#479 The Role of Preschool Ministry in Spiritual Formation - Dr. Shelly Melia

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Shelly Melia, associate dean of the Graduate School of Ministry at Dallas Baptist University. With 25 years as a children's minister and counselor, Dr. Melia shares her insights on preschool ministry, stressing its role beyond mere “child care during adult activities.” Dr. Melia highlights her principles for engaging preschoolers: hands full, minds open, and hearts engaged. She emphasizes creating a loving, family-like church environment that supports children's cognitive and emotional growth. This episode points out how early spiritual formation is crucial, with the church playing a key role in guiding a child's lifelong faith journey. Register your team for D6 Conference 2026 at Learn more and download a month-long free sample at

You can listen to #479 The Role of Preschool Ministry in Spiritual Formation - Dr. Shelly Melia online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

#479 The Role of Preschool Ministry in Spiritual Formation - Dr. Shelly Melia is an episode from D6 Podcast by Ron Hunter.

This episode is 00:25:30 long.

This episode was published on Jul 21, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from D6 Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.