Archive for September, 2010

Orange week + imakidmin

Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by .

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So, I’m doing a little mash-up. It’s Orange Week and it’s also a week that a lot of people are promoting imakidmin as a location-based collaboration tool.

If you don’t know what imakidmin is, go check it out now. Click here.

I also wrote about it and the potential that it has right here.

So, here’s the Orange Week – imakidmin mash-up comes in.

What if you could look at the map of your state or maybe your region of the country and see who else is thinking Orange. I’m not talking about who is using 252 Basics, XP3 or My First Look, but people who are bought into the Orange strategy. Maybe you don’t have a blog, but you’d like to take someone to coffee who thinks they way you do. What if there was someone pushing through the Orange Strategy just the same way you are, but you didn’t know that they live right down your street. That would be cool, wouldn’t it?

Well, with imakidmin, this very thing is very possible.

So here is what I’m proposing. If you haven’t already gone to the site and created a pixel where you live, go ahead and do that now. If you’re not sure how to do that, I’ve embedded a video below that walks you through it. However, I’m going to ask you to do something more. Claim another pixel right next to your other one letting us know that you’re Orange. It’s easy, just follow these steps:

  • Right click on the orange block on this post and download it to your desktop.
  • Go to imakidmin.com and claim another pixel near your original.
  • When asked to upload a graphic, use this orange block.
  • When asked to put in your URL or email, know that you have to use something different than what you’ve already used (if you already have a pixel). Just use your work email, personal email or something else. For the URL, use your facebook URL, your church URL or maybe even your church’s webpage or a secondary page on your church’s site.
  • Once you enter all of that, you’re done! It takes the site a little while for the site to show your pixel, but it will pop up.

If everyone gives this a shot, we’ll start to see Orange pop up all over the map, making it easier to think Orange and know who we can talk with locally about Orange related issues.

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Deciding between Red and Yellow

Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by .

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Several years ago I started a program at my church that was one of the more successful things I’ve ever done. I was passionate about making sure kids truly knew the Bible, what it said and even how to use it. Most churches that reach out to seekers don’t always have a good plan for this type of “discipleship.” So I started one. It was a Wednesday night program where kids systematically went through a study of the Bible. K-2nd graders learned about God through specific stories in the Bible where 3rd-5th graders learned about their Bibles, spiritual disciplines as well as a survey of the Old and New Testament. By the time I left my church, I had 1.5 years of the curriculum written. In another 1.5 years I’d have 6 years of great, small-group based curriculum. I led this for 2 years and every semester I offered it, my attendance would grow by 40%. Kids actually had to pay for their resources to participate, they were all in and they were learning great stuff.

Almost three years have passed. Plenty of time for me to have finished the curriculum, but I haven’t. Plenty of time for me to have started this program up where I’m at now, but I’m not going to. I’ve wrestled over this time and time again, but I know it my heart that I won’t implement this program again, at least not in the same way. Although it was successful, kids loved it and they were learning great stuff that was transforming their behavior, it cae down to a decision between red and yellow.

If the stats about more than 70% of kids leaving the church after High School are true and that one of the best ways I can prevent that from happening is engaging parents as spiritual leaders in the home, then implementing this successful program of mine doesn’t really matter. It’s a decision between yellow and red and in this case, red wins. I have to take an honest look at what I do and ask myself this question: “Does this program or event help me engage parents as spiritual champions?” If not, then I might need to rethink what I’m doing.

I don’t think my curriculum is dead. I’ll pull it out again one day, but maybe to tweak it for parents to use. Who knows, maybe I’ll just use it for my own kids.

So, what Yellow program do you need to kill?

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Defining the Yellow

Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by .

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I think Sam said this very well yesterday.

In our excitement to become Orange and better engage with parents, we can easily have an identity crisis. We can forget what it means to be Yellow. We lose track of what being the church is all about, which is to proclaim the love of Christ through the power of his word.

Orange is a strategy. Being Red or Yellow is more about describing a state of being. The church needs to BE yellow! Don’t get distracted by the strategy because the strategy is simply meant to point parents to the light of Christ, which is what the Church is suposed to be.

Regardless of the curriculum we’re using, are we clearly communicating the gospel? Are your kids understanding the message of Christ. Find ways to connect with parents. Find ways to help parents pass on their faith. But in doing all of this, don’t forget to be the church!

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Orange Week Day 2: Recap

Posted on 30. Sep, 2010 by .

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I think people had a busy day today, a few less posts today. However, there were still a bunch (still going to take me way too long to write this recap) and they were pretty awesome posts! So, here they are:

Michael Bayne wrote another stellar post today, this time about engaging with parents of students. He talks about how students at this phase in life are pulling away from parents, but through intentional conversations, parents can stay connected to their kids and continue to have influence. You as a ministry leader can help parents start these vital conversations.

Chad Swanzy wrote a similar post yesterday pointing to a powerful resource that he repeated today. He made a great point. How can you impact students if you don’t even know what the pulse of the home is from his/her perspective. This resource helps you figure out exactly what it is.

I wrote about my struggle of really defining what it means to be red. For the past two years I’ve though so hard about being Orange, I think I’ve somewhat neglected championing for parents what it means to be red. Here’s a reminder.

I don’t know what box to put today’s post from Sam Luce in. It has read in the title, but it talks more about the church being yellow. Putting this aside, I think it’s one of the best posts I’ve read from Sam in a long time. Sam writes really good stuff, but this was powerful. I’m probably going to reference this in one of my posts soon… but read it now, it’s that great!

Jonathan Cliff continues telling about his transition to Orange Curriculum. Today he writes about how he uses 252 Basics. It’s a great and practical post for those using 252 or those looking into it. I know that it’s going to help people, one of my most popular posts is when I wrote about how we used 252 several years ago. However, we all know the most popular post involved chainsaw juggling clowns.

Over at Kidmin1124, Barbara Graves wrote about the influence parents have on their kids and how kids typically mirror the faith of their parents. Barbara surveyed several parents to find out what they did to live out their faith at home for their kids. Tons of practical advice here!

Nick Blevins posted a great resource on his blog today. First of all he showed a diagram of how his church lives out Orange, Yellow and Red strategies. Very specific and helpful. In addition, he posted a video that teaches parents how to use God Time Cards and Refrigerator Cards. If your kids are like our kids, most of these cards end up as floorboard and parking lot trash, but this video is a great tool to show parents how to use them.

Anthony Prince provides an incredible example of and event that allows families to spend time together. I heard something at a conference breakout 6-7 years ago that has never left me. The speaker said that our greatest successes in ministry are when we create spaces for kids and their parents to simply be together. I heard this before Orange Mania swept the land and even today it still holds true. Anthony tells about this great event for moms and their sons. Also, props to Staci for using the word “rocktackular.”

Dan Scott posted an amazing post on his blog about seeing red. He shares about how through all the years of leading Orange in his church, he never asked a parent to tell him from their perspective what it means to be a part of an Orange Church. I love what she had to say. Seeing what she verbalized makes me want the parents at my church to say the same thing. I need to get on that!

Earlier this week Dan Scott poked fun at me for the number of blog posts he assumed I’d write this week. I just want to point out that this blogging maniac will probably come in second. He wrote a killer post about how he and his team made age specific events more family friendly. Scott, you’re brilliant… or at least someone you work with is. I must admit, I like the yellow, pinkish and salmon color references. I laughed out loud and when I did I remembered how much I liked your laugh… contagious. Looking forward to hanging with you again soon!

JC wrote a great post about how families were the fabric of creation. I love how he communicates this through the genealogies in Matthew 1. JC, great perspective here and extra points for your creativity!

Matt McKee wrote about Reggie’s “Stock Family.” This is one illustration that I’ve heard Reggie use that I’ve repeated more than anything else. Families aren’t perfect. We need to stop trying to read out to the perfect family. We need to recognize that God loves the imperfect family and that it’s through whacked out crazy families that God has done some of his greatest works!

Henry Zonio wrote a phenomenal post about the heart of Orange, which is families. He powerfully described how many parents fail and how often times we get frustrated and blame them. Instead, we need to come along side them, encourage them and build relationships with them. Zonio hit the nail on the head when he said that these parents will always love their children far more that the church will. Read this post!

Keith Tusing joins the conversation today by sharing about his experience at Orange last year. He shares about three “slices” he took away that impacted him greatly. BTW Keith, dip those orange slices in chocolate and you’ll experience something life changing.

Wow, I think these posts are getting better every day. Can’t wait to see what I’ll be reading by Monday! I might have to get an Orange tattoo at an undisclosed location. If I just caused someone to sin… I’m truly sorry. Enjoy the recap!

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Defining the red

Posted on 29. Sep, 2010 by .

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I’m writing this post really late. I intended to have something written on Tuesday, but it’s now Wednesday night and I’m just posting. It’s been really busy for me, but that’s not really my excuse. I’ve gotten stuck and kinda got confused.

I suggested to those participating in Orange Week that we spend two days writing about the red side of Orange and then two days writing about the yellow side of Orange. Then as I sat down to write the other day I couldn’t think of anything to write. My brain is so stuck on Orange, I couldn’t put my finger on how we’re encouraging red. It wasn’t until this morning after reading Gina’s post yesterday about red and talking to Jonathan on the phone that it clicked. I feel that it is so important for us to define what being red looks like for a family. Because so many families don’t know what God expects of them, the church may have to define what family life is supposed to look like… and what that looks like is red… not Orange.

Red symbolizes the love of the family, the heart of the home. Red is expressed in healthy relationships between parents and their kids. It’s parents who are living out their roles as spiritual influencers for their family. Deuteronomy 6:4 is a description of red. However, something Jonathan told me today that really resonated with me. I can’t remember how he set up this statement, but he said that we need to illustrate for families what it means to be red, but taking steps toward yellow. In the same way, the church needs to be fully yellow, but taking steps toward red. Where these two movements intersect is where Orange happens.

Don’t get me wrong, in most cases the church has to do a lot more than just being yellow taking steps toward red. When parents aren’t being very red or when they’re not taking any steps toward yellow, we create Orange events or Orange programs that kind of force it to happen. I don’t think this is necessarily bad. Parents have to start somewhere, right? They’ve got to grow and develop and be equipped with the knowledge and tools to be red.

So, in addition to doing a bunch of Orange stuff, we need not forget to define for parents what it means to truly be red. Do we clearly paint the picture for them?

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Multisite versus megachurch

Posted on 29. Sep, 2010 by .

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Studies show that you’re more likely to serve at a multisite church than a megachurch. An incredible new study came out recently about the state of multi-site churches. As of right now there are more multisite churches than megachurches (churches with more than 2000 attendees) and the number of multisite churches are growing faster than the numbers of megachurches.

What used to be really edgy and unorthodox is becoming much more mainstream.

Over the years I’ve written a lot about multi-site children’s ministry. A lot of other people have also written about multi-site ministry. I’m just thinking that if the average Children’s Pastor’s tenure is 2 years or less (sad, isn’t it?), then at some point in your career, chances are good you’re going to end up in a multisite situation. :)

Do your research now. Start with this great study. Follow it up with the book, Multisite Revolution. Then read this blog or others to shape your understanding of a multisite Children’s Ministry.

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Start thinking Orange with #THINKORANGE

Posted on 29. Sep, 2010 by .

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So, the new twitter hashtag is only a day or two old. As we were getting ready to start Orange Week 2.0 we started asking, “how should we tag this?” Should we used #orange11, #orangeleaders or even start a new tag like #orangeweek. Several of us expressed frustration of having so many different hashtags to communicate orange. So, lots of people put their heads together to come up with one, all encompassing hashtag. So, if  you’ve got anything to say on twitter about Orange, the Orang Tour, the Orange Conference, ministry to families or any of that stuff, use #THINKORANGE. Isn’t that great? Even if you just need a ask a question to a bunch of Orange Thinkers, use the tag and message the community.

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Orange Week Day 1: Recap

Posted on 29. Sep, 2010 by .

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Okay, so here’s how things got started:

Chad Swanzy started of with a post comparing the story of Elisha and the Widow’s Oil to the situation that many of our families are in today. He shared how the Orange Conference is a movement that will equip ministries to impact broken families.

Micael Bayne wrote an incredible post about the challenge of helping parents with the red side of the Orange equation. He talks about how most parents just want the student ministries to fix or entertain their kids. He’s got some great advice on how to engage parents to be red!

Anthony Prince dives right into Orange week with his post titled “Code Red.” Great post on really practical things his church is doing to help families be RED. Great stuff Anthony!

Nick Blevins pens his first post about what Orange is and why. He’s simply setting up his readers for what is coming in the following days. It’s going to be some great stuff!

Wayne Stocks kicks off Orange week on his blog Kidmin1124 with a review of the Family Times pack produced by Orange. This is a great way to help families live out the red side of Orange. It’s a great review, so if you’ve been thinking about using them, read what he has to say.

Criag Baird wrote about something he’s believed and tough for years, the two bookends to ministry… which just happen to be the same things as the Orange Strategy of Yellow and Red coming together to make a lasting impact. Be sure to read, it’s a great perspective.

Sometimes timing works out perfectly. Unaware of Orage Week 2.0, Henry Zonio begins writing several posts revisiting the Orange Conference last year. So, check out what he’s been writing this week. If you attended last year, it will serve as a great reminder. If you didn’t, I’m sure you’ll learn something!

Stacey Waldmann breaks down the word Orange… literally. Check it out, she offers a very fresh perspective of Orange unique to her team. I love the way she ended her post. #kidmin needs to bleed orange. YES!

Zeremy Zach nailed it when it comes to student ministries become Orange. He addressed the stereotype of student ministries being isolated and “black sheep” of the church. He gives specific steps for student pastors to take to “drink the Orange juice.” I love it!

Kendra Golden wrote a guest post on the Swerve Blog about what it means to be Orange. She did a great job communicating the importance and the impact being Orange makes. So glad she was giving that platform to spread the word.

Chad Swanzy posted an incredible resource on his other site, YouthLeaderStash.com. I know it’s great because we worked on it together for a project with Leadership Network. It impacted me significantly and helped me see many things that I was blind too. It’s funny how you think things are really important and then when you start asking people, you find out that what you though was wrong. I highly encourage you to do this with your team.

Matt McKee, in his unmistakable style, writes a great post about why he’s Orange. Read it, you’ll really enjoy it. In case you didn’t know, he and his wife work for Orange now. I’m really excited for him. Ha! I love that guy.

JC just announced Orange Week to his readers. Nothing significant content wise, but it’s coming this week, so be sure to check in and read it.

Yesterday, Dan Scott wrote two posts. The first post was on the importance of synchronizing your strategy, which is really good stuff. He followed it up with another post about structure. It was insanely helpful 8 months ago when he posted his staff structure so people could see how they carried out the Orange Strategy in a practical way. This time he gives an update on what has changed. This is great stuff!

Gina McClain wrote a great post, I see RED people. Ha! I love it. She very clearly explains what it means for a family to live out the red part of the Orange Strategy. Gina, thanks for the clarity. Your post has helped me identify something I’ve been overlooking lately and even think about how I communicate to parents what families need to look like.

If you get into the Orange Strategy, you’ll find that Orange also signifies CHANGE (like the the orange leaves in Autumn). That’s what Jonathan Cliff wrote about. Change. This year he transitioned his church to 252 Basics and My First Look and he loves it. He did it so he could have a stronger strategy for impacting families. Check it out, it’s good stuff.

Sam Luce reposted something from the past, “Orange is the new green.” In it he talks about what Orange looks like in his church. There are few churches that I know of where the Chidlren’s Ministry and Student Ministry work so well together. This is worth a read.

Finally, I wrote about “What is Orange.” Simply defining what the Orange Strategy is in relation to Red and Orange. I also posted to great videos from Orange. You know you want to read it.

Okay, these recaps are taking a lot longer this time. Yikes. It’s great having this many people blog about Orange… I’m looking forward to what everyone has to say on day 2!

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What is Orange?

Posted on 28. Sep, 2010 by .

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I figured I’d start off Orange Week with an intro to Orange. I know that some reading this site don’t know what Orange is, so let’s start with the basics. Here is a quick video that efficiently describes the Orange strategy! This video was developed by David C. Cook, the publisher of “Think Orange.”

Let’s take a closer look at the elements that make up Orange. That’s right, yellow and red.

I like the paragraph at the end of this video.

Orange is a strategy that combines critical influences to demonstrate the message of God’s story and influence the next Generation.

This week we’re going to spend some time talking about these critical influences, which are families and churches. Red and Yellow. Let me be a little more specific. The church is almsot always yellow, adequately representing the light of Christ. In today’s time though, the home isn’t always red. Families are more disconnected than ever. Not only is Christ not at the center of many of our church-going families, but many of these families are not places of love and acceptance. What about families outside our churches? Can they be Red? What about families that do love each other and follow Christ, how do they become Orange? These are great questions and I’ll try to address those this week.

The important thing I want to designate is though. Red (families) alone is great and it will impact the next generation. Yellow (churches) alone is great and will impact the next generation. However, when the two work together – when the two collide, the impact is greater than the two influences combined! So I hope to describe the kind of red that collides with yellow. Maybe this is a revolution of red that will sweep our churches. I also hope to describe the kind of yellow that collides with red. Maybe we’ll stop wasting our time and money on things that do nothing to engage the hearts of parents.

Wow, I can already tell, this is going to be a great week!

Follow everyone writing Orange this week here!

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Orange Week 2.0

Posted on 27. Sep, 2010 by .

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So last January I was preparing to head up to Dallas for the Orange Tour and in my excitement I flippantly declared the following week “Orange Week.” The folks at ReThink thought it was a good idea, so the following week a rag-tag group of incredibly Kidmin Pastors blogged about the Orange Strategy. It was an incredible experience, an almost overwhelming source of information and ideas. Well, it’s getting ready to happen again. Why so soon?

Well, next week the 2011 Orange Conference opens for registration and that’s worth getting excited about. So, with some help from the ReThink team, we’ve organized another Orange Week (let’s call it Orange Week 2.0) and it’s going to be even better than before. Check out the blogging team this time around.

  • Pete Wilson
  • Michael Hyatt
  • Carlos Whittaker
  • Ron Edmondson
  • Craig Groeschel
  • Tony Morgan
  • Jeremy Zach
  • Michael Bayne
  • Chad Swanzy
  • Tom Shefchunas
  • Kenny Conley
  • Sam Luce
  • Jonathan Cliff
  • Gina McClain
  • Tony Kummer
  • Wayne Stocks
  • Nick Blevins
  • Anthony Prince
  • Dan Scott
  • JC Thompson
  • Matt McKee

Pretty incredible, huh? So, it all starts tomorrow and runs for 7 days straight. This year will be less about strategy (you will hear some though) and more about ideas and practical implementation of the Orange Strategy. One week from now, you’ll no only know more about what it means to be Orange, but you’ll have steps that you can take now to become Orange in the way you operate you ministry.

So, this is simply the warning. Later today I’ll have links to all the blogs participating and more information about the daily posting schedule and topics. If you’re not included on this list, but want to share your thoughts and ideas, contact me and I’ll make sure your ideas are heard!

New to all of this, let me catch you up. Here are the daily recaps of the first Orange Week:

Those links alone will keep you busy reading for hours.

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