I believe the church and family are at a crossroads. Things are shifting around us rapidly, and the test for many leaders will be in how quickly and completely they are willing to make a change. In today’s episode, Reggie Joiner challenges us as leaders to make an important shift for the sake of the next generation.
What if the parents you met last week at the ball game showed up at your church this Sunday? What next step would you give them to connect them to a better strategy? Would you be ready to help them engage? Would they see your church as a source of energy for their families? The real question is, how do you see your role as a church when it comes to the family? Not only should you think Orange, you should start acting Orange.
Nehemiah was convinced that the generations of God-followers around him needed to experience something that would move their faith beyond its present condition. Think about what happened. Everyone in the community experienced the wall at some level as the text implies that assignments were made to families and tribes. Remember the people of God were “in disgrace,” suffering from the loss of their reputation and respect. The context of the story created a backdrop for all of the people to see what God could do through them. In today’s episode, Reggie Joiner discusses raising the next generation to experience the power of a bigger story.
If you want to build an everyday faith in the lives of the next generation, you have to begin to see families in a different way. This is never more clear than in the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy. Listen to today’s episode as Reggie Joiner shares the one thing that shapes how you treat families in your church and community.
There are key things a child needs to learn at each age from birth to graduation—age-specific core concepts, principles, and experiences to have a real, growing and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In this episode, Reggie Joiner explains the difference between strategy and curriculum to help you develop a master plan that keeps the end result for a child in mind.
Blogging can be a huge benefit to your church’s communications strategy and online outreach. It takes time, effort, and resources but the rewards usually outweigh the costs. In this episode, Robert Carnes outlines church blog basics and provides tools and examples to get you started. Listen in to explore some of the questions you should first consider and determine whether or not your church is ready to make the commitment.
All of us have a mission. Unfortunately, we often struggle with the tension between carrying out our mission and prioritizing our own health. For most of us, things will only get busier. There will be more people, more tasks, more challenges, more opportunities, and the same us. Here are five things you can do to help establish healthy boundaries and prioritize your own health.
Inspiring people with the church's or ministry's vision is a tough challenge for many leaders. As leaders, we eat, sleep, and breathe vision; we hear it all the time. We can often feel kind of crazy repeating the vision over and over because we know it so well. However, the people that we serve don’t hear it all the time. If you want to inspire the people that you lead you must repeat the vision often. Here are four thoughts that will help you inspire the people you lead to a greater good.
Questions aren't bad. Questions are inevitable. The best answer to questions about God doesn't always exist in responses that are rehearsed or memorized. Our intentions are honorable when we attempt to bring light to the world with well-crafted answers to the unending questions. However, it is our testimony, our story about how Jesus has worked in our life, that carries the best answer. Let’s illuminate Him by responses that aren’t rehearsed or memorized, but lived out in our own moments of triumph and trial.
Agreeing on a clear vision helps you empower others to lead and carry out ministry. However, just “making the vision plain” is not enough to keep people focused on it or to equip a church to accomplish it. Both your team and your congregation need to be reminded frequently of what the vision is and where you’re going next. In this episode, Tony Morgan gives you three practical questions to ask once you've established a vision.
Why do you do what you do? You're busy, but does all of your work add up to a larger purpose? Are you able to accomplish your goals? Every church needs goals. Every ministry within the church needs goals. And every individual pastor, staff member and volunteer within the church needs goals. Goals give us something larger to work toward and a motivation for continuing to work. That being said, goals don’t happen by accident. They are established and accomplished with purpose and intentionality. In today's episode, Robert Carnes shares how to set goals and achieve personal goals.
You have probably heard or read Deuteronomy 6 many times. Maybe you learned about how it is part of the Shema, a prayer that is spoken daily in Jewish tradition. It was so important in Jewish culture that those verses were commonly the first to be memorized by Jewish children. In today's episode, Nick Blevins presents why Deuteronomy 6 matters.
Parents have the most influence over their children's exposure to God, but parents are often overlooked in our ministries. In today's episode, Autumn Ward tackles some important questions such as, "How are we, the church, helping mom and dad make the most of the influence they have with their kids? How are we helping mom and dad be the best they can be?" Encouraging parents to talk confidently about God should be a priority in your ministry, Autumn shares. In this podcast, you'll learn how to start partnering with parents today.
When's the last time you've attended a conference? In today's episode, Corey Jones shares with us five important reasons why attending a conference should be one of your goals for the year. If it's your desire to connect with God on a deeper level while sparking a renewed commitment to the vision of your church, today's podcast is worth a listen.
You've likely felt overwhelmed a time or two. You've also likely arrived on Friday and wondered what it is you've been doing all week. If you're a leader, these instances happen way more than you'd care to admit. If you're a smart leader, you make time in your busy schedule for seven priorities no matter what's on the agenda for the week. Carey Nieuwhof shares with us what these seven priorities are and how you can start enforcing boundaries to become a great leader.
When you are transitioning into a new role or environment, it can kind of feel like an upward climb. In this episode, Rachael Sibcy recommends three lenses for every leader to look through when coming into a new environment: love, life and loyalty.
NextGen is one of the fastest growing ministry movements in the local church today. NextGen is simply about the Next Generation, typically infants through high school or sometimes including college. What impact should this have on your church? Kenny Conley shares the significance of the NextGen role and why your church should consider having someone on staff dedicated to NextGen ministry.
Inspiring leaders to show up week after week requires more than free coffee or donuts—though we think you should definitely offer those. So what exactly does it take? In this episode, Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy share from years of experience just how they've done it.
Kids are changing fast. As important as it is for churches to stay connected to kids as they grow, it’s even more important for parents to do so. Why and how is this important? We'll walk you through that answer in today's episode.
Implementing a new strategy or a different strategy can be overwhelming. Tanya Velardo understands this pressure, especially as it relates to ministry inside a city. In this episode, Tanya shares three key principles for anyone starting a new church or looking to implement Orange curriculum.
As a NextGen leader, you have influence that extends beyond the kids and students you serve each week. In today's episode, Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy share what it looks like to be a champion for your ministry area and influence those who have influence.
43% of Millennial adults are non-white, which is the highest share of any generation. Now more than ever, we need communicators who can communicate effectively to diverse audiences. Where should you start? Sam Collier shares five tips for today's communicators.
Whether you have four full-time staff on your family ministry team or a handful of committed volunteer coaches, keeping everyone on the same page across all of your ministry areas is a very big deal. So how do you keep staff on the same page when it comes to reaching the next generation? One big way is by championing the need for every staffer or volunteer leader to be both a specialist AND a generalist. Listen as Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy share how.