Orange Conference: Sessions 2-3 & Breakouts

Here are my notes from Day 2 at Orange Conference 2013 with Andy Stanley, Doug Fields, Tom Shefchunas, Jim Wideman, John Acuff, and more. Enjoy!

ANDY STANLEY || 7 GUIDELINES FOR COMMUNICATING SCRIPTURE

1. Choose one passage of Scripture and stay there
Bring energy to the text.

2. Give people permission not to believe or obey the Scriptures
When you give non-Christians an out, they respond by leaning in.

3. Teach in a manner that emphasizes the identity of Jesus over the authority of Scripture
The basis of the early church was that Jesus rose from the dead.

4. Don’t refer the the Bible as a book
It is a collection of ancient documents that span a long period of time.

5. Cite authors, not “the Bible”
Tell the stories behind the authors.

6. Acknowledge the odd as odd
There are some weird things in the Bible.

7. Don’t create the impression that one must choose between faith and science
Understanding how something works does not negate one’s belief in its creator.

This content and much more is included in Andy’s latest book, Deep & Wide. If you truly desire to reach unchurched individuals and have not read it, I think it ought to be at the top of your list!

DOUG FIELDS || FINDING THE OPTIMAL PACE TO SUSTAIN A HEALTHY MINISTRY

In ministry, we are often trying to teach people to live at a slower pace but we are not slowing down ourselves.
We have a bias toward hurry. Busy people are viewed with prestige. Rushed people carry themselves with a sense of value.
Busyness is a sign of brokenness.
Some of us are so over-connected with others that we are under-connected with Jesus.
Jesus stopped for others. Jesus’ sense of timing confused others.
“You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. Hurry is not use a disordered schedule, it’s a disordered heart.” – John Ortberg
Efficiency is not the answer to a disordered heart.
Why do you say “yes” so much?
The answer to a busy life is not just “reading the Bible more.” That is trying to solve the problem of doing too much by just giving yourself more to do. It takes more than that.

TOM SHEFCHUNAS || CREATING A LEAD SMALL CULTURE IN YOUR CHURCH

Culture is the belief and behavior that characterize a group of people.
You can assess another organization’s culture better than you can assess your own.
You don’t see when culture is changing in the present, you just realize later that it did.
If small groups are not the answer for your church, then what is? If you have many answers to that question, you do not have a clear answer.
In discipleship, create steps, not programs. Programs tend to be random and misaligned. Steps are aligned and strategic.
The quality of your team is based on the quality of the small group leaders you recruit and the culture you create for their development.
In Transit, North Point’s middle school ministry, the only consistent person in the room is the small group leader. They are the heroes every week.
Transit does not complete their messages. They leave the personal application component to take place in the small group.
Just because you “tried small groups” and they “already failed” does not mean that you actually built your structure around them for success. If you are going to do groups, you have to take something away and place greater focus on groups.

JOHN ACUFF, TRIPP & TYLER || GETTING SERIOUS ABOUT HAVING FUN

John explained to everyone the concept of a Jesus Juke.
If you don’t laugh at yourself, someone else will take the opportunity.
Laughter is a vehicle for truth.
There is a difference between creating a fun environment and knowing how to be joyful people.
Anything you do awake for more than 40 hours a week should be more than a job.
John’s new book, Start, encourages readers to get off the path from average and onto the path to awesome.