I am realizing more and more that I cannot do this alone.


Steve Cullum - December 8, 2021
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What if we did not do youth ministry alone? Yes, we need to network with other youth workers. You are reading a blog on the National Network of Youth Ministries, after all. It should not stop there, though. We should also network and partner with parents. But how do we do that?

During my college internship, I was asked to read the book "Family-Based Youth Ministry" by Mark DeVries. This was the first time my eyes were open to the idea of youth ministry reaching beyond teenagers. He gave several good ideas about how to connect with the parents of teens. And while it was a great book, I never really took it further than starting to say hello to parents more or making sure they had our youth group calendar.

A few years later, I was introduced to Orange, initially as a curriculum. It has worked really well for me over the years, but I eventually realized that it is so much more than that. It's a philosophy of ministry.

The thought behind Orange is the combination of the heart of the family (red) with the light of the church (yellow). Too often, in churches today, we are fragmenting our ministries. And even more, parents often have the mindset that the church is the primary spiritual influence for their kids. The Orange philosophy is about getting all ministries on the same page and partnering together in support of parents/guardians being the primary source of spiritual influence.

Partnering with parents goes way beyond putting information in their hands. It's about working on the same thing at the same time. It's about coming alongside them in their efforts to raise their children. It's about talking to them about their struggles of talking about the Bible at home. It's about giving them suggested questions to ask their teenagers. It's about offering times for them to connect with other parents of teens.

I recently interviewed Brett Talley, who is an Orange Specialist, where he shared more about what Orange is all about. He explained how churches have approximately 40 hours with a student each year, while parents have around 3,000 hours, so we will have a much larger impact if we partner with parents. Talley also said Orange's goal is "to get you to the 30 yard line" with their resources but also empower you to carry it across the goal line. Their goal is also to connect relationally with ministry leaders, allowing them a safe place to vent or strategize.

If you have never attended The Orange Conference, I strongly suggest you check it out. Not only will you have a great chance to network with other youth workers, learn from a ton of amazing leaders, and get a break in your regular routine, you'll also get a chance to hear directly from the people behind this philosophy. You can even ask them questions and brainstorm with others on how to implement it within your own context.

The theme of OC22 is "Be Human." God prioritized humanity in His creation and how He continues to love us. He even became human to live as an example and to accept our punishment for sin. So as we talk about where the church goes in the future at OC22, we'll be focusing a lot on being the humans God has created us to be. As the Orange staff says, "The best way to learn how to lead humans to be more human is to spend time with humans who lead humans."

As I continue to grow as a youth pastor, I am realizing more and more that I cannot do this alone. Of course, I need God's help. But I also need the encouragement and support of other youth workers. Even more, if I am going to truly make the impact God wants me to make, I need to partner with parents and guardians. And Orange has been an amazing source of wisdom, resources, and encouragement in this area.

If you would like to learn more about the Orange philosophy, I encourage you to read Think Orange by Reggie Joiner
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Steve Cullum is the Colorado State Coordinator for NNYM and the student pastor at LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, CO. He also hosts The Student Ministry Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @stevecullum.


 

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