It’s Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas: A Jingle Jam Giveaway!
Wednesday December 3, 2014 | Orange Leadersby Mike Clear Every year it’s the same thing—search for great Christmas music that families will love. We want to play it in our church environments. We want to play it in our cars. We want it playing as we decorate the tree. Well, we think we have the perfect solution! It’s our new Christmas […] Read more
Three Doors of Partnership
Wednesday December 3, 2014 | Orange Leadersby Leslie Bolser Several months ago, I noticed something strange about my youngest daughter’s school. On the exterior of the building, every 20 feet or so, there seemed to be a vertical rectangle of bricks whose color was slightly mismatched from the other bricks. As I looked more carefully, it was clear that those mismatched […] Read more
What’s Your Phase?—OC15 Contest Winners!
Monday December 1, 2014 | Orange LeadersIt’s just a phase, but it’s all yours. Whether you wow the adorable preschoolers, brave the daring elementary kids, weird out with the middle-schoolers or Snap Chat the high-schoolers, you’ve chosen to work with one or more life stages that holds a special place in your heart. And you wouldn’t trade it for anything. In […] Read more
Marriage Ministry: What Works, What Doesn’t
Tuesday November 25, 2014 | Orange Leadersby Ted Lowe and Doug Fields As you focus on marriage ministry, here’s an excerpt from our book, Married People: How Your Church Can Build Marriages That Last. For years, we’ve both experienced the joy and privilege of helping other church leaders. Some of this has taken place face to face; much of it has […] Read more
Can Preschoolers Really Worship?
Monday November 24, 2014 | Orange Leadersby Jenna Kuykendall I’ve always known that the answer is YES but deep down inside, after writing songs, creating choreography, and planning large groups for preschoolers, I’ve found myself still asking this question. I’ve also asked: “Is my preparation even worth it? Do they even hear or understand what I’m saying?” As I’ve taken the […] Read more
7 Questions Every Kidmin Leader Needs To Ask Themselves To Grow
Thursday November 20, 2014 | Jim WidemanI am a question junkie! I’ve never met a question I didn’t like. Why? That’s simple: Questions make you think, questions make you evaluate and questions make you grow. I’ve also come to see questions cause you to learn as well as being a first step to change! In my opinion, there is no such […] Read more
Touching The Community You Serve
Wednesday November 19, 2014 | Orange Leadersby Virginia Ward Every church is physically placed in a neighborhood to be salt, an agent that preserves, and light, a voice of God-consciousness. As youth leaders, we are privileged to work with youth to develop supportive communities as they journey through adolescence. It is important for youth ministries to be aware of the assets […] Read more
How to Affect the Future of the Next Generation
Tuesday November 18, 2014 | Orange Leadersby Mike Clear At Orange, we are absolutely convinced that if every child had a place to belong and someone to believe in them, it could radically affect their faith and their future. Now, I can’t do that for every child. I can’t even do it for very many. But I can do it for […] Read more
5 Reasons It Makes Sense to Have a Separate Middle School Ministry
Monday November 17, 2014 | Orange Leadersby Tom Shefchunas In 2009, Outreach Magazine did an interview with Andy Stanley about Church growth. In it, they asked him what he thinks the optimal church size is. To my surprise, his answer gave me both hope and an increased sense of job security! He said, “We decided the optimal-size church is one that’s […] Read more
Creating Big Moments For Little People
Thursday November 13, 2014 | Orange Leadersby Holly Crawshaw Can I tell you a secret? I hate Pinterest. I mean, I love it—it taught me how to French braid my daughter’s hair and how to get that tricky juice stain out of my hallway rug. But I also hate it—it makes me feel like a terrible mom because my Christmas tree […] Read more
