Many of you are probably familiar with the Orange Conference, but how many have heard of its counterpart, ReThink Leadership?
One of the aspects about the Orange mindset that I have always loved was their emphasis on the entire church. If done well, your family ministry shouldn’t just be a combined effort of the kids and student ministries. It shouldn’t even be just an umbrella term for all the family-related ministries in your church. If done well, according to Orange, it should be a whole church effort to reach families, partner with them, and change our entire community.
While the Orange Conference has always encouraged children and student pastors to bring their entire staff, they really stepped it up a few years ago when they created ReThink Leadership for senior leaders. This multi-day conference is designed to be a smaller and more intimate setting, but it essentially a companion conference to Orange. While you are connecting with others in your ministry area and learning how to lead your teams well, your senior leaders will have the opportunity to connect with others in their roles, learn some amazing leadership skills, and hear from some of the top senior leaders around the world in TED-style talks and interviews.
This year, the lineup will include the following leaders:
- Reggie Joiner – Founder and CEO of Orange
- Carey Nieuwhof – Founding Pastor of Connexus Church
- Dharius Daniels – Founder and Lead Pastor of Change Church
- Kara Powell – Executive Director at Fuller Youth Institute
- Nona Jones – Faith Based Partnership Leader for Facebook
- Brad Lomenick – Author of H3 Leadership
- Mike Foster – Author and Founder of People of the Second Chance
- Jon Acuff – New York Times Bestselling Author and Speaker
- Danielle Strickland – Author of Just Imagine: The Social Justice Agenda
- Clay Scroggins – Lead Pastor of North Point Community Church
- Horst Schulze – Legend and Leader in the Hotel Industry
- Kevin Jennings – CEO of Junction 32
- Dan Reiland – Executive Pastor of 12Stone Church
- Joel Manby – Former CEO of Sea World
So if you have been struggling to get your senior/lead pastor or your campus pastor to attend Orange with you, let ReThink Leadership help you. For many of them, that list of speakers will convince them.
For others, they may need a bit more coaxing, so let’s talk about the theme for 2019.
The Orange Conference 2019 theme, It’s Personal, also extends to ReThink Leadership. So while rest of the staff focuses on what it means for their areas of ministry, the senior leaders also get an opportunity to talk about it with other senior leaders.
What does it mean that it’s personal?
It’s clear that throughout Jesus’ ministry, He made things incredibly personal. He called Zacchaeus by name and went to his house, he addressed the Samaritan woman’s past, he spent time in Mary and Martha’s home, he invited each Disciple to follow him, he intercepted Saul on the road to Damascus, and the list goes on and on. Part of the reason why these people’s lives were changed was because Jesus made it personal.
When we begin to make it personal, we will have more volunteers developing a deeper commitment to the ministry, we’ll have parents engaging at a more practical level, we’ll have ministries making a greater impact, we’ll have churches with a wider influence, and we’ll have leaders making a lasting mark for the Lord. When we begin to make it personal, it will change how we say what we say, spend our budgets, design our programs, lead our volunteers, work together as a staff, prioritize our calendars, and are about our communities.
And many of us know from example that true change needs to happen with the senior level of leadership if it is truly going to impact your entire church. Jesus made a difference because He made it personal. It’s time for our entire team to get more personal by following Jesus’ example. If you want your church to make a difference too, it’s time to tell your senior leader about ReThink Leadership.
Steve Cullum 