We’ve published several blog posts covering some of the best resources and curriculum for kids and student ministries. If you’ve read those posts, you’ll notice that several of these curriculum options come from our friends at Orange.
Perhaps you’ve heard of Orange in some context before, or maybe it’s a new name if you’re new to ministry work. Regardless, you might not know about all the resources they offer or where they rank in comparison to other curriculum options.
Your goal as a ministry leader is to create a children’s ministry that kids actually want to attend—while also teaching object lessons. Orange is a great option to fit both of those needs because it mixes age-appropriate content with God’s word that can be used at any church.
So what is Orange and why might it be a good fit for your church? Here’s your complete guide.
What is Orange?
Orange is more than just a color—there’s a meaning behind the name that speaks to the curriculum’s strategy. Red represents the heart of the home and yellow represents the light of the church. When these two influential voices combine together, they make orange and they’re stronger than just one influential voice on its own.
That’s what Orange does—creates biblical resources that bring together the home (parents and guardians) and the church (ministry leaders like you) to impact a kid’s life. This is the strategy that helps set them apart from many other church curriculums.
To help make God’s message matter to more kids, Orange creates a wide range of resources to help equip church leaders—all the way from senior pastors to volunteers. Orange is used by thousands of churches around the globe—different sizes, locations, and denominations.
What is the Orange curriculum?
We mentioned that Orange focused on an age-appropriate curriculum—because five-year-olds require a different approach to the bible compared to say, high school sophomores. For that reason, Orange breaks its curriculum into four different categories:
- First Look for preschoolers
- 252 Basics for elementary & preteen kids
- XP3 Middle School
- XP3 High School
Each week, these churches get unique content written specifically for these age groups. Orange was also the first to start delivering its resources digitally, so your church will benefit from leveraging modern technology.
What else does Orange have for my church?
In addition to the four age-based weekly curricula, Orange also offers a few other different programs. These are all built on the same principles and support one another.
- Orange VBS for the summer ministry
- Jingle Jam, a special family event for Christmas
- Easter Jam, a special family event for Easter
- Parent Cue for parenting resources
- Married People for marriage ministry
This gives your church the opportunity to mix and match the pieces that work for you.
What are the benefits of using Orange?
Orange’s goal is to have five distinct benefits with each of its church partners. Here’s what you can expect if you use the Orange curriculum:
- Volunteers who are more consistent
- Parents who are more intentional
- Leaders who are more strategic
- Messages that are more engaging
- Faith that is more dynamic
What other resources does Orange offer?
There’s a lot more to Orange than just weekly church curriculum—in the same way that there’s more to your church than just kids ministry. These are just a few more things that the organization offers to help train, educate, and inspire church leaders across the country and globe.
Events
Because they care about training the next generation of ministry leaders, Orange has a number of conferences and training events every year. The Orange Conference is the big one—and it’s one of our favorite ministry conferences every year.
In addition to the main conference, Orange also hosts a smaller tour of the country (currently a limited version because of COVID) and a leadership conference specifically for senior pastors. Playlister is proud to be a sponsor at most of these events.
Books
For church leaders who still enjoy reading, Orange publishes a number of books every year. Many of these are written by Orange staff members or through partnerships with ministry influencers. Here are just a few books that you should think about checking out:
- Think Orange by Reggie Joiner
- A New Kind of Leader by Reggie Joiner
- It’s Personal by Virginia Ward, Reggie Joiner, & Kristen Ivy
- Don’t Miss It by Reggie Joiner & Kristen Ivy
- Lead Small by Reggie Joiner & Tom Shefchunas
- When Relationships Matter by Reggie Joiner, Kristen Ivy & Tom Shefchunas
Podcasts & blogs
Orange has built four distinct communities of resources around the ministry areas church leaders typically fall into. Within each of these communities, they share free resources like blogs, downloadable guides, and podcasts.
- Orange Leaders for pastors and volunteers
- Orange Kids for children’s ministry
- Orange Students for youth ministry
- Parent Cue for parents
How does Orange connect to Playlister?
Orange Curriculum and Playlister go together like peanut butter and jelly. Because Orange is one of the dynamic and tech-friendly content providers, and Playlister makes it easy for you to cast your curriculum directly to the screens at your church.
We’ve worked with the Orange team to import your content directly without having to worry about USB sticks or burning CDs. You’ll also save money when you bundle your Orange package with a Playlister membership.
Where to get started with Orange?
All of these resources might seem overwhelming at first—and that’s understandable. Orange offers quite a range of resources, but you don’t need to panic. Here are a few quick tips to getting started with Orange at your church soon:
- Try a free trial of the Orange curriculum.
- Read this blog post about what Orange is.
- Watch this video explaining their strategy.
- Attend Orange Conference next year.
- Read the Think Orange book.
- Talk to an Orange Specialist about the advantages of Orange.
Want to try Orange at your church? Try Orange with a free Apple TV from Playlister:
Apple charges $149 for an Apple TV. Playlister offers you the chance to try an Apple TV risk free. Use the code TRYPRO and we’ll send you a free Apple TV (Playlister Pro Kit) for one month.
You can cancel and return the Playlister Apple TV anytime. Looking for more reasons to get an Apple TV? Read our top 5 Apple Tv uses at your church.
Get your FREE Apple TV