It’s that time of year again– time for the Orange Conference! Here are my Orance Conference Conference Opening Session notes.
This year things are a little different. Covid-19, social distancing, travel limitations and more have changed the look of the conference this year. Instead of an in person event in Atlanta, the entire conference shifted online.
With all of the changes, it was very evident the content of the messages has changed as well. Every Generation needs a Revolution is the theme this year, and revolution is another word for change. I think we can all agree we are living in the midst of a change right now.
This session included an opening set from Jon Acuff, then messages from Ryan Leak, Kristen Ivy and Reggie Joiner. With the topic of change in mind, here are some of the highlights I took from each message. These are mostly bullet points to help me remember, as well as give me reminders of what to focus on later. There is so much here, that I will need time to process and discuss the ideas later.
Jon Acuff @jonacuff

- Change is a reality
- We can impact more people now that we are not stuck inside a building
- Every generation needs a revolution, then we got one
Ryan Leak @ryanleak
- Everything changes, but nothing changes
- Being in ministry is tough. Sometimes you just want to say “I don’t really know how to help you”
- Sometimes you just don’t know the right thing to say. And that is OK
- we often think “Pain makes us look bad. We don’t want people to see our pain, because if they do they will think we aren’t worth following”
- Revolutions are born out of pain
- Pain is not weakness
- Sometimes we need time to lament. Time to greive our pain during a change
- The only way we can sit with others in their pain is to sit through your own pain
- How we show up has changed. Why we show up has not.
Kristen Ivy @kristenivy
- What do you do when you don’t know what to do?
- Ask why? Revolutions start with the question “Why?”
- Take time for the grief that comes with a change.
- When you ask why, you go into the unknown
- Some things never change
- When change happens, It highlights what doesn’t change.
- Sometimes when the job goes away, we think the calling goes away as well
- Initially why is a cry of desperation. Eventually why becomes a question of reflection
Reggie Joiner @reggiejoiner
- Change helps us realize what is really important. Changing your mind means you can learn and grow.
- Good leaders change their mind.
- I don’t want to follow someone who doesn’t change their mind
- Sometimes it takes a crisis before you can see. Just ask Paul
- Paul- I have changed my mind about how I treat people who don’t believe what I believe
- When you remember the why, you lead others to reimagine the how
- Maybe some of the trouble churches are feeling right now is they have made Sunday is a sacred cow
- By closing and not having anyone coming to church allowed us to think about everyone who doesn’t come to church
Follow along with the conference by coming back here— I will continue to post notes as the conference happens.
Did you watch the live stream? What was your biggest takeaway? Are you just reading the notes? What thought or idea would you like more info on? Leave a comment or send an email and we can discuss. So much great info here, it is hard to capture it all at once.
Follow along with Orange Leaders blog here:
https://orangeblogs.org/orangeleaders/
More of a twitter user? Follow #OC20 here
I’ll be posting more as the conference happens. You can subscribe to get updates as I post or just keep checking back here.
Here are some more thoughts on what is Orange Strategy
Be the first to comment on "Orange Conference Live Opening session notes #oc20"