Orange Leaders Forum » Tag: engage

Orange Leaders Forum » Tag: engage - Recent Posts http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/tags/engage Orange Leaders Forum en-US Fri, 10 Sep 2010 18:40:53 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 <![CDATA[Search]]> q http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/search.php Angela McCann on "How do we cast vision for parents and engage into the strategy?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-we-cast-vision-for-parents-and-engage-into-the-strategy#post-88 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:44:28 +0000 Angela McCann 88@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ We are heading into year 4 with this curriculum and Family Experience. After going to Orange this past year (and the first time for me as director of CM) I decided to recast the Orange vision. First to CM staff, then to the leaders and finally to the parents. I am very very excited to see things unfold this fall and feel really good about recasting Orange. See, from the get go we practically painted the church orange. We were so excited about Orange and our Pastor and Leadership totally supported it. . We had Orange candies, orange tablecloths, orange balloons and a whole lot of enthusiasm which was contagious in itself apparently. However, we found out that while parents got the 30/4000 meaning they could define it but they didn't really adopt it. Parents could tell me how red(home) and yellow(church) together make orange but they couldn't tell me why that would mean they needed to do anything differently. After orange we redefined our "win", we redefined our strategy and then in summer we began to implement it. Can't wait for our first Family Experience of the school year in Oct.! Beth Nelson on "How do I engage students to serve?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-i-engage-students-to-serve#post-20 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 18:20:06 +0000 Beth Nelson 20@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ Students need consistent opportunities to develop their faith, and it's critical to allow them to see God show up as they do ministry and influence others. One of the best ways to stimulate faith is to give students an opportunity to have a personal ministry within your church and to expose them to the larger story of faith developing around them. <ul> <li>Encourage your students to sponsor a child through Compassion or another group. Show them the influence they can have on a child in another country, then help them see the influence they can have on children within your church. </li> <li>Plan for students to serve as the volunteer team for a special children's event. </li> <li>You may have to rearrange your Sunday morning schedule to allow students to serve. Students can be a great help with technical support, drama, leading worship, and even leading children's small groups. </li> </ul> Beth Nelson on "When do you start plugging kids in to serve?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/when-do-you-start-plugging-kids-in-to-serve#post-18 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:53:26 +0000 Beth Nelson 18@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ Kids as young as third grade can be given light, age-appropriate responsibilities. Older elementary kids can begin to serve on a kids' singing team or as helpers who welcome new kids and help them feel like they belong). Middle schoolers can continue as singers, but can also start to intern in tech and behind-the-scenes roles. High school students can begin to lead small groups, become vocalists, or take speaking roles in productions, as well as take on primary roles in other capacities. In some cases they can become an adult leader’s best ally: they may have more relevant insight into tech and can create an awesome vibe in various environments. Beth Nelson on "How do I engage unchurched parents?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-i-engage-unchurched-parents#post-15 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:32:06 +0000 Beth Nelson 15@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ Vision casting is essential when engaging unchurched parents. Help them to see the need met by your ministry by keeping in mind that parents are silently asking you to do three things: 1. Give me the plan. 2. Show me how it works. 3. Tell me what to do today. God Time cards, Refrigerator Door cards, and other resources included in reThink curriculums will help incorporate parents into the Orange strategy. Family Experience productions are another way to invite unchurched parents into your ministry in a relevant and non-threatening way. Additionally, at the appropriate time, enlist these parents on the team by explaining, "I partner with you and you partner with me to help develop your child's spiritual life." You can also incorporate quarterly "one phone call" family social events into your calendar. These are events which are easily set up with only one phone call - hayrides, renting an ice skating rink or bowling alley, etc. Beth Nelson on "How do we cast vision for parents and engage into the strategy?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-we-cast-vision-for-parents-and-engage-into-the-strategy#post-12 Tue, 28 Apr 2009 09:54:18 +0000 Beth Nelson 12@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ Vision leaks, so it must be done constantly, creatively, and in as many ways as can be done. Here are some ideas that might help: <ul> <li>Launch a new ministry season with Orange Night. Cast vision for why you are doing what you do (the strategy behind Orange) as well as the content you might be covering, but make it fun. You might hand out Orange glow sticks and play some great music. If you want to make it a true family event, try showing the "Skeeples and Lomes" DVD to parents and kids together. Finish off the night with orange sherbert, vanilla ice cream, and orange toppings. </li> <li>If you do a monthly FX (Family Experience), it’s a great chance to cast vision. Give parents the monthly Parent Link Live parenting podcast to help them understand how they can win at home. Some churches even start the family experience a few minutes early, and while the kids warm up with some songs, parents gather for a few minutes with the senior pastor or another church leader who gives a short (5-7 minute) talk on parenting values or the church’s Orange strategy. </li> <li>At the end of the year, throw an Ovations event where you celebrate your volunteers. Many of your volunteers are parents, and while you are appreciating their hard work, you have yet another opportunity to remind why what they do is so important. </li> <li>Create a highlights video of what goes on "back there" so parents can see what it looks and feels like, and play these videos prior to the adult service when appropriate. Work with your church’s senior leadership, lead pastor, and eldership for their communication and support. Talk with your senior pastor about possibly doing an Orange series for adults. </li> <li>Encourage parents to tap into Amber Sky, where the vision gets reinforced once again through music and creative arts.</li> </ul> Beth Nelson on "How do you engage middle and high school students?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-you-engage-middle-and-high-school-students#post-7 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:28:20 +0000 Beth Nelson 7@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ We have always taught the importance of relevant environments. I actually think the word relevant means a dozen different things depending on who you ask. It is important to have fun and to be creative, but neither of these is the same thing as relevance. When what you have done has helped children or students understand how a spiritual truth applies or to make the right connection relationally, you have been relevant. It involves the way you present truth and what happens in their relationships. In John 1 it was obvious that Jesus came to do two things: <ol> <li>Turn on a Light – spiritually </li> <li>Build a bridge – relationally </li> </ol> He engaged an entire generation because of how He did both of those things. Every time you gather with teenagers you should ask, “Did we turn on a light?” and “Did we build a bridge?” Don’t fall into the trap of thinking you have to spend thousands on technology to engage students. Also remember that teenagers need to be challenged to do something significant and to learn through engaging experiences. Refuse to only think in terms of teaching or presentation. An irresistible environment teaches truth that is relevant, builds strong relationships, and creates memorable experiences. Beth Nelson on "How do college-age students fit into the Orange strategy?" http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/topic/how-do-college-age-students-fit-into-the-strategy#post-4 Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:17:02 +0000 Beth Nelson 4@http://www.orangeleaders.com/forums/ The transition into college is a critical time. Everything changes in a the first year of college, and it becomes the point when many young adults exit church. Perhaps the best assistance we can provide for this transition is to keep an existing faith community going. One way to do this is to have high school small group leaders make a five-year commitment to the students they lead. The fifth year would be spent staying connected with the students who have gone off to school. Social networking makes this easy today. Another way to keep students engaged is to help them find relevant environments in their new towns that work for them. Generally, college students look for strong relationships with peers and mentors as well as relevant, applicable Biblical teaching. Finally, realize that personal ministry makes a huge difference in anyone’s experience with God, but it’s especially true for college students. They are looking for something to do with their lives, and to engage them in personal ministry to serve in high school, middle school, children’s ministry, serving the poor locally or abroad are great ways to help them take their faith to another level.