My breakout today was Transitioning to Orange with Adam Duckworth. He is the Children's Pastor at First Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale, FL and really is a wealth of information when it comes to "going Orange."
I love his passion and it's infectious.
Here is what he had to share today:
Transition Step #1
Define Orange.
Orange is a strategy which combines the influence of the family and the church for the next generation.
- Orange is not the name of a program.
- Orange is not a curriculum.
- Orange is not music.
Be very, very, very careful not to confuse your people. Make sure you know what it is before you share it with others.
Transition Step #2
Begin thinking steps, not programs.
Evaluate with your team what programming works and what doesn't.
Do few things well. Learn how to do what we already do better.
Transition Step #3
Begin transitioning. Link your curriculum.
Once you understand step #2, it will cause you to strategically link your curriculums.
You and your team must know why you are doing this, not just how.
Kids are way too important to not be strategic about what we teach them.
Transition Step #4
Engage the family in your strategy.
You can't engage the family until you have something to engage them to.
Be patient. This may take time.
Transition Step #5
Showcase your strategy.
Love this Wendy, thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteOne question I've always had: how important is it that a church (i.e. parents, volunteers, staff) now that it's an "Orange" church? Seems like more of an emphasis and focus, but perhaps the clarity can be helpful? Can a church can be Orange without ever knowing it, or at least outside the staff? Would love your thoughts.
Hey Dustin!
ReplyDeleteI believe that there are churches who are "orange" and just haven't labeled it as such. Orange is really a strategy for the church to partner with parents. There are alot of churches doing that. Have you read "Think Orange" by Reggie Joiner?
Thanks for the response Wendy! I'm pretty well versed with Orange and the strategy (though, whoops, haven't read the book yet...on it!), and I love the focus. I guess my question is for those church's being introduced to Orange, how important is it that they adopt Orange as their formal strategy? Does that make sense? :) How important is that they be identified as an "Orange Church" as opposed to just have the partnering with parents focus?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your dialogue!
Dustin,
ReplyDeleteI think that a church doesn't have to label themselves "orange" at all. Our church isn't an "orange church" although part of our focus is coming alongside parents. Most churches have that strategy already or are working towards that. I think that "orange" puts a picture to the vision. For me the Orange conference challenges me and equips me to do it better and be more intentional about it.
Ah, that makes sense and is well said. I've seen official "Orange Churchs" and wondered how important / helpful the branding is. I don't care either way, as long as parents are being equipped! Thanks for being great, Wendy!
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