Refining the Message

There’s a reason that we call getting married “tying the knot.” When two people vow to love each other forever, in front of God, their lives join together in a bond that feels unbreakable. However—like all knots—over time our marriages can get frayed and even loosen. Healthy churches and healthy marriages are deeply and intricately connected. They both need each other. Ron and Jody Zappia have a story of a redeemed marriage. They use their story as a platform to show God’s glory and use transparency to help other couples find hope. Today on the podcast, they join Dave to talk about how churches can partner with couples to help them develop and maintain healthy marriages.

The call for racial reconciliation is louder than ever. It’s impossible to turn on the news or scroll through social media and not be confronted with the results of racism, prejudice, and division. As a church, we know we need to speak up and do something about this brokenness. But the question remains: How do we get beyond our own biases to begin the process of moving toward healing and unification? On Episode 71 of The Think Orange Podcast, LaTasha Morrison and Lana Jeffrey join us to share their own experiences with breaking beyond biases and give practical advice for church leaders seeking to promote true diversity in their own ministries.

Most church leaders—especially those in family ministries—would say they pour a great deal of time, energy, and resources into fostering a life-long faith in the next generation. The average student pastor invests 4, 5, sometimes 6 or 7 years into students planning weekly programming, going on retreats, investing in small group leaders, and so much more. Then when their time is up, those students graduate and move on. And all too often, they not only move on from the student ministry but the church as well. Today on Episode 68 of The Think Orange Podcast, we’ll listen in on a conversation between Jared Herd and Chuck Bomar as they discuss six reasons The Barna Group has unearthed as to why high school graduates leave the church. Then Ashley interviews Dr. Steven Argue, author of 18 Plus: Parenting Your Emerging Adult, on ways that parents and the church can remain active in the lives of students post-graduation. We’ll discover that when it comes to 18 to 29-year-olds, empathy and a sincere, “Tell me more” can go a long way in reaching the next generation.

If you live outside the city, are over the age of 30, or never turn on your car radio, you might not be aware of some of the cultural shifts happening today. For example, did you know that hip-hop has overtaken rock and roll as the #1 music genre? Today’s culture is moving fast, and unless we take our cues from those pushing it forward, the church could get stuck at a standstill. On today’s episode of The Pod, we interview Joseph Sojourner, hip-hop artist and culture expert, on how the church can lean in and think creatively to engage the Generation Z and Millennial generations. From our conversation, we see that one of the best ways to connect with the next generation is to truly listen to “their story told in their way.” Welcome to Episode 67 of the Think Orange Podcast!

Kids are, if nothing else, a growing and changing group. As they move from babies to toddler, from preschoolers to elementary schoolers, and from middle schoolers to high schoolers, their needs and interests move right along with them. It can get a little complicated. And so, church leaders become specialists in the age groups they serve. You may know everything there is to know about today’s thirteen-year-old. And that’s awesome. But if you’re not building a bridge between yourself and the people who work with students before and after you, you’re missing out on a big opportunity. Today’s episode dives right into that opportunity--with advice on how you can create a program designed to take kids from birth to graduation seamlessly and with purpose. You’ll hear from Autumn Ward, author of the First Look devotional series and a writer for the preschool First Look curriculum, and Cindy Fiala, a consultant working to help churches do exactly what we’re talking about here. Welcome to Episode 66 of the Think Orange Podcast.

In all of our churches, the people we serve seem to have more differences than commonalities. Things like the color of our skin, the generation we belong to, or family status can sometimes make it difficult to relate to one another. But we all have one thing in common: A desire for our voices to be heard. As ministry leaders, we have the opportunity to give One Voice to those in our communities. In today’s episode, we’ll look at ways we can better listen to and be a voice for those from other races, for the next generation, and for those with whom we share leadership. All of our clips were recorded at The Orange Conference 2017, and feature several guests including Dr. Bernice King, Gerald Fadayomi, and Les McKeown. As you dive in, we hope you’re encouraged to Speak Up, Listen More, and Work Together. Welcome to Episode 53 of the Think Orange Podcast.

Preteens hold unprecedented influence, more than any other time in history. Yet, anyone who has spent time in children’s or middle school ministry has stories of preteens that sit against the back wall, roll their eyes at what’s said on stage, and barely tolerate the hour. Or of some who just don’t show up at all. Today’s preteens are getting lost in transition as they shift from childhood to adolescence, a unique and challenging time when they are not quite one thing and not quite the other. Today on the Think Orange Podcast, we sit down with Dan Scott, author of Caught In Between: Engage Your Preteens Before They Check Out, to talk about how church leaders can help preteens develop a faith of their own as they move from children’s to middle school ministry.

Whether we realize it or not, stories are prevalent in all of our lives. They build our imaginations and shape how we process relational, cultural, and spiritual truths. In fact, the human brain is wired to think in narrative. That’s why, on today’s episode of the Think Orange Podcast, we explore how storytelling can be a powerful tool for communicators to all age groups. First, we’re joined by Reggie Joiner, who unpacks how stories over time can give us perspective about a very big God. Then Robert Carnes, author of The Original Storyteller, dives into some practical ways church leaders can use stories to connect with their audiences starting this Sunday.