It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of reThink and the Orange Conference. I think it’s the best conference out there for family ministry and student ministry. I’m particularly excited about this year because of the focus of the conference. The theme is “It’s Just a Phase.” I’m talking about matching our content, environments and practices to the developmental stages our kids and students are experiencing. These are strategies that my student ministry mentor, Brian has been instrumental in pioneering. I’m pumped to see and hear how Orange expands and develops these ideas.
The thing is, many of us in the student ministry world are considered experts in our field and we love students but let’s be real, many of us are, well…old. At the very least, we are a lot older than the students we lead and serve. I don’t know about you, but these days I feel like I’m engaging in cross-cultural ministry.
In addition, so much research has come out in the last few years that enlightens us to the developmental process of children and teenagers. I know the Orangesperts have been working hard, mining the best of this research. I feel like this year’s conference is going to be a fire hose of important and incredibly relevant information.
I have it on good authority that the crew at reThink wanted OC14 to be all about contextualizing ministry to the developmental stages of children and students but they didn’t quite feel ready, which means that the content for this year’s conference is a couple years in the making. In other words, it’s going to be awesome!
Just a heads up, if you register by February 19, you can score a $40 price break and receive a $50 credit at the Orange Store. Hopefully I’ll see you there!
