You Will Love to Laugh and Learn with Your Team

Don’t you just love quality time with your friends filled with laughter and deep insights? With 15 stops all across the country, Orange Tour is an opportunity you’ll kick yourself if you miss. This one-day event will end with you and your team feeling inspired and equipped to make disciples of the next generation!

At Orange Tour Your Team Will Laugh

It’s so life-giving to relax for a minute and simply laugh with your team. Ministry can be full of deep and difficult conversations and during your programming, it’s hard to step back and just enjoy being present. Take a day to be blessed with shared memories and deeper more personal relationships. 

The Visionary Training Will Stick

You know how you say something a thousand times but it fails to stick until another person says the exact same thing? Well, Orange Tour might be what your team needs to create a common language with intentional vision. With speakers like Reggie Joiner, Kristen Ivey, Jon Acuff, Kara Powell, and Kellen Moore, you know your team will walk away with top-notch training. And don’t forget, with this being a regional event, you will also have access to a network of orange thinkers from your part of the country! 

And Best of All, It’s Affordable

This one-day local event means your conference experience is affordable! You can gather your whole team for an opportunity to experience Orange at just a fraction of the cost. And if sending your team even for the tour is out of your price range, consider doing what I did and invite them if they pay their way. 

An Orange Event is coming to a city near you! Registration is now open, pay only $99!

Originally shared on the Orange Leaders Blog at http://orangeblogs.org/orangeleaders/2019/07/12/will-love-laugh-learn-team/

Notes from #OC17 Breakouts: Amber Baker, Jim Wideman, Nick Blevins, Chad Ward, Sherry Surratt and Brad Griffin

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Leading Your Team for the Long Haul – Amber Baker @AmberDBaker

We want to see teams of people stick together longer than 18 months. At 18 months it becomes hard. Stick it out. As a leader, you get momentum. How do you create this team that sticks together? A group of people working together for a mutual goal!

To lead for the long haul you need transformational leadership.

The team feels trust, admiration, loyalty, and respect towards the leader, and they are motivated to do more than they originally expected to do.

Theory:

Idealized influence – the leader becomes a role model who is admired, respected, and emulated by followers. You need a sense of charisma. Figure out how, get coaching if you need charisma. Leadership is influence.

Inspirational Motivation – leader inspires and motivate others by providing meaning and challenge to their followers work. Talk about why they do what they do. Explain the why. Not a craft to fill the time but why this craft is important. How does this really make a difference?

Individualized Stimulation – leaders behavior that encourages followers creativity and stimulates innovative thinking. Collective of the group. Do people have a voice collectively? Bring people in to be part of the process and have a voice on the team. Intellectually stimulation.

Individualized Consideration – leaders play a role in developing team members potential and pays attention to their individual needs for achievement and growth. Coaching. Have you actually said, this is how you want it done or said? This coaching takes a lot more work.

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Practice:

1. Know your team.

Not know their job but know their personality, temperament, and how it works together. Real Colors Assessment https://realcolors.org

Golds: Plans ahead; likes checking off items on the “to-do” list

Pushes to have things decided and settled

Sets deadlines and expect them to be met

Gives and likes to receive precise directions and instructions

Punctual, Organized, Value Rules

Green: Tries to convince others by logic and objective arguments; uses words like principle, logical, standards, analysis.

Appear most comfortable with topics not related to feelings or relationships

Has a small number of deep friendships.

Pauses before answering or giving information

Values independence and time alone

need information and questions answered

Research Oriented.

Blue: Talks about possibilities more than what exists

Likes to do things in a new ways; dislikes routine

Is upset by conflict or disharmony

Shows concern for the feelings of others

Choose a tactful comment over a directly truthful one.

Values family – who is your family?

Orange: Uses words like flexible, adapt, evolving, and spontaneous

Does work in a way that makes the process enjoyable

Shows physical energy in body language, facial expressions, and voice.

Acts or speaks quickly, sometimes without thinking.

Works easily with several other things going on.

Values fun, independence, challenges.

Rules are guidelines – can be broken.

We need one another and we need to understand one another.

It’s important to speak in a way that others can hear.

Greens are great at getting to the why. Why are we doing this in the first place.

Blue wants everyone to be connected and part of them.

Oranges help push the boundaries that Gold are lining up.

Recent studies who that individuals who are more aware of team roles and behavior required for each role perform better than individuals that do not. Give job descriptors. Outline expectations.

Getting the right people and the right chemistry is important.

2. Boundaries

Set boundaries on: Phones, emails, social media, day’s off, time with the Lord, family time.

No phones at the table. Set boundaries on yourself and encourage your team to do the same.

Professionals who are on their device tend to work 70 hours a week.

Set and keep our days off.

Monday morning time away with the Lord. Coffee shop, library, outside. Time actively with God.

3. 80% with 20%

20% of your people do 80% of your work.

Spend 80% of your time with the 20%.

High Impact Leadership

*Create a list of my 20% people.

4. Leading change well

Change can evoke excitement or fear.

As a transformation leader, you need to get out in front of change. Talk abut chance and the why of that change.

Coach and do things well.

3 types of leaders in change
The yes man.

The bulldozer

The path. guide them through the process of change. Influence, motivate, stimulate the brains for creative ways to change, and coach them through it.

Industry Output Over time – Change Model

Introduction, growth, maturing, decline.

As maturity is happening, it’s time to change and grow.

Read the Stretch book by Jim Wideman.

5. Have FUN together

Even if you are not fun, find a way to have fun.

Christmas open house.

Coffee Breaks

Notes Home

Go do something fun and play together.

Dig deep and become a motivator.

The Holy Spirit speaks to us, and when we ask for wisdom He gives it to us.

Any of our great long-term volunteers started with relationships.
I believe God is calling us to the serve on sit one, Mary and Martha principle.

You can only do what you can do. God sees this, knows your heart, and will give you strategies for that.

As soon as you have information out ahead, give them some information to help lead them through the change process. They might even be able to help you through these steps of change.

abaker@grace-church.com

AmberBaker.me

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A Couple of Ministry Hacks – Jim Wideman and Nick Blevins @jimwideman @nickblevins

Busy is a word that changes as you are in ministry. Big and Busy are relative words.

Refers to any trick, shortcut, skill, or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency, in all walks of life.

People make more money by how much stress they are over. Janitor vs Surgeon. Learn how to take care and measure stress. Have stress relievers.

Experience is the best teacher but it doesn’t have to be your own experience.

The right tools make a difference.

Anything you are good at, you had to learn to do. Some things come easier to us.

Organization: The vehicle that causes me to get everything done in my life and

causes me to be ready for more

Organization + Order = management

Proverbs 28:2 When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order.

Calendars are like lawnmowers. When you reach a certain size lawn you need a bigger mower.

The size and the church you want to have not the one you have.
Work on the life you want to have not the life you currently have.

Unless someone is getting, save, healed, you see a hand writing on the wall, or you hear the voice of God, the meeting will last one hour or less.

Theme days – specific focus on specific days (helpful for managing multiple areas or focus on the type of work – meetings, admin, etc.

If I keep moving things from my list to another week, ask am I really the person to do this in the first place?

If you’ll do when you’re small what you are forced to do when you’re big, you’ll get big! Dr. Roy Hicks

Sandbox concept

Language to help talk about what is within your decision making authority and what is not.

We should be pushing to widen their sandbox.

Designate a date night as well as a family time. You might need to rearrange this, but keep it a priority. Do you plan your family activities before you plan your church activities? What does this say about your priorities?

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Moving Kids to be Neighbor Minded – Chad Ward @chadlward

We all need God to be right in the center of it, guiding everything we do.

What are we doing really, to lay the foundation so that our children are for our neighbors?

Proverbs 22:6, “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not turn from it.” Train, or show. Model. Time, repetition in training. Watch me do what I do, now you. Your turn.

It’s hard for a child to look beyond themselves, just as it’s hard for me to look beyond myself.

1. Create meaningful generosity and compassion opportunities. Matthew 9:36 when he saw the crowds He had compassion on them.

Ask the right questions to the right people and then listen to their answers.

January: Partner with the church for canned goods. We want your children to go to their pantry so they can start the process of being generous.

Spring break: missions trip with young kids really having an impact.

June: Summer series. Invest and invite. Give event: Quarters for camp.

July: Backpack drive. Because so many kids are homeless or no parental involvement.

Celebrate on the back end so people know why we do this.

2. Create meaningful invest and invite opportunities.

Easy ask

We want families to fight because they want to come to church.

The challenge that I see in most churches is a lot of calendars that are full but without purpose.

What can we stop doing to make Sunday better?

What is one event we can do this year to help young people be for their neighbors. Invest/Invite

Walk your space and ask yourself how it works and looks from a guest services perspective. Fresh? Fun?

Andy Stanley one-sentence job description: Create a safe, irresistible, life-changing elementary environment.

KidStuff: Learn about God’s big ideas. Everything you need to apply the big idea at home.

Baptism Bash.

Game On:

3. Create meaningful conversation opportunities.

Dives into the heart of everything they are thinking.

26 of 36 bottom lines are focused on diving into discussions to be for our neighbors.

Live to Give

Small groups – understand the impact you are making in kids. Does this help them when it comes to watch me, do what I do, your turn when it comes to being for their neighbors.

Take homes: Why and how?

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Reactivating Parents Every Week – Sherry Surratt @SherrySurratt

Have those moments when you feel that God is looking at you, tapping you on the shoulder, and speaking to you.

“The things that you are doing today are impacting someone else’s eternity.”

What we do every week with the parent’s impacts what they do every day with their child.

Less than 20% of your parents will come when you offer events for parents.

Families are busy but they are not too busy.

It’s not that they don’t care.

Every parent wants to be a better parent.

Every parent has dreams for their kids.

Every parent can do something more. Here’s the reality, many times they don’t know that.

That feeling of overwhelmed or stuck is miserable. Do you know how many parents are feeling that?

“I wish for the love of God that someone would teach me how to be a mom.”

We can show them.

When the church change show it views parents, parents change how they view the church.

Expectations are huge.

When we believe that they really do what to be a better parent, it changes our expectations.

Give it to them in easy bites.

One of the best things you can do for your ministry is to put yourself in the shoes of a single mom with eight kids. Really learned the definition of being overwhelmed.

What happens during the week really IS more important.

Parents have the math on their side. 3k hours of influence in kids vs 40 (or less)

The average family comes to church 1.8x per month.

When parents understand how much time they have left, they tend to do more with the time they have now.

We need to equip a parent to drop everything they are doing for ‘their time’ because these times come less and less and less as kids grow older.

Start early with a parent and help them understand you parental influence goes down and your relational influence goes up.

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The High School years are the “you can” years.

Seize today because your positional influence is going down every year. You need to work hard to build your relational influence.

Enter into their world.

If you’re not that family (that goes out and does this big grand thing) that’s okay, because you are consistent over time.

3 strategic shifts.

1. Work according to their schedule, not ours.

Hard because the church has an annual rhythm.

How can we develop a rhythm for the year?

What is my child going to do for the summer?

What are the 3 questions your child is asking right now? (Phase event name)

2. Coach rhythmically, not sporadically.

Consistency over time.

3. Speak specifically, not generally.

Let them know what to do, what to say, or what to ask at specific times.

Parent Cue pieces.

Parent Resource Wall

Conversation Guides. (next one up is health)

Parent cue app

Here at Orange, we love to set you up to look really really good.

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Reimagining Senior Sunday – Brad M. Griffin @bgriffinfyi

Sometimes we elevate the wrong stories or the wrong parts of the stories in this phase.

1 in 2 drift from God and the faith in the first 12-18 months after leaving high school.

4 of 5 intend to cross well.

At the precise moment, they need the support of community most0when they are making significant life decisions we are missing the mark.

We believe in young people and we believe in the church. We want to see faith-filled young people unleashed to change the world.

Text “Free” to 44144 and receive 3 free resources from Fuller Youth Institute.

Only 1 in 7 students felt prepared to what faced them specifically when it came to their faith.

#1 advice to youth leaders was to prepare us better.

Thread that runs through preparation: Identity Development (true in all phases)

Identity: Who am I? Shame based responses. / Grace

Belonging: Where do I fit? Conditional acceptance. / Love
Purpose: What difference do I make? Self-fulfillment. / Mission

The better story always wins.

Faith and Faithing: Is faith only a noun, or also a verb?

Not an event but a process. Starting at, at least the beginning of the senior year.

9 months out: Begin conversations about what’s next beyond high school. *what does it look like to be part of the church next year?

6 months: connect students with more adults outside youth ministry

* the walk of shame from high school ministry to young adults where they don’t know anyone. retreat or missions trip with college ministry. Let parents know what is coming up.

5-3 months: Family communication about transition and dates.

2 months: Plan pre0and post graduation events with students and leaders.

6 weeks: Face to face parent

4 weeks: Host your senior event before graduation: Party and traditions

Transition summer: SGL conversations and family cues

*Orange resource coming at OC tour for senior Sunday.

More conversations and more relevant topics.

Finding faith community and making new friends.

Getting connected with a campus ministry really does make a difference.

Those who don’t find somewhere to connect within the first few weeks probably won’t.

These seniors haven’t practiced friend building skills in years. They have a group. Who do you want to surround yourself with these next few year’s. When they have choosing power, they don’t know what to do with that. Who is close, convenient, or making the most noise.

Deciding about parties: Especially in the first two weeks set the trajectory for the next years.

Help them decide ahead of time. Will you go to the party? Will you hold the cup? Will you have something in the cup? Will you drink what is in that cup? How many will you drink? Role-play these decisions so they don’t fall into decisions.

The first two weeks of freshman year and the first two weeks of senior year are when students are most open to spiritual conversations.

Managing Time and Money

Help them think through it

Give tools

No one is going to tell the new student when to go home. You have to make the decision in the middle of the night. Managing time is one of the biggest stressors.

Handling Emerging Doubts

Magazine: Hold up finger behind his back. Does God know about the hurting? Steve. Jobs.

It’s not doubt that’s toxic to faith. It’s silence or unexpressed doubt.

“I don’t know but” is a great response to doubt.

“I’m so glad you asked.” “You’re not the first person to ask this question.”

Their questions doesn’t offend you or God. Keep expressing.

Navigating Changing Relationships

Parents are trying hard and they need help navigate this transition also.

Is it okay to text my parents every day at college?

Parents are feeling grief and loss and they need to be needed.

Teach practical skills

Meet at laundry mat with dirty laundry and quarters. Talk how to do laundry as well as other issues they are going to be facing. One less issue to worry about.

New ideas for family and grad dinner. Give them things to talk about. Help them think through that moment as a time of blessing. They might want to get out of there so manage expectations. What would be meaningful and what would be too much.

Give them leads

Help campus ministry people know who your people are.

Let the students know where to go. campus ministry and churches.

Help parents visit a church and talk with a campus ministry leader when they go visit.

Students and leaders

Stay in touch

Contact from a youth leader or adult from the church is significant.

The power of reaching out: When teenagers leave home, we hope their faith will stick. *video by Kara and Fuller

In a digital world, real cookies speak volumes.

Cookies, coffee gift card, praying for you note.

Jump on FaceTime and reach out to college students when around other students.

Pray. Take a picture of the youth group or church praying for the students who are away. Send them a printed picture with a note. Have people sign them.

Consider 4+1

Not add another year of high school ministry just think about that year intentionally.

Small group leaders, don’t recycle back but ask them to stay with that group one more year whatever that looks like.  Connect and cheer on. Connect with mentors. Intentional plan.

Lame grad gifts that no one used and books no one read, music no one listened to. Instead, Starbucks gift cards, use this to have some significant conversations this summer. Take out your parents, small group leader or whoever and kickstart conversations about your future.

One number in your phone you can always contact no matter what.

What’s the one relationship where you never have to lie.

How will we respond when they fail?

Senior Sunday: Not goodbye but hello world.

 

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How to Squeeze Every Drop Out of the Orange Conference

 

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The Orange Conference is a terrific opportunity for big next steps in your ministry, but few consider preparation a fundamental step for a successful experience. Here are five tips to help you squeeze every drop out of the Orange Conference this year!

Prepare Physically 

Registration for The Orange Conference 2017 opens October 13.  If you purchase your ticket opening day, you save money and get Insider First Access to Breakouts. We all love saving money, but what you may not realize is that breakouts fill up fast and with First Access, you get the best deal!

After you purchase your ticket, you’ll want to figure out transportation and which hotel or AirBnB you will use. To continue preparing physically, you may want to consider the purchase of an external battery for your phone, trying on some new orange shoes, and drinking a Crush Soda.

Prepare Mentally  

You will most likely be taking off work to attend this midweek conference, so prepare to be away. Complete your work for the days you’ll be gone as well as get ahead a few days so that once you return you can process what you learned and plan for the future. You need to build in mental margin so that you are ready to both receive and digest new information. If you have a large project you’re working on or a application-heavy book you’re reading, get to a stopping point before you head to Atlanta so your mind can set that aside and focus on why you’re there. Read through the brochures and breakout descriptions now so that you can prepare yourself for the content that will be coming your way.

Prepare Emotionally 

To squeeze every drop out of the Orange Conference you need to be fully present. Schedule quality and quantity time with your family before your departure, even if they will be attending with you. If separated from your family, let your spouse know when you will be available to FaceTime and set those appointments into your calendar. If you find yourself going into the conference emotionally drained then you may want to schedule some down time for yourself and quiet time with God. At the conference you will laugh, cry, and worship, so prepare yourself emotionally for these times.

Prepare Socially

Begin today by following #OC17 on your favorite social media. This will be a great way to connect with speakers, bloggers, and the Orange community! Consider updating your profile and snapping a recent photo so that people will recognize you when they bump into you in the coffee line. Schedule a meal or two with your online community and make sure you prepare quality questions to make the most of these opportunities. You will be surprised at how much you can learn and grow when you prepare socially for the conference.

Prepare Spiritually

One of the most important questions you can ask in preparation is, “Father, what do you want to teach me?” Ask the Spirit to guide your breakout selection and for Him to open your heart to what you need to hear. Know that the conference schedule is packed, but this does not mean that you need to be at everything. Even Jesus withdrew from the crowds to be with His Father.

Whether this is your first Orange Conference or if you’ve been there since the beginning, take some time to fully prepare so that you can squeeze every drop from this year’s Orange Conference!

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Orange Tour Session Notes With Reggie Joiner

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Introduction to Monday in a band new way.
“You can become so Sunday minded that you’re no Monday good.” What would happened if we shifted our thinking?

Sunday mindset thinks about one hour. Monday thinks about the rest of the week. Answer the real questions people are asking. Help people win with their marriages, parenting, self image.

If you want a growing church make what happens on Sunday connect to Monday.

Sunday thinks about who is coming. Monday mindset makes changes to reach who isn’t coming. Sometimes we have to be intentional in thinking about the taste and preferences of those outside of the church. Phone calls are from those on the inside complaining not those who are not coming.

Sunday talks about what matters to you. Expository preaching. Monday tend to yak about what matters to kids and teenagers. Fundamental change when we understand their world. Connect God to their everyday world.

Sunday recruit volunteers for every room. Monday recruits a consistent leader for every kid. It’s harder not easiest. But when has God called us for the sake of a generation to be easier. It takes time to build into your culture. Teaching truth vs discipline. Our job is not to keep kids, it’s to disciple them.

Sunday builds excellent weekend programs. Monday invests in parents and volunteers. Influence and health of church is connected to the people who invest in kids every week. You have to invest in the parents and volunteers every week. The everyday faith that you are called to develop in their live comes through developing them. It boils down to you helping them navigate.

A new kind of leader book. It matters so push yourself a little harder. You believe is matters but are you acting like it matters?

The strategy matters: more than you think.
A plan of action with an end in mind.
You are playing as a team moving in the same direction. Football: Best 11 players on the field but without a strategy they will never score.
When you align as a team there is momentum and synergy something magical happens.

Your church matters: because it’s a place.
If stopped in the grocery store and asked why your church matters what would you say?
When they think about your church they have a perception of your church. Create the right environment so kids and teens can have a place to show up and belong.

Every family matters: regardless.
What do you picture for a family. Old Kodak camera. How you see the family in your community and church will define how the community sees your church. I hope the families outside your church will become convinced that the church cares for their family.

Doing good matters: if you’re human.
What you believe effects what you do and what you do effects what you believe. Plug teens into serving because it effects their belief system. Taps into the image of God. Take non-christian kids to go do something significant. Help teenagers serve every single week. Allow them to experience what God put into them and does through them.

This week matters: if it’s repeated.
Repetition matters. Show up every week. Your physical presence communicates that the kids matter. Doing life matters. Once we act like they really matter changes the church.

Kids matter: more than adults.
Give your church a different future. Kids matter more than adults. Not about value in God but in his kingdom. What happens in the window of a kids life defines who the become forever. “What is happening for teens now sets the trajectory of their entire life.”

You can’t see it. You can’t see spiritual growth because its spiritual not physical. Make deposits now. The greater deposits now pays off greater later. This keeps your church from dying.

What your church does for kids will keep your CHURCH from dying.

What your church does for kids will keep SUNDAY more INTERESTING.

What your church does for kids will make ADULTS better CHRISTIANS.
If you don’t volunteer you don’t grow. If you’ve been going to this church for more than 2 years and you aren’t serving then you should probably leave the church because we can’t help you grow any more.

Every teenager needs a new kind of leader who will volunteer more. If you are not volunteering, start. If you are volunteering, consider volunteering more. Put people in the kids life who will disciple them. If you are volunteering a lot, to find someone else to volunteer with you. Write down the name of someone in your church who isn’t serving right now. It’s not up to your staff to recruit the volunteers for your church. Pray for the person. I just wanted you to know that God lead me to write down your name. It’s important any because someone showed up for you at some point.

Geneva Gray the painter. Stand at the door and knock. 1st grade teacher for 40 years. Don’t know how many people she impacted but one was Reggie’s mom. Ripple effect on her faith and through the whole church. Who’s house is Jesus knocking on?

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20 KJV

I stand at the door and knock. No doorknob on the door because He doesn’t force himself in. When she opened the door for Jesus she left it open for everyone else. Was it worth it? When you open the door for Jesus you start living life with an opened door philosophy.

You open the door to Jesus and that should change everything. When you open the door to Jesus, you open the door to everyone He loves.

You open the door to wherever He takes you. What’s the solution? The kids need something to do and someone to show up in their life who cares about them.

@reggiejoiner #OT16

21 Powerful Leadership Quotes From The Orange Conference

 

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One of the best things you can do for your leaders, is to expose them to your decision making process. @fbealer

There are families who will never step foot into your church until you step into their world. @ReggieJoiner

You have no idea of the ripple effect through the generations!

At the end of your life regret will sting more than failure. @pwilson

Jesus, it’s okay if kids forget my name, as long as they remember Yours.

Following Jesus makes your life better and makes you better at life. @AndyStanley

When we get spiritually tired, we will stop doing what is right and start doing what is easy. @perrynoble

You were created on purpose, for a purpose. @AndyStanley

When you grow up believing there is a purpose in life you make better decisions. @AndyStanley

Empathy: the ability to press pause on your own thoughts and feelings long enough to explore someone else’s thoughts and feelings.

You don’t disciple students from a stage, you disciple them up close. @DougFields

Is someone at the leadership table to champion every age group? @fbealer

Remember courage and fear are both contagious. @pwilson

On Sunday, grace is expected. On Monday, grace is a surprise. @JonAcuff

The church provides the strongest argument for the dignity of individuals and for human rights. @AndyStanley

Whose Monday are you showing up for? Get messy. Empathize. @reggiejoiner

You are teaching a generation that everything belongs to God and we simply get to be managers. @AndyStanley

What if we changed our emphasis from Eternal Life when you die to Kingdom Life while you’re alive? @DougFields

We need to get teenagers to be ministers – a minister sees a need and meets it with love. @DougFields

How you’re loved will always impact how you live. How you live will never change how you’re loved. @KPowellFYI

Sunday mindset: all about pleasing people who show up. Monday mindset: all about reaching the people who don’t show up. @reggiejoiner

 

Watch “The Orange Conference 2016” on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/164770594

I hope to see you there next year!
Corey

Empathy: Reimagine Their Thoughts and Feelings 

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If you’re like most church leaders then you have a desire to impact this generation for Jesus. But where do you start? How do you speak truth to this next generation? It begins with empathy. To kick off this year’s Orange Conference, Reggie Joyner shared this definition for empathy: the ability to press pause on your own thoughts and feelings long enough to explore someone else’s thoughts and feelings.

We need to know who we are speaking to and understand what it’s like to walk in their shoes. Jesus modeled this so perfectly. Paul and Timothy described this in Philippians 2:7, “Instead, he made himself nothing. He took on the very nature of a servant. He was made in human form.” What are we doing today to press pause on our own thoughts and feelings long enough to explore someone else’s thoughts and feelings? Do we step into the world of our students to really know them?

Imagine the impact we could have on this next generation if we started today to reimagine their thoughts and feelings. Let’s practice the art of pressing pause long enough to learn about those we are trying to reach.

5 Tips To Prepare For A Successful Conference

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The more conferences I attend, the more I see that most people fail to prepare and therefore miss out on great opportunities at conferences. What if I told you there are 5 easy things that you can do today to set yourself up for future success at your next conference?

1. Only attend conferences that fit your mission. With hundreds of new conferences starting each year you need to make sure you attend the ones that fit your goals. Do you believe in the mission of the organization? Why do most people attend this particular event? Who do you know who has already attended this conference and what were their big takeaways?

2. Pay early and register for all activities. It’s no secret that the earlier you pay for a conference the better rate you will find. After you purchase your ticket, line up all airfare and housing arrangements. Make sure you have selected your breakouts and all events taking full advantage of the opportunities to grow.

3. Line up meetings with those who you want to learn from. A quick tweet or email to your favorite conference speakers and bloggers can land you an hour long coffee or dinner for personal coaching. Make a list of those who you want to learn from and see if they can work you into their schedule. Pay for their coffee or take them out to dinner to show appreciation for their time and come prepared with solid questions. These appointments may become the best learning opportunities for you but you need to schedule them ahead of time.

4. Write everything into your calendar. Between the thousands of people moving around and being unfamiliar with the building, conferences can be hectic. Prepare for a successful conference by writing everything into your digital calendar. While everyone else is rushing around and flipping through paperwork to figure out where to go next, you can simply glance at your smartphone or watch and head in the right direction.

5. Pack smart. Dress in layers because you will be freezing in one session and burning up in the next. Know the audience of those who will be attending the conference and dress appropriately. Leave room in your luggage for the books and resources you will be picking up and make sure to bring an external battery for your dying cell phone.

Like most things in life, with a little preparation the outcome will be more successful. Here are 5 of my tips for preparing for your next conference. Let me know in the comments what else you would add or share with me what conference you think every leader should be attending!

Join Thousands Of Revolutionary Leaders At #OC16

Think Orange

Will what happens in your church this Sunday matter in someone’s life on Monday?

Is what you are teaching this Sunday connected to what you need to teach this year?

These are two of the questions being asked at this years Orange Conference! Every year, leaders from around the world gather in Atlanta GA to work through a strategy that can impact the church forever. Through motivational sessions and educational breakouts, you can be sure to walk away with your next steps for personal and professional development. Over 4000 revolutionary ministry leaders have already registered and you can join them to work through this challenge of making Sunday count on Monday!

If you think about the last opportunity you had to teach your students did you challenge them in such a way that will impact their whole week or was your challenge something that only mattered to them for those 60 minutes in church?

I am excited to have the opportunity to attend the Orange Conference this year and encourage you to come along as well! If you find yourself unable to attend, you can still tag along and grow by watching sessions on livestream as well as following #OC16 on social media. And above all my prayer for you in ministry is James 1:5, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

 

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I’ll be at #OC16 with @coreyrayjones and want to see you too! http://ctt.ec/oEMfV+ #thinkorange