Kristen Ivy
Kristen Ivy is the President of Orange and the founder of The Phase Project, and co-author of the Phase Guide series, "It's Just a Phase," and "Playing for Keeps." She combines her degree in secondary education with a Master of Divinity and lives out the full Orange spectrum as the wife of XP3 Students Orange Specialist, Matt Ivy, and the mother of three children, Sawyer, Hensley, and Raleigh.
Voices of the Phase Project :: Caz McCaslin
Wednesday June 7, 2017 | Kristen IvyFourth graders appear ready to take on the world. They seem virtually unstoppable. However, as parents and church leaders, it can feel as though it is far too soon for them to step out with such confidence. That’s one of the many reasons we wanted you to hear from Caz McCaslin. As the founder of […] Read more
Navigating the Three Phases of Elementary School
Wednesday May 31, 2017 | Kristen IvyPhase Defined: A time frame in a kid’s life when you can leverage distinctive opportunities to influence their future. The phase that should matter most to you is the phase they are in now. The phase that matters most happens before or after this phase. Adults tend to assume, “They are like me now.” Adults tend to assume, “They are like I used to […] Read more
Mothers With No Babies to Hold
Monday May 15, 2017 | Kristen IvyThis past January I grieved alongside my sister the loss of my niece, our deeply loved little girl who was put into a body not meant for this world. Losing a child isn’t something that we talk about often because, really, what is there to say? When you lose a baby before they ever really […] Read more
Voices of the Phase Project :: Duffy Robbins
Wednesday May 10, 2017 | Kristen IvyIf anyone has gone deep in student ministry, it’s Dr. Duffy Robbins. A longtime friend of Orange, he serves as Professor of Youth Ministry at Eastern University and has a 35-year-history in working with teenagers. Duffy’s warm, conversational style and quick sense of humor have placed him in high demand for everything from Bible camps […] Read more
Navigating the Three Phases of Preschool
Wednesday May 3, 2017 | Kristen IvyThis week, we’re hosting the Orange Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. With this year’s conference we are also unveiling new resources and sharing insights from our research in The Phase Initiative. We even are offering a series of breakouts all about navigating the phases of your phase. To serve leaders who attend our talks and those who are following along online, I’ll be posting notes from each session on the blog. Whether or not you were able to make the conference, I hope some you gain something form these notes that prevent you, your team, and your parents from missing the distinctive opportunities of the phase you’re in and the phases to come. Here are the notes from the breakout titled “Navigating the Three Phases of Preschool,” which was led by Holly Crawshaw. Read more
The Two Types of Leaders Every Child Needs
Wednesday April 12, 2017 | Kristen IvyWhich phase of a kid’s life do you think is more important? There are actually two answers to that question. . . Answer 1 The phase that should matter most is the one you are working with now. In other words, you should learn to champion the age group you work with so you can […] Read more
Why Your Ministry Needs a Champion
Wednesday April 5, 2017 | Kristen IvyIf you’re reading this article, more than likely it’s because you influence children or teenagers. That puts you in a unique tribe of leaders who spend every week teaching, programming, and leading the next generation. It also means it’s up to you. You are in a position to change how adults in your church see […] Read more
The 3 Elements of Every Phase
Wednesday March 29, 2017 | Kristen IvyEvery phase has its own significant relationship, present realities, and distinctive opportunities. So we have to pay attention. We have to do our homework. We have to show up consistently. We have to rally the church to know the kids matter at every phase. Read more
Why Kids Need More Than Just Their Parents
Wednesday March 22, 2017 | Kristen IvyIf no volunteer can ever know what a parent knows, then why recruit anyone to help with kids and teenagers? It would definitely make things easier if you could just tell parents, “Since you know more than we can ever know, and you have more time than we will ever have, and you care about […] Read more
Parent and Small Group Leader: A Child Needs Both
Wednesday March 15, 2017 | Kristen IvyLast Friday you put on some tunes and busted a move in front of your totally-mortified middle school sons. Then tonight they came home from the dance doing the sprinkler, just like you taught ’em—only they gave credit to Jeff, their small group leader. What gives? And it’s not just your own kids, either. One […] Read more