What is the best kids ministry conference? Well, that all depends on what you are looking for. There are some great conferences out there, and one you should consider (if you haven’t already) is the Orange Tour, which is a smaller, local once day version of the huge Orange Conference in Atlanta every year.

So the question becomes: Why choose the Orange Tour?

#1. Speakers

The Orange Conference in Atlanta features some great speakers. Many of these same speakers make their way to various stops on the Orange Tour. Just because it is a smaller venue doesn’t mean you won’t have the same quality of speakers—- both on the main stage and in the breakouts.

#2. It’s Local

One reason many people are not able to attend The Orange Conference (or any their national level conference) is the cost. The conference runs for several days, requiring food and lodging for each person over those several days. That doesn’t even include the travel costs required for each person.

Yes, there are some churches with a conference budget that allows for one or two staff members to attend. There are fewer churches with a budget that allows for multiple staff and/or volunteers to attend.

With the Orange Tour being smaller and local, that eliminates a lot of costs involved with the larger conference.  Even if the closes tour is not super close, you still have options. Orange Tour is a single day event. So if there is a night in a hotel required, it is only one night, which is a lot less than the Conference.

I know of one church that made the 4 hour drive with their entire staff. They chartered a bus and left super early in the morning. Then after the day event, they headed back home, stopped for dinner, and made it home several hours later.

#3.  It allows more staff members to attend.

Since cost is a very real factor (see #2 above), The Orange Tour allows more people to attend at a much cheaper rate than if you were to take the same number of people to the Conference.  

Maybe you can bring your senior pastor to Orange Tour. If he has never been to Orange Conference, bringing him along to the Tour is a great way to get him involved in what you are doing in your ministry.

Since Orange is a church-wide family based strategy, and not a curriculum, there are many benefits to bringing staff and volunteers — and not limited to kids and youth ministry.

If Orange Tour sounds like something you are interested in attending, you are in luck. Registration opens in just a few days.

Have you attended Orange Conference or Orange Tour before? What did you think? Do you plan to attend this year? Post a comment and let me know.