Tuesday Tip: Orange

Occasionally I will get a Facebook message or email from a friend in ministry asking my advice on how to implement ORANGE at their church.

I have had experience leading the Orange Strategy in small churches, church plants, and large churches.

Whether you have been at your church for years or weeks one thing seems to ring true in all scenarios-

I was once asked:

 "If you had all the money you ever dreamed of, in your budget, what would be the first thing you would do?"

For those who have never worked much in Children or Student ministry, you might think my answer is really boring....but the truth is...what we as leaders need the most is something that money can not buy...

What we need is passionate, equipped, empowered leaders and parents!


Listen, you could be sleeping  in a bed of money when it comes to your  ministry, but if you don't have leaders... you got nothin.

YOU CAN NOT DO IT ON YOUR OWN.

You  might say:  "But, Leslie...."

NOPE.

"But...."

 STILL NOPE.


If you want to be an ORANGE church...

You better be ready to put your money where your mouth is.

When you commit to being an ORANGE THINKER what you are saying is

WHAT HAPPENS AT HOME IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHAT HAPPENS AT CHURCH.

Think about it:

On average, the church, the light, YELLOW will see a child 40 hours a year

the parents, the heart, RED, will spend close to 3,000 hours with their children a year at home.

YELLOW & RED= ORANGE

What you are saying is 

2 COMBINED influences are greater than JUST TWO influences.

When you think ORANGE you are saying to parents:

 "Hey!  We got your back! We have a plan-are you in?"

How?

Well, the church can give a child a consistent small group leader, a small group of kids their own age to do life WITH, resources for parents to know what to ask their kids about during the week.

Thinking Orange will sound VERY scary to some parents...they'll be the ones that thought the church should influence their children's faith... that's why they were bringing their kids to church in the first place!  It's our job to usher parents into the assurance that they do not have to be a theologian parent and have all the answers.  NOPE.

Instead, you are elevating the parents influence by encouraging them to invite their kids to grab a seat in the front row of their life and allow them to watch them follow Jesus...

It's not scary!  It's refreshing!

Empower parents to invite their kids to  watch as God grows them.....  and in return, their kids will grow.

More is caught, than taught.


(This is true for you if you are new to faith or a life long follower of Christ.  We are ALL taking NEXT STEPS.)


Find out more about ORANGE here:  www.whatisorange.org

ALSO!

 I can not encourage you enough to get your tails up here to Indy for the ORANGE TOUR 

OCT 16-17

If you need a place to stay while you are in town... I might know a way to help with that.

Contact me at lesliegalema@me.com

p.s.s Tuesday's Jam:
Write Your Story

Preface:

So in 2005 we were attending a church in Indianapolis and one Sunday after church there was this booth set up in our lobby.  There was a table with a sign that said "THINK ORANGE" with red, yellow, and orange construction paper circles cut out and hanging from  drop ceiling. I walked straight over and asked what "THINK ORANGE" meant.

The volunteer at the booth recited a simple strategy that has influenced my life's direction ever since.

She said: "Well when you COMBINE yellow and red you get orange and we think that in Children's ministry, when yellow (the church) and red (the family) work together, we make orange (kids.)"

It was like my whole life made sense!



I signed up to lead the 1st grade girls small group and went on my merry way.

Through this time, I decided to go back to college and get my degree in ministry and in doing so, I found out about a church across town, that could be in need of leadership in the Children's Ministry department... and so began my internship as a Children's Ministry Director.



 I googled "Think Orange" regularly.  I was craving more information about this strategy.  I called Children's Pastors and asked what they knew.  I watched as this company,
The reThink Group evolved.  I bought the curriculum with my own money, I read the books, I listened to the podcasts, I purchased the training videos, I trained my team, I pitched the vision...and in 2008, I heard about The Orange Conference in Atlanta, GA.

By attending this conference, I  have grown in my own leadership and have been challenged in how we should lead the next generation. Ask anyone who knows me, and they we will tell you, I am all in!  I have spent the last 8 years attending The Orange Conference and have never walked away from it disappointed.



Like, ever.



This year, through a "Hustle" assignment lead by Jon Acuff,  I mustered up the courage to make a large request. Working for The reThink Group would be a dream come true.  With Jon's push,  I identified someone with whom I had a connection at "Orange" and asked if there was any way that I could spend this year's conference watching how it all worked. From set up to tear down and all that was in between.

I hit send on the email and held my breath....

and wouldn't you know it, she came back with an offer to "shadow" her throughout the conference and take it all in!


Over the next few days, I will be recounting my time and the things I learned along the way.

#hustle

Mappin' it Out

Last weekend, I was honored to speak to our Youth at our XP service.  It was the first week of our ROADSIGNS series.


This is the message of Andy Stanley's book Principle of the Path.


(A delicious book that YOU should read....like..yesterday!)


The idea is that it is our DIRECTION not our INTENTION that leads us to our DESTINATION.


The principle of the path applies to every path, whether it's your dating life, your friends or your future.


It's ALWAYS your direction-not your intentions, not your hopes, not your dreams, not your prayers, not your beliefs-that ultimately determine your direction.

As a teenager, you might say, "I am nowhere near sure what direction I am heading...I am just here to have fun!  I will worry about my destination when I get to college!!"

True. Kind of.


The reality is, we all have an idea of where we would like to be in the future.  It looks different for the stage of life you are in..

.......but be real-we can all have the intention to do something, but until we set our feet to action, we will never get there!


I want to go to college:  but I never studied and didn't try in High School.

I want to get a job:  but I am too busy taking selfies.

I want to get married: but I keep dating ANYONE and EVERYONE and not looking for THE ONE.

I want to have a better relationship with God: but I don't pursue it.

I want to be a better friend: but I just don't have time.


Last week, I talked about Solomon, (who was  totally wise! )  and how he was trying to warn a guy from making a bad decision.

Proverbs 7: 7-27

Sometimes, we are  not open to hear what people who are older than us have to say.  "What could they possibly know? "


The truth is...
Wisdom and perspective is earned.  We earn it by living through it!


Listen to those around you-perhaps they see something that you haven't considered.  Ultimately, it's your decision, the direction you go-

Just like I said last weekend, a map is only good to us if we know where we are going!


If you don't know where you are going... any road can take you there.


Intentions are great!  The direction takes work.   Steady your heart.