Orange Roots: Preconference Workshop # 2

The second pre-conference workshop that I attended was called Orange Roots. This workshop was trying to lay the foundation that we need to have orange roots. This workshop was also an excellent workshop and I am glad that I picked this class.

Five Elements of Orange

- Integrate Strategy
- Refine Your Message
- Elevate Community
- Reactivate the Family
- Leverage Influence

With these being the "core elements" of Orange, I will break them down a little bit more. Here they are ...

Integrate Strategy

Leaders of the church and parents of the children and youth need to be leading with the same end in mind.

Refine Your Message

We need to craft core truths (values) that are engaging, relevant and remembering.

Elevate Community

Everyone in the church community is connected to one another

Reactivate the Family

Parents are actively participating in the spiritual formation of their kids

Leverage Influence

We need to create opportunities for individuals to influence the lives of those that they are in contact with.

If we want to place "family first", we need to make some family first investments. There were five investments that were given. Here are the investments:

1. Hiring Staff: Who you are determines where you will head. We must be orange internal if we ever expect to be orange eternally.

2. Financial Resources: Matthew 5. Where your treasure is where your heart will be also. Show me your budget. Where you spend the most money is where your heart is at -ministry value.

3. Weekend Scheduling: If you give your family programming the crappiest time slot; then family isn't first.

- does not compete
- family convient
- space

4. Ministry Programs: It's better to grow slowly in the same direction than quickly in many directions.

5. Teaching and Pracing: Grace and Truth and emphasizes core values

More On the Five Elements ......

Strategy

- Plan of Action with end in mind
- Ask: Where do we want them to end up ?
- Strategy is about steps to your answers

Refine

- what do we want them to know
- teaching = answer to that question
- we can't teach everything (core truths)

Community

- connect children and students to a leader and peers
- place another adult voice in their lives
- culture can't compete with church on community

Family

- rethink ministry
- more for family and less for individuals

Influence

- less teaching and more experience
- spectator to participant = growth
- volunteers: invite do not beg

A note from church leaders to church attendees:

We will give you what you need not what you want