Orange Fruit: Orange Preconference Workshop # 3

This seminar/workshop was based on John 15 (the vine). The seminar was based on when/how to prune. One of the interesting statements that jump-kicked the seminar was the following:

An unpruned ministry looks impressive

This is such a true statement. A church could have something on the calendar every day of the month and cover every topic at hand. You could take out a pamphlet of their ministries and go ... wow, look at all they have. It looks impressive but there is no goal/strategy in place and the organization is running in 100 different directions ....... not good.

Here are 5 principles on pruning:

- if you don't prune, you will never experience an abundance of the ftuit.
- there is tremendous skill involved in pruning
- there is tremendous timing involved in pruning
- you must prune not only unhealthy ministries but healthy ones as well
- pruning is cutting and cutting hurts

Let us break these down a little further:

If you don't Prune .....

- an unprune ministry looks impressive
- there is tons of visible activity in an unpruned ministry but is there life change?

There is tremendous skill ....

Guidelines to Pruning

- programs robbing resources
- programs accomplishing identical ministry
- old version when new version is released
- people who are not on board
- prune quickly but plant slowly

Tremendous Timing ....

- the gardner does not expect to see fruit immediately after cuts are made
- it takes time to see fruit
- do not abandon strategy too early; allow time for strategy to work

Not only Unhealthy ....

- John 15: 2: Every branch that DOES bear fruit gets prunned
- reread, it is often overlooked

Prunning is Cutting ....

- pruning (cutting) will hurt
- You can add without attracting attention, but you cannot subtract without attention

I think the pruning guidelines were the ones that will effect me the most and the things that I will chew on. Over the next six months, there will be prunning, some subtraction and some adding. It should be an interesting time in the field.

Words of Wisdom

Before you prune anything, you must find out the following rwo things:

- whose idea was this originally
- who currently consider this their baby

So, what do you think ?

There was much more in the seminar but those broad strokes should give you a picture of the workshop.