Why Orange?

This week is Orange Blogger Week where a bunch of student, family and children ministry bloggers share about Orange and how others can benefit from the Orange philosophy.  For a list of all the great bloggers posting stuff this week, click here.

Ever since 2010 I’ve been fully on board with the Orange philosophy and here is why.  Because if is all about connecting families and the church together.  They are all about helping Churches and families  work together so that the whole family can come to know God and serve HIm.

When the Orange Tour came to DC last week, my Church hosted them (more about that in tomorrow’s post). During that stop a few our staff members had the great honor to have lunch with Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy.  It was a great experience and we all got to see their heart in how they are  bringing families and the church together.

In that conversation Reggie said that to be truly affective in sharing Christ with families, we need to understand how the child works (child development is key).  That is why they spend countless hours with Bible scholars AND child development researchers.  You can’t speak theology into a child’s life unless you know how to effectively speak into the lives of children, students and families.  You have to understand them to have impact.

I know that Orange isn’t the only curriculum group out there.  There are a ton of great resources.  And I know they aren’t the only ones trying to connect families and the church together. But what I do appreciate is all the behind the scenes research and development they do to make sure the experience you put on Sunday morning and throughout the the week is top notch.

So whether it is books like “It’s just a phase“, “Lead Small” or the great curriculum they have for Churches to use, they spend countless hours in research and development from a variety of sources and resources. It is not just their research and their people.  They collect data from all around so that they have the most up-to-date information on children, families and the Bible.

Still curious about what exactly Orange is? Here is a short video that I hope might help.

It’s not just a curriculum or a set of books. Orange is a philosophy and staregty and I have found that Orange works best for me and what we want to accomplish as a Church.

But what about you? Are you Orange? What do you appreciate about the reThink Group and Orange? Share your experiences below or on social media using the #ymsidekick hashtag.

Also, make sure you sign up for the Sidekick Scoop below to stay current on all things Orange as well other great Student, Family and Children’s Ministry content and trends.