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