Can’t-Miss Breakouts for Small Churches at OC
We are finally going to gather in a space with other like-minded leaders. I know that the last couple of years has been challenging. Honestly, even saying that doesn’t seem… Read More
Young People and Faith: Springtide Research
About one year ago, I was scrolling through the ol’ Twitter feed (which is an eclectic mix of ministry, theology, golf, baseball, music, and 90s wrestling) when I came across… Read More
7 Trends in Youth Ministry Seen By Orange Specialists
As Orange Specialists, Charlie, Brett and I have had the privilege of connecting with Youth Leaders all over the world—literally. One of the cool parts about that is noticing the trends in youth ministries based on size, location, region and even race.… Read More
The New Youth Ministry Metrics for 2021
There’s nothing like living through a pandemic to get you thinking about what really matters. The past 12 months, for many people, has been filled with doing most things either socially-distanced or online. School Church Family holidays Hanging out with friends Birthday… Read More
Explaining XP3’s Digital and Distanced Options
It’s 2021. Our whole world looks different now, and most likely, your youth ministry looks different too. Whether you’ve moved your youth ministry to be completely digital, or you meet in-person socially distanced, or you meet in small groups in the community—or… Read More
13 Ways to Prevent Small Group Leader Burnout
We’ve all had ‘the talk.’ No, not that talk. I’m talking about the one that is prompted by a volunteer catching you on a Sunday and asking if you have time to chat this week. You say yes, but you don’t want… Read More
3 Hacks to Partying on a Budget
By Jackie Raihl, Orange Specialist, TSA I’m sure we’ve all had those days when we were looking through our (admittedly awesome) XP3 materials, reading up on everything we may need for our lesson, when we see “it” on the list. The dreaded… Read More
XP3 101: What is an Orange Specialist?
Hi! I’m Brett and I’m an Orange Specialist, or OS, as the Orange insiders call us. Before I had this OS gig, I was a ministry leader just like you, navigating the vast waters of the Orange ocean trying to figure out… Read More
How McDonald’s Can Help You Improve Your Student Ministry
Did you know that McDonald's, the world's largest fast-food chain, actually fell into a bit of a slump in the 1990s? McDonald’s was facing attacks from nutrition and environmental critics and was threatened by big competitors such as Subway, Wendy's, and Burger King.… Read More