by Tim Walker
In case you didn’t know, MarriedPeople is part of something bigger. It’s called Orange, and it’s a strategy and resources to equip the church and the family to impact a generation. (If you’re not familiar with Orange, you can find out more about it at www.thinkorange.com.)
Now, you may be wondering, How did those two end up together? (That’s probably not the first time you’ve asked that question. You know you’ve thought that about a couple or two in your life.)
Because if you know anything about Orange, you may be thinking one of the following thoughts:
Isn’t Orange about children’s and youth ministry?
Not every kid is in a home with two, married parents?
Those are valid questions, so here are 4 reasons why we think MarriedPeople is Orange.
- MarriedPeople is a strategy. Orange is more than a resource, or a conference, or curriculum. It’s a strategy. It’s intentional in connecting the church and home in the way that is both structured and creative. MarriedPeople is a strategy as well. It’s not just a single resource. It’s a way to impact the married couples both in your church and in your community with 25 different touch points in a calendar year.
- One of the Orange principles is to Imagine the End. In other words, when we are impacting a generation, we are keeping in mind that we are raising future adults. And part of that adult life may involve relationships and marriage. We want to create a culture of healthy, connected couples in your church to give kids and teenagers examples of what marriage can look like.
- Orange believes that what happens at home is just as important as what happens at church. And the culture of the home is affected by the relationship between a child’s parents or stepparents. With MarriedPeople, we feel like that we can proactively affect that relationship by encouraging couples to build some core habits and connect on a regular basis.
- Orange believes that two key influences in the life of a child are small group leaders and parents. Here is a reality—some of your volunteers are married. And while they are busy serving and leading, we want to impact their lives personally. MarriedPeople gives a church an opportunity to pour into those leaders as they pour into others.
While every family in your church may not consist of a married couple, the reality is that marriage impacts all of us. A single mom. A blended family. A mom and a dad. A non-married couple living together. We are all affected by marriage—whether its our own, the marriage of our parents, other family members, or even friends.
And at MarriedPeople, we want to be proactive to help married couples both in your church and in your community. One of the best gifts you can give a kid or a teenager is encouraging the marriage of their parents (or stepparents), and ultimately affecting the health of the home.
That’s why MarriedPeople is Orange.
Tim Walker is an editor on the MarriedPeople team, and blogger at timswords.com.
