When it comes to kids with special needs, Katie Garvert knows her stuff. Starting out as a special education teacher, she now helps the church reach out to special needs children. Included among those are teenagers with autism. Unfortunately, though, these are the ones many do not know how to include them in church-life and especially … Continue reading Katie Garver Offers Suggestions to Successfully Include Teens with Autism (Orange 2011)
Chuck Bomar Explains the New In-Betweeners (Orange 2011)
Chuck Bomar has a huge heart for reaching the college-age people in this world. For the past couple years, he has been pointing out that churches are often overlooking this stage of life. They have something for birth through high school, and they have something for older adults and parents. However, this in-between stage is … Continue reading Chuck Bomar Explains the New In-Betweeners (Orange 2011)
Jeff Manion Describes The Land Between (Orange 2011)
What is "The Land Between?" It is when a girl gets dumped when she is expecting a proposal. It is when parents have a miscarriage after celebrating the pregnancy. It is when parents have kids in the middle of teenage angst. It is when you get a call in the middle of the night when … Continue reading Jeff Manion Describes The Land Between (Orange 2011)
Reggie Joiner Speaks on What Really Matters (Orange 2011)
As the first full day of the 2011 Orange Conference began, Reggie Joiner kicked it off with a chat about the importance of saying less more often so that people know what really matters. He then further explained what really matters by describing the "orange effect" and the reasons for it. Simply put, the parents have … Continue reading Reggie Joiner Speaks on What Really Matters (Orange 2011)
You are Important, According to Andy Stanley (Orange 2011)
The 2011 Orange Conference officially began tonight with the first main session. After some music and a video presentation, we were able to hear from Andy Stanley. His purpose for the night, according to him, was to tell us how important we are. In order to do that, he walked through the history of the … Continue reading You are Important, According to Andy Stanley (Orange 2011)
How to: “Free” a Volunteer (Orange 2011)
We all want effective ministries! So, how do we create a culture where leaders thrive, want to come back, and recruit their friends to be a part of it? Tom Shefchunas had a few ideas about "How to 'Free' a Volunteer" in his pre-conference workshop. In fact, he had five steps to follow. Step #1: … Continue reading How to: “Free” a Volunteer (Orange 2011)
How to: Create a Local Network of Ministry Leaders (Orange 2011)
People have said that ministry is a lonely place. There are many reasons for this statement, but Brian Vander Ark is someone who believes this does not have to be the case. As he taught the pre-conference workshop, "How to Create a Local Network of Ministry Leaders," he started off with some Questions: What if … Continue reading How to: Create a Local Network of Ministry Leaders (Orange 2011)
How to: Recruit Volunteers (Orange 2011)
If you are unfamiliar with Sue Miller, let me first recommend that you make it a goal to listen to her speak sometime soon. On Wednesday afternoon, I attended her pre-conference workshop on the topic of "How to Recruit Volunteers." While not everything she mentioned was brand new to me, I definitely grabbed a few … Continue reading How to: Recruit Volunteers (Orange 2011)
How to: Build a Successful & Safe Special Needs Ministry (Orange 2011)
Many children are born with special needs, which include a number of issues. One of the most obvious is the growing number of children with various forms of autism. Many churches, however, are still struggling with providing effective ministry for these children. I know that is something our church has talked about for some time, … Continue reading How to: Build a Successful & Safe Special Needs Ministry (Orange 2011)
How to: Mobilize Kids & Youth to Lead (Orange 2011)
Many of us in ministry know the typical way things go. Parents expect to drop their kids off at their respective ministry and go on their way. Going deeper, many churches take this approach. They view the ministers as the only ones in charge of the ministry. While many have tried to change this, which … Continue reading How to: Mobilize Kids & Youth to Lead (Orange 2011)
Steve Cullum 