I attended the first Orange Conference in 2007 and went again this year. There were a ton of things I took from each of those experiences and I’ll share some of that here. Overall though, one of my favorite things about any ministry conference is connecting with other leaders.

Orange 2007

• This was the first Orange Conference and my second Orange experience. As an organization, Orange was growing and developing very quickly and it was amazing to see how fast they were putting out great resources. That  quick pace of growth still continues for them today.
• While Orange seemed to have some specific thoughts in regards to strategy, the speakers brought a variety of perspectives.
• Donald Miller talked about the power of story, which he has done numerous times in other settings and it’s always a great reminder. But, that was the first time I had heard it and realized the truth of it.
• Francis Chan spoke about what he had been wrestling with in regards to what it means to be a Christian and part of the Church. He also has shared this in numerous other settings but this was the first time I heard him share it. He talked about forgoing a huge church building project to give money to missions. His heart was on his sleeves as we had a glimpse into the big tensions he was dealing with. This was challenging in many ways.
• It’s always great to attend a conference with friends and volunteers, which we got to do at this conference.

Orange 2010

• I was flying solo at this conference and that’s the first (and only) time I have ever done that. It forced me to network more with other leaders, many of which I know from our local network or blog/twitter world.
• The highlight of the conference was definitely the time I spent connecting with other leaders. A bunch of those people are participating in Orange Week and others are part of our local children’s ministry network or took part in a luncheon I got to participate in.
• Rev Run and Reggie had a conversation on stage and it was easy to see why Rev Run is so admired. He had a bunch of great one-liners.
• Perry Noble’s talk was my favorite of the conference. He spoke about the importance of family ministry from a pastor’s perspective. It’s no wonder NewSpring is thriving, if his whole church has that mindset.
• Sue Miller had a great breakout on the importance of Small Group Leaders. As I mentioned in my Yellow Initiatives post, we have worked hard this past year to elevate our small group strategy in our elementary environment. The bottom line is you must do everything you can to cultivate intentional relationships between small group leaders and a specific group of kids.

The Orange Conference 2011 registration opens tomorrow! Click below to check it out: