A Decade of Orange Conference

In just a few short weeks I’ll be attending Orange Conference 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. This will be the 10th year in a row that I’ve had the privilege of attending. Over the years I’ve attended with various staff members, by myself, virtually due to a worldwide pandemic, and even as a volunteer a few times. The last week in April is permanently marked off on my calendar as OC week. Why do I make this week a priority and continue to come back year after year?

The first few years I attended OC primarily to learn from the foremost leaders of kids and family ministry in the country. I took copious notes, purchased and read all the books, attended every breakout, session, and meet-up I could pack into the week. I voraciously absorbed all the info because I wanted to learn as much as possible and take advantage of every opportunity to do so. Learning how other people are doing things and how they are adapting their ministries to the current challenges we all face equips me to make better decisions in my own ministry environments. I’m a better leader because of what I’ve learned at OC.

After a couple of years, and attending solo a time or two, I decided to volunteer. As an introvert, I sometimes have to “force” myself to interact with strangers and putting myself into a “host” role gives me the nudge I need. As is typical for me, I went “all in”. I volunteered for every single day and every single time slot – maybe a little too much in retrospect! That year I met so many new friends, from Orange staff, other volunteers, and even conference participants. Serving as a volunteer allowed me to meet people I wouldn’t have met in any other capacity. We talked about our areas of ministry, our personal lives, and our experiences at conference. Some of those relationships continue to this day. OC has become a “family reunion” of sorts for many of us who only see each other in person this one week a year. It was also a great opportunity to see the backend of such a well organized event. And as a leader who organizes quite a few events, albeit on a much smaller scale, this was a great opportunity to learn some of the details that are involved in making an event like this so seamless. I’m a better leader because of what I’ve experienced at OC.

The past few years have changed the way I relate to the conference experience as a whole. We all remember 2020 – when the world shut down and life changed drastically for all of us. And Orange pivoted along with the rest of the world and created OC20 completely online. I was working harder than ever during that time, in a completely new way! I was leading a team of kids & student pastors to reinvent ministry when we couldn’t meet together physically. That year, OC became a source of encouragement and refreshing for my soul. Across the country, through digital devices, we were reminded that we were all walking this new road together. We laughed about our struggles, we mourned our losses, we imagined a “new normal,” and we dreamed of the future – together, yet not together. And last year, when we were all back together again, I used the conference as a time to refresh and encourage myself yet again. I was less concerned about attending every breakout and more interested in connecting with the people I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. I skipped out on quite a few breakouts and main sessions to stand in the hall and talk with old friends and a few news one I’ve met along the way. I’m a better leader because of the people I’ve met at OC.

This year, when I attend OC23, it will be another year of new experiences for me. I’m back at the church where I first began my ministry career, this time in a volunteer role. I’m fortunate to have such a great relationship with this staff team that they’ve allowed me to serve as a consultant of sorts – I attend staff meetings when I’m available and they’ve even given me an office space to work out of. And best of all, they’ve invited me to attend Orange Conference with them! I’m looking forward to another year of learning from the best ministry leaders in the country, experiencing high quality worship and stellar event planning, and getting to meet and collaborate with my team and so many friends I’ve met through the years. Will I see you at OC23?

*If you haven’t already registered – here’s a link that will save you a few bucks. I promise you it will be worth it! https://www.theorangeconference.com/register?promo=tb14980815-6514

Surviving Easter

If you’ve been in ministry for very long, you know that Easter Sunday is the BIG TIME. So much preparation goes into this one weekend because we know that we’ll have the biggest crowds and, for many, it’s our one chance to capture their attention. The week leading up to Easter can require so much extra time and energy that often we’re exhausted when it’s over. Often, it can feel like a lot of work for little reward. Here are some tips to help make Easter a success.

  1. Get them there! This may seem obvious, but many of us just assume people will show up and so we don’t put forth any effort to invite them. Send an email to everyone who’s attended your ministry in the past few months. Post a graphic and service times on your social media pages. Maybe even spend some money and create a physical invite that your families can share with their friends. You can make this as simple or complex as you have time and resources for, but whatever you do, be sure you’re inviting people to attend!
  2. Prepare for them. If you’ve invited them to attend, now you need to expect them to show up! Maybe you need extra volunteers greeting at the doors. You’ll need to make more coffee than usual (and be sure you have extra cups on hand!). And always make sure you’ve scheduled extra volunteers in your kids ministry areas. Look around your church and ministry area as if you’re seeing it for the first time, because many people will. We all have a stock pile of things we’ve been meaning to put away – now’s the time to do that! A little care and cleaning will help you make a great first impression.
  3. Make it different – but the same. Easter isn’t just a regular Sunday. It’s a celebration! We need to have some things that stand out and are different from any other Sunday. But the goal is to entice people to come back next week, so we don’t want to be so different that they’re confused when they do show up. Give them a taste of who you are from week to week, with a little bit of the extra holiday thrown in to make it special.
  4. Give them a clear next step. We didn’t go to all this work for it to be a one and done situation! Invite them to come back next week. Encourage them to register for the event you’ll be having a few weeks from now. Get them signed up for your monthly newsletter. Whatever that next step is, be sure its clear to you and to them.
  5. Send them home with info. Don’t let them forget about you! Send them home with something that reminds them of the celebration (and your service times!). I’ve discovered that giving them something fun makes a big splash. Maybe it’s candy or an easy craft project that goes home with the kids, including a brief overview of the Bible story & lesson with an invite for next week. Or maybe you set up a photo backdrop and encourage family photos that you then post on your social media pages. Families will often tag themselves in the photos and this allows you to go back and thank them for attending and invite them to come back again.
  6. FOLLOW UP! Again, this seems obvious but so often we’re exhausted and/or moving forward to the next event and we forget to follow up with the families that attended. If you captured contact info from these families, be sure that you take time to send an email, text, or even a handwritten note that acknowledges their attendance and reiterates that next step that you’ve identified. Make a plan to check on them in a few weeks to see if they’ve returned for another visit.

Every one of these steps can be as simple or as complex as you have time and resources for. Easter shouldn’t be a struggle, and ensuring these steps are accomplished will help us survive.

What are your Easter survival tips?