The Orange Conference is one of those experiences that every leader who serves kids, teens, or college students need to check out. I don’t say that about many conference experiences but the Orange Conference is just different. It is the only places I have ever seen where pastors, youth pastors, preschool directors, college pastors and children’s pastors come together in one room united behind one cause. Thousands of people processing how we can lead this generation to Christ and partner with the family simultaneously. The Orange Conference is an experience that can help your team process these ideas. Last year we had the chance to hear from Nancy Ortberg talk about why conflict is healthy and needed if we are going to have mature leadership teams. I promise…leading your ministry team to THINK ORANGE will bring some needed and healthy conflict. Check out what Nancy had to say about conflict from Orange 2010. This is from my blog last year…
This morning Nancy Ortberg talked about the power of team here at The Orange Conference. There is nothing more important than leading our team when it comes to leadership in our churches. There is also nothing that frustrates all of us more than leading our team. Why…because we want to make it work but what we find when we lead is HUMANITY which leads to STRUGGLE because none of us are PERFECT! That is the beauty of teamwork. Working with a team leads us to serve, to be vulnerable, to be real if we want teamwork to happen. Here are some some of the thoughts Nancy had about what people on teams need…
People on a team have to be given opportunities.
- We have to empower team members opportunities that center around their giftedness not ONLY what has to be done. These kind of opportunities help people thrive.
People need challenges
- Every team will move toward stagnation.
- Healthy conflict is a needed for the health and vibrancy of the team.
- In order to do conflict well you have to give people the chance to get messy with conflict. Conflict management is learned!
People need an environment of relationships
- People want and need to be known by their leaders!
- People have to know us…we have to be open and vulnerable.
- Relationships lead our churches to be the unstoppable force in the community!