Introducing the Family Prayer Podcast: Why Digital Ministry Matters for Families Right Now

Dan Wunderlich

If you’ve spent any time around kids lately—your own, a niece or nephew, the children in your congregation—you’ve probably noticed that they’re learning all the time. At breakfast tables, in backseats, during bedtime routines, and often through the screens and speakers that surround us (phones, tablets, TVs, Alexa…).

As a parent, I’ve seen firsthand how digital moments can shape my child’s imagination. And as a pastor, I began to wonder if these moments could shape a child’s faith as well.

That’s part of why I created the Family Prayer Podcast. At its heart, it’s a simple idea: Families can benefit from a theologically grounded resource that meets them in the existing rhythms of their day. And, as a podcast, it’s literally there in your pocket whenever you need it.

Every weekday morning and evening, families can step into the fictional town of Grace Harbor, where a version of “Pastor Dan” helps kids practice gratitude, set intentions, reflect on their day, and pray. Each episode is under 10 minutes and designed to spark genuine conversation—not just fill time. Think Mister Rogers meets Wesleyan discipleship, equipping you to transform the time you already spend together.

But the podcast itself is only part of the story. I’m also learning about how families are engaging faith in an increasingly digital world. And honestly? It gives me hope.

Why Families Need Simple, Spiritually Grounded Digital Resources

Parents today aren’t just asking, “How do I raise my kids with faith?” They’re asking, “How do I do this while juggling schedules, screens, exhaustion, and my own uncertainty?” Most parents I know want to nurture spiritual rhythms at home but feel underprepared or simply overwhelmed. And in busy seasons of life, it’s hard to stop and build a whole devotional routine from scratch.

This is where I believe digital ministry can serve as a companion, not a replacement. When done well, digital resources don’t add noise. They create structure, language, and opportunities that families can build on. They don’t do the spiritual work for us, but they can give us the tools to step into the role in our children’s spiritual lives we want to play.

Short teachings. Imaginative stories. Simple questions. A prayer that doesn’t require a theological dictionary. These are small scaffolds that help families create sacred moments in the ordinary rhythms of life.

Digital ministry isn’t the enemy of discipleship. It can be a doorway.

Early on, I decided that the podcast would release two episodes a day: one in the morning and one in the evening. Part of the reason is practical. These are the moments families are most often together. But there’s also something formational about these times:

• Morning sets the tone. Kids start with gratitude, intention, or imagination instead of rushing.

• Evening gives closure. They process their day honestly and remember they are loved, even if it’s been a tough day.

As a pastor, I’ve long believed John Wesley’s principle that formation happens through daily practice, not just the rare mountaintop moments. Ordinary days can lead to extraordinary lives. These small digital touchpoints matter because they help you take the next faithful steps. And little steps every day can take you to places you never imagined.

Grace Harbor is the fictional town for the podcast, but it’s more than a creative device. It’s a place kids can return to—a world where spiritual ideas feel safe, imaginative, and connected to real life. Kids learn best through story. And honestly, adults do too.

In Grace Harbor:

• Things don’t always go perfectly.

• Honest questions are not just welcomed but valued.

• Pastor Dan has to practice the same disciplines he invites families to try.

It’s not a sermon; it’s a shared moment of discovery.

What I Hope Families Experience

If I had to name my deepest hope for the podcast, it’s this:

I hope families talk.

Not just about Bible stories, but about:

• gratitude,

• fears,

• small joys,

• disappointments,

• where they sensed God today.

If a five-minute episode helps a parent and child share one honest moment on the way to school, that’s discipleship. If a bedtime episode helps a child release their worries and feel held by God, that’s discipleship too. And over time, small practices become lifelong patterns. And every parent knows that trust and open lines of communication will be vital as our children grow up.

We are living in a moment where:

• families crave meaningful connection,

• kids are overloaded with content,

• and churches are navigating an unfamiliar digital landscape.

Instead of resisting the world our kids inhabit, we can enter that space with wisdom, imagination, and theological depth. Digital formation is not the future, it’s already here. The question isn’t whether or not our kids will be shaped by digital resources. The question is whether or not we will be intentional about choosing—and also making!—resources that shape them after the way of Christ.

I created the Family Prayer Podcast because in looking for something like this for my own daughter, so many other parents told me, “If you find something like this, let me know. We need it, too.” Digital ministry doesn’t replace the church, the Bible, or the dinner-table conversation. It opens doors for grace to show up in more and more moments.

And maybe that’s ultimately what we need. Not perfection, but a daily invitation to pay attention to the ways God is already present and active in our lives and the world around us.