My Top 5+ KidMin Breakouts at OC from an OS

While the main sessions at Orange Conference will inspire you in amazing ways to lead the next generation to follow Jesus, breakouts can help you answer some of the specific questions you have about your Kids Ministry. Breakouts can cover a wide range of areas, from kids, to parents, to volunteers, environments, curriculum, worship, and even the nuances that fall within each of those categories. They are even a great place to connect with other kidmin leaders that are likely facing similar challenges. However, because of the number of breakouts, you might find it difficult to choose which ones to attend. Therefore, I wanted to give you my own top 5 breakouts for OC ’22 that I am most excited about.

1. What Parents Aren’t Telling You, but You Need to Know

If you are like me at all, you may often wonder why parents won’t engage. You have people in place, you have materials in place, and great emails, but parents just don’t seem to care like they should. Maybe WE need to shift OUR approach. Maybe that starts with understanding parents and learning more about the unique challenges of parenting in 2022. This breakout will share the results of a recent research study on parents and how you can meet parents where they are.

2. Managing the Tensions that Help Kids Develop a Resilient Faith

I have often wondered, “If a kid can’t see themselves somewhere in the Bible story I’m teaching, then will they really hear it and be able to apply the principle in their own life?” If we are honest with ourselves, the answer is likely no. If a principle or truth doesn’t connect to their life, then it can seem like random information. This breakout explores ideas on how we can practically help kids in our ministries to develop a faith that lasts. What if it starts with changing the way we teach and keeping the right tensions alive in our messaging?

3. Re-inspiring Volunteers in a New Reality 

Raise your hand if you not only need more volunteers, but also need your current volunteers to be more committed to serving each week, as well as committed to the strategy. If you didn’t raise your hand, its ok, no one is looking! Either way, you are not alone! Maybe we all need to re-imagine how to inspire our volunteers. Maybe we also need to understand that volunteers are human too. They actually have a life outside of church, so the way we lead and inspire them to grow in their personal faith, leadership, and relationships ought to reflect that. This could have a profound impact how they show up for kids. When you help them win outside your ministry, it will help them win inside your ministry. This breakout will help you design a practical annual strategy to keep inspiring and training your volunteers every week.

4. What Did You Do Last Summer?

Just imagine, at the beginning of the school year, every kid will be asked this question: “What did you do last summer?” What if the first thing a kid answered was how they experienced Jesus in a way they never thought possible. That’s where VBS comes in! Yes, VBS: Very Best Summer! Its not just about one week of fun, exhaustion, and excitement that fizzles away. No, we are talking about how VBS can, not only fuel your whole summer strategy, but also how you can leverage VBS to build partnerships with parents, as well as point kids and families back to the incredible work your team is already doing each week on Sunday mornings. At this breakout, you will even hear about how VBS can be used in many different ways, like in neighborhoods, parks, or even online.

5. Building a Kid’s Ministry to Last 

I have been a part of church cultures where leadership changes, leadership structure changes, direction changes, or vision and mission changed. Those transitions are always difficult to navigate. However, we all know the reality is that change will come. So, how do we build a kid’s ministry to last through these hard changes? Who do I need to consistently meet with and influence so that when change comes, I have people who understand the ministry strategy? This breakout will give you practical tips to help you bridge the gap so your ministry can continue to grow even in the middle of a transition.  

Now, because there are so many great breakouts, it’s hard to keep it at 5, so here are a couple bonuses to briefly mention as well:

New Rules to Multi-Site in Kids Ministry

Multi-site Ministry is already unique and complex, so why not throw in a pandemic in the mix as well. However, multi-site done well, has the potential to reach so many more people. In this breakout, you’ll hear about how to build and sustain a healthy multi-site kids ministry.

Digital Discipleship for Kids in 2022 and Beyond

We simply cannot ignore that digital discipleship is part of the future of kids ministry. Whether we like it or not, social media and other platforms used in a positive way can allow us to impact the faith of a generation. This breakout will help us learn how to manage content and relationships, plus give practical tips to create an innovative digital discipleship strategy.

Before you register for your breakouts, be sure to read the descriptions and choose the ones that may best speak to your ministry context. This could be a “breakout” year for your ministry! And, if you don’t want to miss out on any of the breakouts you can purchase the All-Access Audio Pass so you can listen to every OC Breakout plus your favorite moments from main sessions.