Orange Conference is definitely the one I most look forward to. While attending the main sessions are amazing and connecting with a lot of different people from different backgrounds is awesome, I look forward to going to the breakouts the most.
I love breakouts for two primary reasons. For starters, they are engaging where there is a good amount of interactions between the presenter and the audience. In particular, the presenters often leave time for questions during or after the breakout. Secondly, they are specialized around a specific topic/ministry. You get to determine what you learn. Again, the main sessions are great, but the message is predetermined. But with over 70 breakouts you get a great chance to pick and choose what specially you learn about. That makes the take away more practical for your current ministry needs.
To get a list of breakouts, click here. Of all the breakouts listed, there are a few that I’m most exited about. Here are 4 specific ones:
- Volunteers in Youth Ministry. This is actually an Orange Labs gathering. While I have been in ministry for a long time, I still feel I have so much I can continue to learn to make volunteers experiences great and to help them feel more than just a “warm body”. I am excited to see how I can improve in helping my leaders succeed and be more involved.
- Re-evaluating your High School Ministry. A few years ago we made a key change to how we did our high school ministry. While it has gone over really well, I would love to really get a fresh perspective on how to keep looking at the ministry to see what we can be doing better and different. I am also excited to hear if there are new trends or thoughts on how to best minister to high school students.
- How to Make Small Groups Win with Middle Schoolers. I have been doing middle school ministry for a number of years and I have had a variety of groups over that time. Even after all that time I still don’t have any great idea on how to lead middle schoolers in small groups. It is such an odd age and dynamic.
- 10 Characteristics of an Outward Focused Culture. In order to make disciples, we have to reach those who do not know Christ. That means that you need to have an inclusive and outward focus to reach non-believers. What does that kind of culture look like? I can’t wait to find out and to see if our culture in the ministry I serve in fits that kind of culture.
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