“Yellow and Blue make Green.”  Do you remember the old Ziplock commercial? You know when your bag was sealed when you were successful in joining the yellow side with the blue side to make the seal green. It sounds like something out of an elementary school art class, but it was true. When you blend the two colors, you get a closed bag and a new color.

The concept holds true with other colors as well. Mix two c
olors to get a third brand new color.

That is the concept I love about Orange.  The strategy, not the color. (Though orange used to me my favorite color).

There was a time I thought that the Orange strategy was limited to a curriculum and a conference. That you had to use the curriculum to be “orange”. Or that you can only attend the conference if you use the curriculum. As time goes on, and as I grow and gain experience, I have come to realize that neither of my prior thoughts were true.  A curriculum and a conference can support a strategy, but they are not the strategy.  

The strategy is more of a philosophy, a way of thinking. A school of thought.  A set of beliefs.

In the Orange strategy, Yellow plus Red equals Orange.  The Church working with the Family creates a synergistic effect that surpasses the influence either could have on it’s own. Family plus Church equals family ministry.  Two things blend together to create something stronger that didn’t exist before.

Church is not meant to be the primary place for spiritual growth for your kids. Your family unit is designed by God to be the place that creates an environment of spiritual growth, and the church should support you in that effort.

With this as a frame of reference, the church becomes a resource for the family. The church comes alongside the family to support parents with teaching and resources to promote spiritual growth within the family. Resources to help parents be the spiritual leaders in their home.

Church and parents should work side by side, hand in hand to help children grow up with a solid spiritual foundation. (Tweet that!)

Orange is not a curriculum, though they have one that can be used as tool.  Orange is a mindset, and they have lots and lots of tools to support the church and parents both.

Some of these tools are: the Orange Conference, Orange Tour, 252 Basics, Think Orange book, and lots and lots more that can be found here.

I have attended both Orange Conference and Orang Tour, you can check out some of my thoughts on those events here.  

If you are wondering how church and family come together, I encourage you to check out Orange and their resources. Whether parent or church, feel free to post a comment with any questions or concerns and I will be glad to let you know what has worked for us.

How do you see church and family working together? Post a comment and let us know!