Five years ago, I attended my very first Orange Conference only a week before I began my role as a NextGen Pastor at Gateway Church here in Austin, TX. I remember having a very brief conversation with Reggie Joiner the day after Orange and asking him about people in my role. At that point I only knew one other person who did what I was about to do. Reggie indicated that he wanted to do something for NextGen/Family Pastors, but there wasn’t a lot of development over the years.

Now, five years later, there’s some real momentum behind the NextGen/Family Pastor. I meet new people every couple of weeks who do what I do. I’m keeping a list now and I’ve got well over 50 on my list. I think that by the time Orange is over, I’ll have well over 100! Here’s what I’m most excited about for Orange this year:

The NextGen/Family Ministry Track

If you’re a NextGen/Family Pastor, you understand what it feels like to be isolated and alone. This new and highly strategic role is still catching on and growing, but at the moment, there really aren’t many people leading in this role. Most are disconnected from others in the same position and most have questions about best practices. The family pastor/Next Generation track at OC13 is an intentional gathering of NextGen/family pastors for creating relational networks, exchanging ideas and best practices, and learning from highly successful thinkers and practitioners.

This track is specifically designed for Pastors/Leaders/Directors who do what I’ve been attempting to do for the past 5 years. This is for individuals who are responsible for the both kids and student ministry at their churches. We have some killer tracks led by incredible and well seasoned leaders who do this stuff every day. As a part of this track, NextGen/Family Ministry leaders will be equipped with the tools they’ll need to take their ministry to the next level.

However, what I’m really excited about is connecting with this fast-growing community. We have SO MUCH to learn from each other, but the first step is meeting in the first place. There isn’t really a place, a conference or location on the web where these kinds of leaders can gather… until now. So, I’m looking forward to the networking that will happen around this specialized track!

For more information on this track, see below:

Breakouts:

  • Leading a NextGen Meeting with Kenny Conley
  • NextGen/Family Ministry Leadership: Leading 360 Degrees with Michael Bayne
  • The Art of Delegation with Powell Grisham
  • Family Ministry 101: Defining the NextGen/Family Ministry Team with Darren Kizer
  • Leading Through Conflict Resolution with Kenny Conley and Jim Wideman
  • Clarify the Win: Narrowing Down What is Most Important in Your Ministry with Jonathan Cliff

These breakouts are filling up quickly, register today!