thinkorange | Ministry Blackboard

25Oct/120

Morning Highlights of DC Orange Tour Stop

Theme is lead change, lead small

Reggie Joyner opened up...
- Church and families combined can make a lasting impact...two combined influences make a greater impact.

At least 30% of the audience is Volunteers at the event

Reggie picks back up again...
- "Change is not an option, but how you respond to it is."
- 3 responses to change: 1. Ignore it, 2. Hold on and let it drive you to where you don't want to go, 3. Make an adjustment & use it to where you want to go
- leadership is leveraging change to get to where you want to go
- when you lead change you decide to make adjustments to present methods for the sake of a sacred mission
- adjust the method for the sake of the mission
- we need to figure out for each individual ministry what is the methods we need to use and change for the sake of the mission
- 25% of Americans treat Sunday like a holy day...everyone else treats it like a holiday
- our problem is that we won't leave the 25% to go after everyone else
- something radical has to happen in the church for the community to realize that we care about them
- families are changing, the culture is changing...we need to make every family (regardless of what they look like) to understand the restoration story of Christ
- your response to their family will determine how they feel about the church...regardless of what their version of family looks like
- there is a lot at stake
- if we don't adjust, you risk of becoming irrelevant and ignored

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Tagged as: church, orange, Reggie Joyner, thinkorange No Comments

24Apr/120

Orange ’12 – What will the clothing trends be?

One thing I love about conferences is all the cool people I get to meet. Being one of the bloggers there I will definitely be trying to meet as many of the OVER 5000 ministers there! Seriously - over 5000!!! That's crazy.

Well in all fun, I also love to look to see what the current clothing trends are in youth and children ministers. Seriously, youth and children's ministers are notorious for trying to stay as young as possible as we get old. And I said WE because I am one of those. In fact, my clothing trend during the late winter/early spring goes something like this below:

I know - I'm a trend setter at 37.

So what do you think are the clothing trends we'll see at #oc12? Post some thoughts below.

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Tagged as: clothing, eddie bauer, flip flops, gap, ll bean, oc12, rethink, thinkorange, tommy, trends No Comments

11Feb/120

Chowtime – 2/11

In case you missed it, here are some of the many things buzzing around Youth Ministry World. So grab some chow and enjoy.

On Ben Kern's blog, Stacie Mancini talks about how switching to Orange changed her Children's Ministry
Check out the Special Needs Track at Orange '12 on Amy Fenton's blog. OH, and btw, she is giving away a FREE pass to Orange '12 (deadline by 2/12)
Michael Bayne talks about the value of going to Orange '12 with others.
Ryan Millard spends some time to talk about priorities.
Tim Schmoyer announces his new job.
ReThink guru Jeremy Zach shares FAQs Middle Schoolers often ask
Josh Griffin shares his Student Leadership Packet as a download
My friend Barry Hill talks about sharing our faith

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Tagged as: orange, rethink, special needs, teamwork, thinkorange No Comments

12Jan/120

The benefits of volunteering in the schools

As a father of elementary school aged children, I have tried to make it a priority to be a volunteer in their school. Honestly, there have been many times where I have felt like I shouldn't be doing this because my "job" needs me to be at work. But, this year in particular, I have found that volunteering in the schools, whether it is a teachers aid or helping out the office personel, is a HUGE ministry opportunity. In fact, I would venture to say that EVERY Family, Children and Youth Minister HAS to find ways to volunteer in the schools. Here is why:

Schools need help. Believe it or not, not all parents can volunteer. In part because their jobs do not give them the flexibility or freedom to do that. Whether we believe it or not, "ministry" jobs are very flexible. In large part because we are always on-call. So schools are always looking for volunteers. This is a great way for you to serve your community.
I get to know the teachers and school officials. In the times that I have volunteered I have met many teachers and have had great discussions with the office admins. I have seen it to be a great opportunity to meet the teachers and school workers and get to know them and their lives. Seriously, in my last time in the school, I got to talk to my daughter's teacher about her ailing mom and I talked to the office ladies about church, underaged drinking and sex-ed. I didn't orchestrate this. I would have never called my daughter's teacher to talk about her mom. It just happened because I was there. IT IS RELATIONAL MINISTRY!
I got to see all my girls and say hi to them. It was a great connect with my girls in a non “home” environment. It was also great to see how they act away from home
I got to see some of my girls friends too. I was able to say "hi" to them and ask them how their day was. Reality is children love to be recognized and if I recognize them by saying a simple "hi", there is a happiness that follows from that recognition.
I even got to talk real "ministry" by talking about "Orange" with one of the office volunteers. I found out while I was there that she used to be the Children's Director at a local church and we talked about the pros of switching to “Orange”. She may even come in to talk to the Family Ministry Department about good "storytelling" to elementary aged students. How cool is that???

So here’s reality. Not just as parents, but as MINISTERS, that IS part of our job. It was a win, win, win, win…for me to be there. I may not have been in my “office” but I was working.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Experiences? Post a comment and let the discussion begin so that we can all benefit from it.

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Tagged as: community, involvement, orange, school, Support, teachers, thinkorange, volunteering No Comments

28Nov/110

The Monday Morning Debrief: Letting Leaders Lead

This past Sunday we had a Game Night for the students instead of our normal group. The purpose of the Game Night was to allow the students to have fun and to provide a safe place for them to bring their friends to group. Game Night was very simple. We had a video game area, a board game/quiet social area, a food area and a field game area. Each area was pretty close together but we needed enough leaders and help to provide a caring, engaging environment for that to happen.

That is when I realized that in order for this to be a success and for students to feel cared for, I had to let the leaders lead. I went around from time to time checking in on each room making sure things were going well. But I was only there for a few minutes as I was in 1 main area most of the time (the area I was hanging out with students in). So the leaders lead and they did a great job. They took charge and lead the games (and included students along with leading too) and they engaged new students. It was great to see from afar and to debrief with them afterwards.

When we allow leaders to lead and use their gifts, that is when they really feel apart of what is happening (rather than a spectator to the "youth guy" leading all things). I needed my leaders and will continue to need them as we move forward. That is why last night was so encouraging as I got to see my leaders use their gifts and abilities to reach students I wouldn't be able to do on my own.

So what about you? What can you do to enable your leaders to spring into action and be more apart of ministry? TAKE A MINUTE right now and process through how you are utilizing your leaders. Are you allowing your leaders to lead or are they just mere spectators to your leading? The more we allow leaders to lead the longer we'll have them around to invest in students.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Experiences? Post a comment and let the discussion begin so that we can all benefit from it.

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Tagged as: Leadership, rethink, thinkorange, volunteer leaders No Comments

3Oct/110

the Monday Morning Debrief: Fall is here…now what?

If you live in the East Coast you'd notice a pretty significant temperture drop this weekend. Not only was it cold, but it was rainy as well. Couple that with a slew of big time NCAA football games, NFL games and Playoff baseball, one can honestly say that fall is officially here. I do love this time of year!

So how does this apply to ministry?

As the fall is in full swing, so should your ministry be. For most programs, you are a good 1 month into the semester, so as you move forward, it is always good to reflect on the past month. Here are some questions for you to think about now as you look back:

How is your attendance? Are you up, down, or flat from where you ended last year? How are you tracking year over year?
How is your follow up with new students? Do new students feel welcomed and appreciated?
What are some needs you are noticing in your program?
How are your leaders doing? Are they doing what you expected them to do?
How are you doing leading your leaders? Have you had a leaders meeting yet, updating on "business" and talking strategy? When is your next meeting planned?

TAKE A MINUTE right now and start to think through and processing what happened last month. If you need to make adjustments, which ones do you need to make and how are you going to accomplish them. If things are going great, identify what you are doing that is working and how you can make it successful for the long term.

Regardless of where you are at, remember, Youth Ministry is a marathon, not a spring. There are going to be good times and there are going to be hard times. Continue to invest in students, teaching them the Truth and make the proper adjustments as needed. I hope and pray that God blesses your efforts and ministry.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Experiences? Post a comment so that we can all benefit.

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Tagged as: evaluation, follow up, Strategy, thinkorange No Comments

22Sep/110

Orange Week: Registration starts today!!!

That's right, it's finally here! Orange Conference sign ups begin today!

As you process through whether or not you can go, check out my previous posts this week:

So, are you ready to sign up for Orange? Go to the Orange Conference site and sign up today! You won't regret it!

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21Sep/110

Orange Week: Speaker Highlights from last year

Last year Orange busted out a ton of great speakers to share at the General sessions. Here are my highlights from what they shared last year to the group.

Andy Stanley:

How did this movement (Christianity) survive the 1st century when all the eye-witnesses died off? How did it grow and multiply?
It was all about compassion, all about dignity when pagan religions did not teach those things. Christianity taught that every person you come into contact with is made in the image of God. In paganism there was no love. They didn’t love humanity. Now, a new message who invited you to call him Father and it was a stagering idea back then. And HE LOVES YOU! Everyone is loved by God.
God values every person who was ever born and we need to treat them like that.
All men will know that you are Christ’s disciples if you love.

Perry Noble:

What you do today will matter tomorrow. You are not just a children’s work or just a youth worker. What you are doing today in the lives of children and youth matters!
If you want to make a difference you need to be concerned about Christ’s name in the lives of others. It doesn’t matter how many Facebook friends or Twitter followers you have. It is about sharing Christ’s name in the lives of others
What you do matters tomorrow. They may not remember your sermons or Bible studies, but they will remember you were there for them and represented Christ to them.

Jud Wilhite:

Ministry is messy because sin is messy. Get over it and get a mop and start cleaning it up.
We don’t need people to say, “you got yourself into this mess”. They need someone to walk along side of them and help them through the mess.
The Church and believers need to be extending our hand and helping them through the mess.

Jeff Manion:

God loved them, God cherished them, God cared for them…into the desert they went.
God will not always rescue you from the desert. He will rescue you out of the desert, but he cannot prevent you from going into the land between.
The land between is fertile ground for transformational growth. It is also where faith goes to die.
When you pass through the land of between, your heart is in conflict. How you respond in this land will determine who you become down the road.

Again, these are just some of the great thoughts that were shared last year. With a new lineup of speakers scheduled for this year, I can't wait to hear what they have to say.

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Tagged as: andy stanley, conferences, Jeff Manion, jud wilhite, perry noble, teachers, thinkorange No Comments

20Sep/110

Orange Week: Going together

I've been to quite a few conferences before and I have found 1 thing to be consistent throughout. The more I bring others from my team with me, the more I get out of it. And, the more I get out of it, the more our children and youth get out of it. I found that especially true at Orange last year.

Here's why: the more people from your team that goes to a conference the more different ears you have meeting people, networking and learning from others, the more seminars you all can learn from which ultimately leads to the more you all can process new, fresh ideas and brainstorm together

Now I know that money is tight and that having multiple staffers or volunteers go to a conference can be rather expensive. But I feel like going to a conference like Orange where so many more people from your church can benefit is worth the expense. To counter the money issue, Orange does have ways to reduce that cost (i.e. staying with host families or carpooling together with others who live close to you).

So, if you really want to go to Orange this year and you'd really like to take others with you, start planning now so that money doesn't become the only reason why you can't go! I have seen too many times the long term benefits of bringing others along with you on these conferences.

Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Experiences? TAKE A MINUTE and share so we can all learn and benefit.

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19Sep/112

Orange Week: What I’m looking forward to

When I found out that I was going back to the Orange conference again in April '12, I was beyond stoked. Here is why:

The speakers. I'll talk more about this in the next few days, but Orange spared no expense at bringing some great speakers to come and share last year and I know this year is going to be just as good. Already signed up to share are Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Reggie Joiner, Kara Powell, Sue Miller and David Kinnaman - just to name a few.
The seminars. The seminars last year were so good. Any kind of family ministry idea out there, Orange seemed to have as seminar/workshop focused on it. From children to youth, pastors to volunteers, planning to special needs ministry, Orange had you covered. The list for this coming year is not up yet. But, if there is something you really want to hear about, Orange wants to hear from you. Click here to submit your idea.
The connections. Last year when I got to hang out with the other bloggers, that was great to hear what they are doing in their ministries and learn from them. But I also go to talk to a bunch of other ministers and it was great to hear what they were up to - successes and failures. Really cool experience.
What ORANGE has in store for us. Last year I was blown away by all that Orange did for the participants throughout the conference.

So what about you? TAKE A MINUTE and share about what you are looking forward to experiencing at Orange this coming year. AND, don't forget, you can sign up for Orange '12 starting this Thursday!

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