
  • NextGen & Family Ministers
  • Church Senior Leadership & Discipleship Ministers

2025 Speakers: Orthodox Biblical Views for Living in an Unorthodox World

Jon Tyson

Pastor & Author

Natasha Crain

Apologetics Podcast & Author

Derwin Gray

Pastor & Author

John Dickson

Professor & Author

Trudy Cathy White

Chick-fil-A
Founding Family

Ryan Burge

Researcher & Author

Robert & Lori Crosby

Trauma-Informed Children’s Ministry Experts

Christopher Yuan

Author & Pastor

Sam Luce

Pastor & Author

Shawn Thornton

Ministry President & Author

Greta Eskridge

Author & Podcast Host

Brook & Elizabeth Mosser

Ministry Presidents & Podcast hosts

Tony Shepherd

CDF '25 Host

Mike Handler

CDF Architect & Co-Founder

Matt Markins

Awana President/CEO & CDF Co-Founder

Worship Team and Story & Song artists to be announced soon.

Hear from experts on biblically discipling kids through the issues they’re facing in today’s culture.

What to Expect

  • Dynamic Teaching: Be inspired by leading voices in child discipleship and church ministry.
  • Real-World Application: Learn how to apply biblical principles in today’s cultural landscape.
  • Resources for Impact: Discover tools to help you guide children toward a lifelong relationship with Jesus.
Save Your Seat

Why Attend CDF '25?

The Child Discipleship Forum 2025 will challenge, inspire, and equip you with biblical and practical guidance for shaping the spiritual future of your next generation. Through keynote speakers, interactive sessions, and community conversations, you will gain insight into how Jesus changes:

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How we disciple children

Teaching timeless biblical truths that shape a stronger biblical worldview

How we navigate culture

Providing biblical insights to today's complex questions

How we live out our mission

Empowering the next generation to live boldly for Christ

Hear what past attendees are saying about the CDF Experience

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Kellie - Dallas

“This conference was thought-provoking. The depth of the content helps lay a foundation for why we minister to children and families, how to truly disciple people and form a solid strategy for the Church to reach the next generation.”

Mark - Nashville

“It’s really an eye-opener. It allows us to grasp the urgency of child discipleship and leads us to the next steps of “What are we doing with discipleship?” Because if we’re not, something else will.”

Richard - San Diego

"Absolutely life-changing. I’ve gone from feeling hopeless in the light of our current culture to feeling encouraged and empowered. I’ve already made it a priority to spend time with our children’s ministry team to explore how we can be doing better at discipling whole families.”

Alex - St. Louis

“CDF made it even more clear how much our children’s ministry has got to step it up right now. Time is of the essence to reach these students and families.”

2025 Child Discipleship Forum Schedule

ALL TIMES LISTED BELOW ARE CENTRAL TIME ZONE.
The Online Broadcast is live in Central Time and also has an additional 2-hour delay stream.

This schedule is Approximate and all times are Subject To Change.

Wednesday, Sept. 24
3:30 – 5:30 p.m. — 🎉 CDF Welcome Party & Check-in! 🎉
The Venue at Homestead Manor
4691 Columbia Pike, Thompson Station, TN 37179

Thursday, Sept. 25
7:30 a.m. — Church opens for Check-in, Community, & Coffee

8:00 a.m. — Worship Center Doors Open

8:00 a.m. — Online Pre-Event Broadcast

8:30 a.m. — Session 1

10:45 a.m. — Session 2

12:00 p.m. — Lunch (Included in Nashville Registration)

12:30 p.m. – Online Bonus Broadcast

1:20 p.m. — Session 3

3:05 p.m. — Session 4

5:00 p.m. — Day 1 Ends

Friday, Sept. 20
7:30 a.m. — Church opens for Community & Coffee

8:00 a.m. — Worship Center Doors Open

8:00 a.m. — Online Pre-Event Broadcast

8:30 a.m. — Session 5

11:00 a.m. — Session 6

12:10 p.m. — Lunch (Included in Nashville Registration)

12:40 p.m. – Online Bonus Broadcast

1:30 p.m. — Session 7

3:30 p.m. — CDF Day 2 Ends

3:30 p.m. — Online Broadcast – Wrap Up Show

Hotel Accommodations

We have blocks of discounted rooms available at several surrounding hotels.

Make sure you book your room through the official CDF room block!

Residence Inn Berry Farms — Sept. 2

Hampton Inn Berry Farms — Sept. 3

Homewood Suites Franklin — Sept. 4

Rooms are priced as low as $150/night!

The CDF Welcome Party is Back!

The Child Discipleship Forum officially kicks off with a party, and we want you to be there!

Join us at the CDF Welcome Party, a joyful time to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, take care of conference check-in registration and soak in the energy before the Forum begins.

Wednesday, Sept. 24
3:30 – 5:30 PM
The Venue at Homestead Manor
4691 Columbia Pike, Thompsons Station, TN 37179

Everyone gets a CDF sticker — perfect for your water bottle or journal.

The first 100 guests will receive free Jesus Changes Everything swag. (We’re keeping that surprise under wraps a bit longer!)

Yard games, conversation zones, small plates and drinks to keep the afternoon light and fun.

And, you can get fully checked in so you’re ready to roll Thursday morning.

Plus you’ll have the opportunity to connect with our Brite team to find out why Brite has quickly become one of the leading biblically based weekend discipleship curriculums in America!

You don’t want to miss it. See you there!

Plan Your Trip

Nashville is widely known as Music City – and for good reason. Nashville, TN is the hometown of country music and the birthplace of bluegrass, with roots in R&B, and a thriving pop and rock scene. Plus it's the base where most Contemporary Christian, Gospel, and Worship music are distributed from.

The city offers exciting experiences for all ages and interests. Visitors come from all over the world to listen to live music, see the famous recording studios on Music Row, try Nashville’s famous hot chicken or simply plan a fun vacation in the city.

20 min south of downtown Nashville you will find Franklin TN, the home to CDF. Franklin's historic downtown has one-of-a-kind shops and locally owned restaurants that make a wonderful place to stretch your legs. The historic Factory is also a tourist favorite and has recently expanded its number of restaurants and shops. Plus the Cool Springs area is where you will find hotels, a limitless number of restaurants, and almost any kind of store you might need.

FAQs

About Awana

The Child Discipleship Forum has been organized by Awana. From its roots in mid-week children's ministry, Awana has become a leader in global child and youth discipleship, providing curriculum and leader equipping in 140 countries. Awana partners with ministries like Compassion International, World Vision, and numerous denominations in over 78,000 churches, engaging more than 8.6 million children and students weekly.