Orange
Ryan Reed
You Gotta Make It to OC17

One of the most important events on my annual professional calendar is the Orange Conference.

Why Orange? In sum, when it comes to a student ministry curriculum, I have not found one as powerful, versatile, comprehensive, and intentional as Orange. It cares for the middle school student just as much as the elderly aunt who takes care of him. Orange seeks to equip the entire family, not just the teenage kid, for both individual and familial faith. That simple.

As a user since 2011, I've continually been sold by how well it prepares me to share the Gospel with teenagers and build parent partnerships for faithful ministry in the home. 

You Gotta Make It to OC17
Leadership
Ryan Reed
The Important Role of Self Awareness in ...

This post originally appeared on the Orange Leaders Blog on June 22, 2016. 

What is the toughest question you’ve ever had to answer, and who asked it?

Given that somehow you made your way to this exceptional community called Orange Leaders, I automatically know a few things about you:

The Important Role of Self Awareness in Leadership
Leadership
Ryan Reed
Key Ingredients for a Thriving Ministry Recipe

Not long ago my wife introduced me to the best show on television... Chopped. I love it. Hands down noting beats it. A simple show in concept: four chefs compete against one another using a basket of mystery ingredients - yet so captivating!

Why? Because the ingredients equalize the playing field. Whether the chef be a novice out of culinary a school or a multi-restaurant owner veteran, each chef receives the ingredients at the same time and must respond to them. 

The ingredients are the star of the show. They call out the character of the chef. Not the other way around. It's the ingredients that define the path.

Key Ingredients for a Thriving Ministry Recipe
Church
Ryan Reed
May the Real Me Meet the Real You

Said C.S. Lewis, "The prayer that precedes all prayers is may the real me meet the real you." 

A great friend of mine from college once shared this quote with me. He and I served in Young Life together, leading high school students toward a growing relationship with Jesus. I can recall that he ended nearly every one of his ministry talks with this quote just prior to closing in prayer:

"May the real me meet the real you."

I probably listened to him share this quote with me dozens of times. I think I also used it. But quite honestly, I don't think I understood the meaning behind it until much later in life. Intellectually I understood it. It's simple in structure, but truly profound in its meaning. 

Perhaps I missed it time after time because inherent within this quote lays an assumption that you know the real you. 

May the Real Me Meet the Real You
Orange
Ryan Reed
Rethink Leadership Conference Day 2 #OC16 #RL16

CAREY NIEUWHOF INTERVIEW WITH JON ACUFF

Know your message enough to find the direction, but leave it open enough to let the Holy Spirit inspire new content. 

For humor, build the island, but then make sure that you make a sturdy bridge to and from the island. Satire is about an idea, but mockery is about an individual. We are not called to mockery.

Put handles on ideas so that we can carry them forward. We have enough ideas. Put a handle on them.  

Rethink Leadership Conference Day 2 #OC16 #RL16

students

What I Want Every Kid to Know Before I Say One Word

What I Want Every Kid to Know Before I Say One Word

My mentor used to say, "Proclaim the Gospel by any means necessary short of anything illegal or immoral." 

I agree. In fact, I agree so much that I decided to dedicate my vocational career to the proclamation of the Gospel, and I seek to do it as often as possible! I want to use words, illustrations, actions, smoke signals, anything! I would do just about anything for a person to know the truth of grace and salvation! 

But what about the flipside to that coin? As much as I may want someone to follow Jesus, what do I want that person to know about how much I value her or him? What would I want that person to know about the love of Christ before I utter one word? I would want that person to know this:

Youth Ministry Answers!

Youth Ministry Answers!

Just a couple of days ago, some great people in the field of Student Ministry launched a brand new, fresh podcast called "Youth Ministry Answers." 

Though brand new, it will soon become one of the must-listen-to podcasts in the field, and I highly encourage you to go over to iTunes, download it, and make it a regular rhythm of your podcast diet. 

But what if you are not a Student Pastor? Is it still worth it?

Why You Need to Shift Your Focus from Students to Adults

Over the recent months, I have been facing a paradigm shift in my own philosophy of ministry. I am learning that for my role as the Student Pastor good youth ministry is good ministry with adults.

I think I always knew this. It has been stirring in the back of my mind for several years. I studied under Kenda Creasy Dean who used to harp on this topic without end, but only lately have I let it truly infiltrate my philosophy of student ministry. Here's why: I am committed to a modality of growth with our middle and high school programs that seeks to create a safe space for any and every teenager to safely land and encounter the living Jesus Christ.

4 Ways to Integrate Your Teenagers into the Life of Your Community

4 Ways to Integrate Your Teenagers into the Life of Your Community

Earlier this week, I wrote a post titled, "Why the Church Needs Teenagers (And Why You Do, Too)." I shared the necessity for why your church or organization needs to include the voice of teenagers in its overall direction and culture.

I received valuable response in addition to the comments that it received. The key question that remains, however, is how does this happen? How do we as youth workers and leaders persuade our communities to put into practice these very ideals?