The Think Orange Podcast

No one has more influence in the life of a kid or teen than their parent. So as leaders, one of the best things we can do is meet and partner with the parents of the kids and students we lead. In this episode, we share a training from Orange Director of Elementary Strategies, Dan Scott, about how to have better conversations with parents. Dan explains why parent relationships are so important and shares practical tips for letting parents know you’re on their side. 

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How can we create an environment for our kids that supports their mental health? And how should we respond when our child is struggling? In this episode, we share a preview of a new Parent Cue course with Will Hutcherson and Dr. Chinwé Williams: “Parenting with Mental Health in Mind.” Will shares why hope is a critical response for our children to develop, and Dr. Chinwé explains the factors that increase someone’s risk for mental health conditions, and some of the common signs to watch out for.

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Episode Description: One of our jobs as leaders is to understand and have empathy for the parents in our communities. In this episode, Keturah Boston of The Potter’s House talks with Reggie Joiner and Kristen Ivy about what it looks like to partner with parents—both inside and outside the walls of your church—and to lead with empathy.

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Keeping our kids and volunteers safe is the most important thing we can do as leaders. In this episode, Roy Grant shares actionable strategies you can use to create a safer environment in your kids ministry—from equipping volunteers to preparing for emergencies to cleaning procedures. Roy is the children’s pastor at Church By The Glades, and he’ll be leading a workshop at Orange Conference 2023.

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If you want to create irresistible environments for your teenagers, you need to create a ministry that MOVEs. In this episode, Orange Director of High School Strategy, Leslie Mack explains what the early church movement can teach us about ministry. She also breaks down the acronym MOVE to show how you can create an environment that engages your students.

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This month, we’re going to be sharing what’s new at Orange in 2023. In this episode, we talk with Shane Sanchez about his new devotional for teenagers, “How to See God.” Shane explains why he wrote the book, how teenagers can benefit from reading it, and why spiritual practices play such a key role in discipleship.

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This month, we’re going to be sharing what’s new at Orange in 2023. And in this episode, we’re giving you a preview of our new masterclass on building a digital ministry and launching a MetaChurch strategy with Dave Adamson. Dave is the Director of Orange Australia and Orange New Zealand and a leader in the digital ministry space, and he has some exciting new insights to share in this episode! 

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There’s enormous value in having friends who are different from you, and part of our job as parents and leaders is to help our kids realize this. In this episode, Mitchell McGhee interviews Amanda Roman-Leak, author of “Jackson and the Not-So-Colorful Day.” Amanda shares the inspiration and message behind her book, and she unpacks some practical tips for making every student feel welcome and having these conversations with your kids.

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In this episode, we share a breakout session from Orange Conference with Matthew Deprez, a pastor at Generations Church who previously worked at Fuller Youth Institute. Matthew shares his research about the key ways that grandparents impact the faith of their grandchildren, and he shares practical tips grandparents can use to engage with their grandkids both in person and from afar.

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Episode Description: Today’s young people are not necessarily less religious than previous generations, it’s just that they have far less trust in institutions. In this episode, we share a breakout session from Orange Conference with Dr. Josh Packard, Executive Director of Springtide Research Institute. Josh shares some of Springtide’s findings about religion among 13-25 year olds that are especially relevant for ministry leaders. He also offers up some practical examples of what it looks like to build relationships at scale.

Episode Recap:

• Springtide focuses on data with heart (1:11)
• The stories that we tell ourselves matter (5:01)
• Gen Z is the most diverse generation, and it’s hard to wrap our heads around that (9:27)
• More and more kids are having conversations about religion outside of church (16:39)
• It’s not that religion is declining, but institutional trust is (20:57)
• The trust revolution has also created a crisis of belonging (25:52)
• The only solution to trust and belonging is relationship (38:45)
• How to build relationships at scale (46:15)
• Belonging precedes believing (52:40)

Resources:

• Find every episode of the Think Orange Podcast
• Register for Orange Tour 2022
• Springtide Research Institute
• “Lead Small” from Orange Books

Find show notes here: https://orangeleaders.com/podcast/.

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