3 things Reggie Joiner said at the DC Orange Tour Stop

It’s no secret that I’m all in on the Orange Strategy and curriculum.  You can call me an Orange Fanboy if you want…that’s ok. Ever since reading “Think Orange” years ago, it has really helped me shape my strategy of Student Ministry and now is still influencing me as I lead an Online Church Campus.

On Friday, Oct. 10th, I went to the Orange Tour Stop in Fairfax, VA to hear from the likes of Reggie Joiner, Jon Acuff, Carey Nieuwhof, Kindra Fleming and Geoff Surratt.  It was a great day of learning and processing for me and the Family Ministry team that came from New Life Christian Church.

Reggie, being the main Orange guy, had a lot of great stuff to say during the day. Below are the 3 things he said that really stood out to me and challenged me to be a better minister.

I want to caution you about the 3 statements I am going to share below, as with everything, it is easy to take them out of context because they are just 3 individuals comments and they lack the context in which they were spoken.  I will attempt to unpack them, but if you have a problem with something I have written down, please let me know so I can explain better.

So, here they are:

1. You beliefs matter…People matter more.  Our beliefs do matter.  Who we belief God and Jesus to be is so important.  However, sometimes we allow our theology to become more important than the people around us.  When we allow our theology and beliefs to override people, we tend to do more harm than good.  As Reggie pointed out later, it is possible for us to dilute what we do by the way we handle situations.  I firmly believe that.  We need to stand by our beliefs, but love people through our differences and help them discover God.
2. God is good…You should do good.  Obviously this seems like a no-brainer but what Reggie was saying is that we should all be a reflection of God’s goodness in all that we do.  Are we a reflection of God in our goodness to others?
3. Teachers expand how you think…Coaches empower what you do.  Teachers are great but coaches help you do more than hear information.  They help you process the information and apply it to your life.  Can teachers be coaches too?  Of course they can, but I believe what we find most is that teachers are really great about teaching info whereas coaches are great at making sure players learn it and really apply it through life. We are encouraged to be coaches in ministry, not just teachers of information.

These statements can cause tension in our ministries.  But as Reggie pointed out, if we don’t say “yes” to tension, students will start thinking God is smaller than He really is.

So what do you think?  Share below and remember, if something seems off to you, also share it below.  Also, if you are still interested in going to a future Orange Tour Stop, click here.