Speaking Topics
Melissa is a dynamic and sought-after speaker with a deep passion for equipping leaders and advocating for vulnerable children. While she frequently speaks on children’s ministry, Melissa also addresses topics such as leadership, discipleship, healthy churches, and soul care—with a heart especially attuned to the needs of those impacted by foster care and adoption. Her storytelling, quick wit, and ability to cut through to the heart of an issue resonate with audiences of all ages. Whether she’s training ministry teams, championing foster and adoptive families, or inspiring leaders toward Christ-centered growth, Melissa’s message is always clear, compelling, and full of hope.
Discipling World Changers
What if we raise up a generation that changes the world, rather than the world changing them? This generation can indeed change the world. This seminar takes the learner through inspirational stories, practical ideas and biblical truth all designed to equip you to inspire this generation.
Empowering Kids to Hear and Respond to God
Kids don’t receive a miniature Holy Spirit—they receive all of Him, and He loves to speak to them. Using real-life examples and practical tools, this seminar will equip you to help kids hear and respond to God. Prepare to be amazed!
Kids Experience the Same God You Do
Developmental stages are important when teaching kids, but even more important is helping kids experience all of who God is. The Holy Spirit is at work in kids’ lives and that trumps any developmental stage. This seminar is designed to help you rethink how you guide kids as they experience God. Using practical ideas, biblical examples, and personal stories, this seminar will keep you engaged while challenging you.
Theology that Grows
Our kids need to be taught solid theology. Theology points them back to God—and that is what we want for them as they grow. Using solid theological truths in a process that will help you think, this seminar will challenge you to think deeper.
What Does the Bible Say About Kids?
You know kids are important and I know kids are important—but what does the Bible have to say? Using scripture and stories, this seminar dives deep into what God has to say about kids, their impact, and their importance. This seminar will change how you cast vision to your leadership, inspire your leaders, and disciple your kids.
When is the Church Not the Church?
Most churches highly value the discipleship of children and teens. However, many congregations have established programs that inadvertently become obstacles to the flow of whole-church discipleship. This seminar helps you and your team create the healthy discipleship environment so desperately needed.
The Art of Story
Kids learn through story, and it’s by far the best medium for catching their attention, keeping it, and communicating a point. This seminar explores different storytelling techniques and helps you develop your own stories in a way that powerfully communicates with kids. If you speak to kids at any level, this seminar is a must!
Creative Bible Teaching
Have you ever wanted to teach in a way that grabs people’s attention and has them wanting more of God and His Word? This seminar is highly practical and hands-on. You’ll dive into tools and simple processes for teaching in a way that gets your audience excited to open the Bible and apply it to their lives.
Making Every Minute Count
We have so few minutes at church with kids. As leaders and teachers, we need to use every one of them wisely. This seminar will help you prep for teaching, offer practical ideas, and keep you focused on what matters most: pointing kids to Jesus.
How a Child Listens, Learns, and Loves
Everyone has their preferred style of listening, learning, and loving. This seminar explores the four primary learning styles along with the five love languages. With interactive examples, practical ideas, and time-honored techniques, you’ll walk away understanding how to better communicate and build strong relationships.
Authenticity: A Ministry Game Changer
People today are desperate for authenticity. In a world that is chronically inauthentic, they are looking for what’s real. As leaders, we lead best when we’re honest and real. Authenticity invites authenticity—and that can be a ministry game changer.
Build a Team, Grow the Kingdom
Leading in Children’s Ministry is too difficult to do alone. We serve best when the right people are around us, sharing the joys and burdens. This session offers strategies to build a team that uniquely fits your needs as a leader. When you build a team that works, the Kingdom grows.
Getting and Keeping Great Volunteers
Volunteers—we all need them, and for many of us, it’s a dreaded subject. But getting and keeping great volunteers doesn’t have to be terrifying. A shift in mindset and a different focus may have volunteers coming to you. This session provides practical ideas, purposeful focus shifts, and reveals the heart behind volunteer engagement.
Healthy Leaders, Healthy Ministry
We all want healthy ministries—but that starts with healthy leaders. Using scripture and stories, this seminar identifies key markers of healthy leadership. It will challenge and inspire you to dig deeper into who God created you to be and how you were made to lead.
Ministry to Millennials
How do you reach, work with, and learn from Millennials? This seminar offers practical strategies for ministering to and alongside Millennials. Melissa, a Millennial herself, speaks from personal experience while also calling her generation to more.
Soul Care (2–3 hour session)
Is your soul weary? Are you doubting what you know to be true? Do you love the people you serve but find yourself running on empty? This seminar explores the necessity of soul care, offers practices to refresh your spirit, and gives you space to breathe. May you serve out of abundance, not depletion.
Loving the Busy Kids
Kids today are busier than ever—and oftentimes it’s hard to capture their attention. This seminar offers a framework for how to love and lead “busy kids” well. More than discipline techniques, you’ll learn how to meet kids where they are with grace and clarity.
Reaching Preteens
They’re unique. They’re unpredictable. And they’re awesome. This seminar explores how to reach and keep preteens engaged in your ministry. Using interviews with preteens, you’ll discover what they want, what they’re looking for, and what makes them stick around.
Open Doors
Society is shifting, and with it, families and priorities. The Church can either resist these shifts—or see them as open doors for ministry. This seminar challenges you to creatively respond to cultural shifts with the love of Jesus, using stories, scripture, and lots of practical ideas.
Transforming Ministry
Kids ages 4–14 make up the largest unreached people group in the world. To reach them, we must think in terms of transformation—not just programs. Using stats, stories, and practical tools, this seminar will reshape how you view ministry—not just to kids, but to the church at large.
Foster Care and Adoption in the Heart of the Church
The Church is uniquely positioned—and called—to stand in the gap for vulnerable children and families. In this powerful and practical workshop, Melissa unpacks the realities of foster care and adoption and challenges the Church to become a place of radical hospitality, deep compassion, and unwavering advocacy. Through compelling stories, biblical insights, and actionable steps, participants will gain a clearer understanding of how to support foster and adoptive families, care for children from hard places, and create a church culture where every child feels seen, safe, and loved. Whether you’re a ministry leader, volunteer, or simply someone with a heart for justice and mercy, this session will both equip and inspire you to respond.