Hi! I’m Dawn Rundman.

I’m a nationally-recognized presenter, author, and resource provider specializing in children's faith development. I received a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Oregon, attending grad school as a new era began of discovering how young brains function. After grad school I taught courses in child development, special education, and assessment techniques at Concordia University-Chicago where I was Associate Professor of Psychology.

And then . . . career pivot! I went from psychology professor to editor. Since 2002 I’ve developed Bibles, Sunday school curriculum, confirmation sessions, adult Bible studies, and many other faith formation resources at Sparkhouse and Augsburg Fortress, two publishing units of 1517 Media.

Now I lead keynotes, workshops, and breakout sessions across the US at conferences and congregations. If you need someone to talk about the thrilling intersection of faith formation and brain science in kids, I’m your person. (I also give talks about self-care for ministry leaders and how to understand generational differences in church settings.)

In 2018 I released a book for parents, other caregivers, and ministry leaders. It’s called Little Steps, Big Faith: How the Science of Early Childhood Development Can Help You Grow Your Child’s Faith. I’m pretty proud of it. My husband (who never read a parenting book even though he stay-at-home dadded both our kids until kindergarten) told me, “Hey, I’d read this even if I didn’t know you.” I did not want to follow that logic much further, so I just accepted the compliment.

I’ve also written articles about faith formation and brain development for Children’s Ministry magazine, Youth Worker Journal, Living Lutheran, and Christian parenting blogs. I authored a chapter titled “Babies and Toddlers, Too?” in the book Intergenerate: Transforming Churches through Intergenerational Ministry. Honestly, I liked my original title better: Early Childhood: The Most Important Intergenerational Ministry No One Is Talking About.

At the onset of the pandemic, I convinced my family to create an 8-episode series called Family Sunday School by Sparkhouse that gave families a way to enjoy a Sunday school lesson together in the comfort of their living room. Combined views of the 8 episodes exceeded 40,000.

In 2022 I re-released my very first book called Alphabet Adventure. It is an alphabet book for preschoolers that introduces them to language about church, Bible stories, and faith. It can easily find a home in a church library, kiddo bookshelf, or worship activity bag.

For a while I co-hosted the Creativity Drill Podcast, with my amazingly talented prom date/husband Jonathan Rundman. I’m also the guest in Episode 44 of the Youth Ministry Podcast by Sparkhouse.