- Ask parents why they
personally need the church.
- Ask parents “what would
make the church such an indispensable part of your life that you would beg
your friends to give it a try?”
- Take a video of each
parent saying “I am ___________, I am a parent and I partner with the
church because _____________.”
- Think: Going orange isn't about refining or adding programs.
Adding programs is how you go more yellow. Going Orange requires the church to
elevate the red.
- Think: What if going
orange doesn't mean obligating families to another program or night out,
but showing red that we believe that they are essential to the strategy of
the church.
- Think: in terms of
empowering red, rather than instructing it.
- Build relationships of
trust with parents by communicating, by excellence, by connecting them to
a small group leader, by creating opportunities for parents and kids to
make memories together, by pointing them to resources, by planning some of
your teaching based on their input, and by being available to give
guidance.
- Ask parents what faith
skills they need help teaching their kids, plan your ministries around
these felt needs, and parents will be much more likely to partner with
you.
- Partner with parents to
create a list of annual spiritual mile stones (steps) for their kids from
cradle to college, plan your ministry around these, and review them
frequently.
- Provide a visual that will
help us all remember that the days we have with kids are numbered.
- Match-make partnerships
and inter-generational relationships for kids, and for parents.
- Remember that vision fades
with age. Ask the next generation
what they need in order to be ministers to their peers.
Now hopefully something you just read inspired or intrigued you. If so, please post a comment so we can talk.
Had lunch with someone who had read this post, after reading that more programs only make us more yellow, he asked me if I thought all programs were bad. The answer is NO. If you have no programs, and are all red, then you aren't very orange either. You certainly need a balance. Most churches, the one I attend included, tend to be much better at yellow (the church program side of things) than they are at red (the family and relationship side of things) Thus for a church (a yellow institution) to go Orange, they need to put their effort into intentionally adding more red. That said if in talking to families they find out that they really wish there was a certain program, or that certain refinements would be made to a program, then listening to the families and responding is a step toward Red, and thus Orangifies the church.
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