Getting to Know Your Neighbors
Tuesday September 19, 2017 | Paula DannielleIn one part of the city, there is Congregation A. Congregation A sits in the middle of a neighborhood where the average family income is $35,000 per year and the average family size is 4.5 people. Poverty rates are high. Violent crime rates are rising. Schools suffer from a lack of funding and teacher apathy […] Read more
The Value of Debriefing Your Team
Friday September 8, 2017 | Paula DannielleAnything worth doing, is worth reviewing, so we can see how to do it better. From worship services, to events, to camps and retreats, we have a responsibility to continue to improve and give God and our families the best experience possible. One of the ways to continually improve is to celebrate the wins and […] Read more
Effective Leaders Replace Themselves
Thursday September 7, 2017 | Nick BlevinsLast month there was a Sunday where two of our staff directors in children’s ministry were both gone on the same day. Now, if you lead in children’s ministry, you know that being away on a Sunday can be a challenge depending on how well your teams are staffed and prepared. That Sunday in particular […] Read more
Strategy for Volunteer Recruitment and Retention
Thursday August 31, 2017 | Orange LeadersI remember my first day on staff as Preschool Coordinator at the church my family and I had been attending for a year. “Good morning how are you? Are you serving anywhere?” I asked this very assertive looking woman checking in her kids. She looked at me like I had lost my mind. She then […] Read more
Turning the Tide of Negative Team Energy
Friday August 25, 2017 | Paula Dannielle“The first law of thermodynamics helps us know that energy is neither created nor destroyed. It is just transferred from one end to another.” This principle applies to the energy of spirit as much as it applies to the energy of electricity. Leaders are in a powerful position to affect the energy in any atmosphere. […] Read more
Thinking With a Community-First Mindset
Thursday August 10, 2017 | Kenny ConleyI’m going to go out on a limb here and say that every church cares about the community. Reaching those who are far from God is a pretty big part of our collective mission, given to us by Jesus in Matthew 28. However, how we approach the community differs from church to church. There’s a […] Read more
Three Reasons Why Kids Ministry is Cancelled Today
Thursday August 3, 2017 | Daniel De Jesús“You’re telling me my child has to sit in church with me?” “He’s going to be bored out of his mind!” “But Pete is preaching through the book of DANIEL!” “I drove 30 minutes here just for you to tell me there is no Kids Ministry? This is unacceptable.” These are all real, actual statements […] Read more
Safeguarding Against Loneliness in Leadership
Friday July 28, 2017 | Nick Blevins“The Loneliest Job” is a famous picture taken of John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office in 1961. In the picture, he stands over his desk, giving the iconic image of him bearing the weight of the world alone. In reality, he was reading the newspaper while leaning over the desk, which helped alleviate the […] Read more
How to Lead Better in This Phase—Starting Now!
Wednesday July 19, 2017 | Orange LeadersWhether it simply lurks at the back of your mind during infrequent moments of insecurity or it keeps you up at night, you probably worry at times that you don’t measure up as a leader. You see social media posts from peers and experts that are “killing it,” and you silently wonder when (or if) […] Read more
Does Your Family Matter?
Tuesday July 18, 2017 | Heather KennyWe’ve all done it. Cringed when someone asks our child what they learned at church today, and their slow response is, “I don’t know.” If anyone should know that the lesson was about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, it should be your children! How did they miss the fiery furnace you constructed out of a refrigerator […] Read more
