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Yet, we recognize that while the mission is unchanging, the culture around us is shifting rapidly. The tools and methods that worked in the past often fail to translate to the landscape we navigate today. This creates a significant tension: how do you steward a never-changing mission in the midst of ever-changing methods?

The answer lies in a holistic, integrated, and highly responsive approach. We must anchor ourselves in what is timeless to better adapt to what is timely.

A New Name, A New Approach

For years, we gathered under the banner of Orange. In 2026, we are leaning into a new name;  Church Conference, to reflect our primary focus: the Local Church. This change is a responsive shift to the current season, moving us out of massive arenas and back into local church buildings.

We believe that by returning to where everything started, we can reclaim a sense of intimacy and authenticity. These settings allow us to pray, learn, and grow together in a way that large venues cannot currently offer. While there may be a future where we return to larger gathering spaces if the season calls for it, right now we are dedicated to creating practical, integrated tools specifically for today’s local church.

Our vision is to provide a catalytic gathering where you can learn and recharge, and rediscover the “why” behind your leadership in a supportive environment. We want you to be able to reconnect with and rediscover your calling as you find clarity in a world where burnout is common.  And lastly, we want to help and equip you to lead with an integrated strategy by showing you how you can access a holistic approach to ministry that combines discipleship content and organizational tools.

Moving forward requires us to be brave enough to paint a new picture for the future while leaning on the proven, timeless, and unchanging faithfulness of God. We are for the Local Church, and we carry a unique potential to reach the next generation.

ONLY THE CHURCH:

Built the first hospitals where none existed.

Is sent to disciple nations.

Kept libraries and learning alive through the dark ages.

Built the first hospitals where none existed.

Built by Jesus, cannot be overcome.

Backed early artists and composers who shaped culture.

Under the authority of Christ, holds the keys to the Kingdom.

Empowered by God’s Spirit, witnesses to the world.

Taught the world to read by translating Scripture.

Created the first orphan care and adoption networks.

Join us as we gather in a way that honors the local church and the leaders who pour into it every single week. 

April 28 – April 30, 2026 | Dallas, Texas

achurchconference.com

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You set out on your journey with total confidence in your tool. However, as the trail disappears and the terrain gets steeper, you realize something is wrong. While the map is technically perfect, it is actually a detailed street map of a city. It is a great tool, but it was designed for a completely different environment. In the wilderness, even the best city map becomes useless because it doesn’t speak the language of the landscape you are currently standing in.

In ministry, we often feel that same tension. We are surrounded by great ideas and “proven” formulas, but sometimes we realize we’re holding a tool that is too small (or just plain wrong) for the giant dreams God has placed in our hearts.

The Moses Trap

To understand where we are going, let’s look at the story of Moses. In Exodus 17, God tells Moses to strike a rock with his staff to bring forth water. Moses does it, water flows, and it is a miracle.

But years later, in Numbers 20, when the people are thirsty again, God gives Moses a new instruction: Speak to the rock. Instead, Moses does what is familiar because it worked in the past. He strikes the rock…not once, but twice.

The water still flowed, but because Moses relied on a previous method instead of a current instruction, he missed out on the Promised Land. The lesson we can learn from this is that using the wrong tool, or even the right tool at the wrong time, can be detrimental.

At Amazing Life, we believe we are in a “Numbers 20 moment.” We cannot simply keep “striking the rock” because it’s what we’ve always done. We believe the World’s Greatest Mission deserves the World’s Greatest Tools.

Re-humanization: A New Era in Kids Ministry

Over the last century, children’s ministry has evolved through some incredible eras, from the Sunday School models of the 1920s to the high-production digital media models of the 2010s. Every era brought great tools that served their season well.

However, as we look at the world today, it is clear that something is not working: we’ve never been more “connected” via technology, yet we’re finding that children have never been more lonely, parents have never been this frustrated and stressed, and leaders are feeling disconnected from those they lead.

This is why Amazing Life is moving into what we call The Re-humanization Era.

What is Re-humanization?

It isn’t a move backward, and we aren’t saying technology is bad. It is the realization that in a shifting world, we must focus on the things that remain the same: consistent relationships and person-to-person discipleship.

Re-humanization means:

1. Moving from ‘screens as the teacher’ to screens as a tool for the shepherd.
2. Building systems that don’t just count the 99 who show up, but empower a leader to go find the one who didn’t.

At Amazing Life, our mission isn’t to build the world’s greatest ministry model. It is to build Christlikeness in the hearts of the next generation. To do that, we must be willing to lay down the tools of yesterday to pick up the ones God is providing us with for tomorrow.

Despite technology ‘shrinking the world’, people are feeling more disconnected than ever. There’s never been a greater need for God; for pastors to pastor, and for leaders to bring His people together. 

That is the Rock that never changes. And helping the local church anchor their communities to it is the mission we’ve dedicated ourselves to. 

If you’re wondering what this next era of Kids Ministry actually looks like in practice, don’t miss Church Conference. We’ll be unveiling three of the biggest announcements in Kids Ministry history — giving you a clear picture of where re-humanized ministry is headed and the tools that will help you lead it. Learn more and join us at: AChurchConference.com

The post Striking the Rock: Why the Next Era of Kids Ministry is More Human Than You Think appeared first on Think Orange.

If you come across a grammatical error or something that feels “off” in our curriculum and bring it to our attention, please know this right away: we hear you, and it matters to us.

That’s why we want to bring you into our process and share the heart behind how and why we write and edit our content…and how we think about mistakes when they happen.

We Write for People, Not Pages

First and foremost, our curriculum is written to be said out loud.

Every script we create is designed to sound natural when spoken by real leaders, talking to real kids, in real rooms. That means we intentionally prioritize a conversational writing style, even when that choice doesn’t always align with the most formal rules of grammar.

For example:

• Ending a sentence with a preposition
• Choosing “and” instead of a serial comma
• Writing the way someone actually speaks, not how an essay reads
• Using sentence fragments for emphasis
• Starting sentences with “And,” “But,” or “So”
• Repeating a word or phrase on purpose
• Using informal phrasing instead of formal alternatives

These aren’t oversights. They’re intentional so that leaders can read a script and think, “Yes, this sounds like me.”

Because a script that’s grammatically pristine but awkward to say doesn’t serve kids well.

Kids Hear Differently Than Adults

We also write differently depending on who the content is for.

• Preschool content avoids contractions because that’s not how adults naturally speak to preschoolers.
• Elementary and student content leans more conversational to mirror how leaders engage older kids.
• Parent-facing content is held to a higher editorial standard because it lives longer and represents the church beyond a single service.

In every case, our guiding question is the same: Will this be clear, helpful, and usable for the person saying it, and will it share Jesus in a way that reaches the heart of every kid?

Humans Are at the Center of Our Process

All of our curriculum is written, edited, and reviewed by real people.

We do not rely on AI to create our curriculum. Every piece of written content begins and ends with human writers and editors who care deeply about kids knowing Jesus. While we use technology tools to assist with proofreading and editing, those tools have limitations… and they don’t replace human judgment.

Sometimes suggestions from tools like Grammarly are intentionally ignored because:

• They remove conversational tone
• They make sentences technically “correct,” but harder to say
• They don’t reflect how leaders actually communicate

That human lens matters to us. And unfortunately, sometimes human processes also mean human error.

When Errors Happen (Because Sometimes They Will)

Every error bothers us. Truly. But not every error carries the same weight.

When something is flagged, we process it through a few key filters:

• Is it parent-facing?
• Does it significantly change the meaning or takeaway?
• Is it a Scripture error?

Scripture errors are always a top priority to fix.

Other issues—like punctuation inconsistencies or possessive formatting (Jairus’ daughter vs. Jairus’s daughter)—don’t alter the heart or outcome of a lesson. In those cases, we may log it as a learning for future edits rather than retroactively changing every instance.

That doesn’t mean the feedback isn’t valued. It is. It simply means we’re balancing clarity, speed, scale, and stewardship.

Our North Star: Clarity Over Perfection

If there’s one thing we hope you take away, it’s this:

We will always choose clarity over grammatical perfection.

We will always choose people over polish.

Our goal at Amazing Life isn’t to create flawless documents. It’s to create content that helps leaders communicate Biblical truth clearly, confidently, and with heart. It’s to tell the Good News of Jesus to kids in a way that makes the most sense to them. 

Thank you for caring enough to notice. Thank you for partnering with us.

And thank you for the grace you extend as we continue to build, refine, and serve churches with excellence.

If you ever have questions or feedback, our Customer Success team is always here, and your input truly helps shape what’s next.

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🎥 ANNOUNCED: NEXT Keynote Replay

If you missed last week’s NEXT Keynote, the full replay is now available.

Chris and Tyler step back to look at the bigger story of next gen ministry—where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, and why this next season matters so much for church leaders today.

This conversation isn’t about tools for tools’ sake.

It’s about removing friction, clarifying focus, and creating space for leaders to do what only they can do:

Pastor people.

👉 Watch the full keynote replay

Leadership Training That Fits Real Ministry Life

Ministry leadership gets heavy fast.
Volunteers are busy.
Schedules don’t line up.
Training gets pushed to “later.”

Amazing Leaders changes that.

Amazing Leaders is a new on-demand leadership hub inside APlay — built for the realities of church life.

Develop leaders all year with:

• Step-by-step leadership courses

• Conversations with trusted ministry voices

• Audio content for growth on the go

Simple. Repeatable. Practical.

Designed for how churches actually train:

• Courses: learn from renowned leaders

• Conversations: access one-off sessions on key topics

• Audio: learn on the go, anywhere, at anytime

🚨 AVAILABLE NOW for all Amazing+ subscribers.

If you’re looking for a simple way to train, equip, and develop your team — this is for you.

👉 Learn more about Amazing Leaders

🎵 Preschool: Volume 01 Drops Friday

Preschool: Volume 01 releases this Friday — and Jesus Loves Me is live now.

This new drop includes fresh takes on favorites like:

• My God Is So Big

• Rejoice in the Lord Always

• Father Abraham

• The B-I-B-L-E

• Jesus Loves Me

▶️ Listen now in APlay or on your favorite streaming platform:

Spotify | Apple Music | APlay

Our heart with Amazing Music is simple:
Help kids understand what they’re singing and engage with worship in a meaningful way.

⛪️ A Gathering for the Whole Church

Formerly Orange Conference, Church Conference reflects a broader focus: equipping entire church teams to partner with families and reach the next generation together.

📍 Preston Trail Community Church — Dallas, TX
🗓 April 28–30, 2026

Over three days, leaders will step into experiences designed to:

• Restore clarity

• Reignite conviction

• Bring momentum back to ministry

New speakers continue to be added, with voices shaping the future of church leadership, discipleship, and family ministry.

This is where strategy meets soul.
And where leaders are reminded why the work matters.

👉 Register now at AChurchConference.com

Looking Ahead

This year is full of possibilities.

We’re building, refining, and listening… because your feedback shapes what comes next. If something isn’t working or if there’s a tool that would make your job easier, we want to hear from you.

Reach out to your Customer Success partner anytime or email us at hello@amazinglife.com. We’d love to walk alongside you. We’ll see you next week.

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🎥 Watch The Latest ANNOUNCED

The latest ANNOUNCED episode was packed, from our growing EveryChurch initiative to new music, VBS updates, and a first look at a brand-new leadership resource launching in February.

[Watch the Live replay]

EveryChurch – Free Curriculum for Churches Under 100 

At CPC, we shared a big goal that’s been shaping everything we’re building: reaching 100 million kids over the next 10 years with the gospel of Jesus.

The first step? EveryChurch.

EveryChurch is a free kids curriculum for churches with 100 people or fewer in average weekly attendance (kids, students, and adults combined). Because we believe money, staffing, or structure should never be the reason kids miss out on meaningful, engaging faith experiences.

What’s included:

• A host script
  
• A large-group game
  
• A Bible story script
  
• Application prompts
  
• Small-group activities
  
• A closing prayer + journaling activity
  
  

Everything is intentionally curated for smaller churches and available directly inside Service Builder, so you can download and implement immediately. 

Small churches no longer have to compromise on quality. This curriculum was built to save you time, reduce prep stress, and help kids encounter Jesus each and every week.

And this is just the beginning!
Future plans include:

• More languages (building on our growing Spanish content)
  
• Expanded accessibility resources, including ASL
  
• Continued growth alongside our EveryChild initiative for neurodivergent learners
  
  

If you, or someone you know, serves in a smaller church, spread the word. It’s free. No credit card required. Just help.

🎵 New Music Is Here!

Volume 8 of Amazing Music drops on all streaming platforms at the end of this month! It’s full of high-energy worship bops your kids will love.

This month’s releases include 10 new elementary songs and 2 new preschool songs. You’ll recognize some classics (like Breathe, Great Things, and I Am Free), reimagined so kids can sing them with confidence and joy.

Amazing Music started with one goal: give families a shared language for worship. Not just in church, but in the car, at home, and everywhere in between. Starting in February, all songs are available in APlay for weekend services, and on Spotify and Apple Music so parents can join in all week long.

☀️ VBS 2026: Kingdom Quest

VBS has officially launched, and we are so excited about Kingdom Quest. 

This year’s VBS is an epic journey to discover God’s kingdom. Each day follows the life of Peter, inviting kids to explore what it really means to follow Jesus, live out God’s Kingdom, and grow as disciples.

Inside this year’s VBS:

• High-energy worship music
  
• Animated Bible stories
  
• Engaging rotations
  
• Flexible resources for churches of all sizes
  
  

Pro tip: Join the VBS Facebook Group to swap ideas, decorations, adaptations, and encouragement with leaders across the country.

This is one of our favorite VBS experiences yet, and we’d love to partner with you for your best summer ever!

🚨 Coming Soon: Amazing Leaders

Training your leaders just got easier. 

Launching at the beginning of February, Amazing Leaders is a brand-new training hub designed to equip your leaders and volunteers.

If you’re an Amazing+ subscriber, you’ll automatically get access to:

• Conference sessions & workshops
  
• Practical ministry training
  
• A growing library of leadership content from trusted voices

   

This includes sessions from years of Orange Conference content, plus resources like EveryChild, all in one place and continually expanding.

⛪️ CHURCH CONFERENCE

Formerly Orange Conference, Church Conference reflects a broader focus: equipping the entire church to partner with families and reach the next generation.

📍 Preston Trail Community Church – Dallas, Texas
🗓 April 28–30, 2026

Church Conference is where strategy meets soul.

Over three incredible days, you’ll step into moments designed to bring clarity, inspiration, and momentum back to your leadership and ministry.

This is the next chapter of Orange Conference—same heart, bigger horizon.

Learn more at AChurchConference.com

Looking Ahead

This year is full of possibilities.

We’re building, refining, and listening… because your feedback shapes what comes next. If something isn’t working or if there’s a tool that would make your job easier, we want to hear from you.

Reach out to your Customer Success partner anytime or email us at hello@amazinglife.com. We’d love to walk alongside you. We’ll see you next week.

The post ANNOUNCED Weekly | EveryChurch, New Music, and What’s Coming in February appeared first on Think Orange.

🎥 Watch The Latest ANNOUNCED

If you missed the latest Facebook Live, you can catch the full replay now. Tyler shared several major updates, from a brand-new free trial experience to improvements inside Service Builder.

[Watch the Live replay]

EveryChurch – Free Curriculum for Churches Under 100 

One of the biggest announcements we made recently was EveryChurch—a brand-new curriculum initiative created specifically for churches with fewer than 100 total members.

Because church size should never determine access to quality.

EveryChurch was designed for pastors and leaders who don’t have the budget, staff, or time to build curriculum from scratch, but still want kids to encounter Jesus in meaningful, age-appropriate ways.

EveryChurch curriculum includes:

• A host script
• A Bible story script
• Small-group activities
• Application prompts
• A closing prayer and journaling activity

It’s 100% free, with no credit card required, and available directly inside Service Builder, ready to download and use immediately.

Whether you’re leading solo, bivocational, or with a small volunteer team, EveryChurch removes a major barrier and gives you something solid, thoughtful, and ready-to-go.

From EveryChild to EveryChurch

EveryChurch builds on the heart behind our EveryChild initiative: a curriculum adapted for neurodivergent learners that stays aligned with the scope and sequence.

Together, these initiatives move us toward a larger goal: reaching 100 million kids over the next 10 years by partnering with churches of every size, across the globe.

Looking ahead, EveryChurch may expand to include:

• Spanish-language resources
• ASL content
• Additional accessibility-focused tools

Because access changes everything.

Learn more at: joinamazing.com/everychurch

Amazing+ 30-Day Free Trial

We also announced a 30-day free trial for Amazing+, our all-in-one subscription built around a complete 0–18 strategy.

Amazing+ brings curriculum, training, media, and technology together into one connected system—so your entire ministry speaks the same language from birth through graduation.

What you’ll experience during your free trial:

• A unified 0–18 strategy—from preschool through high school

• Engaging media kids and teens actually want to watch

• Curriculum, training, and resources designed to work together

• Tech tools that simplify weekly prep and save your team time

Everything is pre-organized, presentation-ready, and customizable—so leaders can focus on people, not logistics.

Most churches piece this together using multiple providers.

Amazing+ replaces that complexity with one clear, connected approach.

Now, you can experience it firsthand.

Start your free trial today at JoinAmazing.com/freetrial

CHURCH CONFERENCE

New Name, New Location

Formerly Orange Conference, Church Conference reflects a broader focus: equipping the entire church to partner with families and reach the next generation.

📍 Preston Trail Community Church – Dallas, Texas
🗓 April 28–30, 2026

Church Conference is where strategy meets soul.

Over three incredible days, you’ll step into moments designed to bring clarity, inspiration, and momentum back to your leadership and ministry.

This is the next chapter of Orange Conference—same heart, bigger horizon.

Learn more at AChurchConference.com

Service Builder Updates

Cleaner Scripts, Same Flexibility

Since launching in September, Service Builder has received nearly 20 updates—each one shaped directly by pastor feedback.

The latest improvement tackles a common pain point: page breaks.

Now, when exporting scripts as PDFs:

• Page breaks are clean and predictable
• Page numbers display correctly
• Printed scripts are easier to use week-to-week
  
  

Service Builder still lets you:

• Toggle sections on and off
• Customize scripts before downloading
• Automatically build media playlists alongside scripts

And because updates roll out directly inside Service Builder, it always contains the most up-to-date version of every script and asset.

Less friction. Fewer workarounds. More confidence on Sunday.

Why It All Matters

We see the weight you carry: the planning, the people, the prayers behind the scenes. Everything we build is meant to give you time back, reduce friction, and help you focus on what matters most. We’re grateful to partner with you.

Tell us what you need: Questions, feedback, or ideas? Email us anytime at hello@amazinglife.com. Your voice continues to shape what’s next.

The post ANNOUNCED Weekly | EveryChurch, a Brand-New Free Trial Experience, and Tools That Give You Time Back appeared first on Think Orange.

🎥 Watch The Latest ANNOUNCED

If you missed the latest Facebook Live, you can catch the full replay now. Tyler walks through Hello Baby, the Wonder refresh, and what’s coming next for leaders in 2026.

[Watch the Live replay]

HelloBaby: Ministry Begins in the Nursery

Many churches unintentionally treat the nursery as a holding space: important, but not formative. At Amazing Life, we believe spiritual formation doesn’t begin at age three or four. It begins the moment a child is born.

That belief is what led to HelloBaby, a year-long curriculum designed specifically for infants. It centers on one simple, powerful truth that is spoken over babies again and again throughout their first year in your ministry:

Jesus loves me.

HelloBaby isn’t about teaching babies a lesson they can cognitively explain. It’s about ministering to their spirit through gentle worship music, Scripture read aloud, and nurturing routines that communicate safety, peace, and love. 

How APlay Supports the Experience

HelloBaby is delivered through APlay and APlay Pro, not as entertainment for babies, but as a guide for volunteers. The visuals function more like subtle digital wallpapers that move leaders through the service in a clear, organized way. Volunteers simply tap “next” to move from worship to Scripture to interactive moments (including a bubble song… and yes, it’s as adorable as it sounds), without juggling CDs or multiple media sources.

In most churches, babies are seated in bouncers or held by volunteers and often face away from the screen. The technology supports the adults in the room; it doesn’t replace relational ministry.

Why Parents Notice

HelloBaby does two important things at once. First, it ministers to babies by consistently surrounding them with truth and care. Second, it communicates tremendous value to parents. When families realize their church is doing more than “babysitting” their baby, trust grows quickly.

HelloBaby is included with Amazing+, which bundles all Amazing Life curriculum into one unified subscription. Learn more at joinamazing.com 

Wonder Refresh: Expanding Ollie’s World

If you use our preschool ministry, you already know how much kids love Ollie the owl. As Orange and Amazing Life continued to integrate, the team approached a Wonder refresh with great care, this wasn’t change for change’s sake.

The refreshed Wonder keeps Ollie at the center while expanding his world in meaningful ways. New characters have been introduced, each reflecting common personality types kids recognize in themselves and others. Stories can now unfold across a broader landscape, including forests, mountains, water, and more, giving kids a richer environment to explore biblical truth.

This matters because research consistently shows kids are far more likely to retain and apply truth when it’s delivered through characters they identify with. When a child sees a character struggle with forgiveness or fear and then grow, it helps them imagine that growth for themselves.

A Consistent Picture of Jesus

You’ll also notice a refreshed visual approach to Bible stories. The same depiction of Jesus that kids see in the story video is now carried through activity pages and small group materials. Over time, that consistency helps kids recognize, remember, and relate to who Jesus is.

The first month of the Wonder refresh will be available at the end of this month. Early testing with kids has already shown strong engagement and positive feedback.

NEXT: A Gathering for Leaders Thinking Long-Term

Curriculum matters, but strategy sustains faith. That’s why NEXT exists.

NEXT is a gathering of NextGen pastors and ministry leaders from around the world who are wrestling with the same questions: How do we disciple kids from 0–18 with intention? What do we do about the growing number of students walking away from faith after graduation? How do we build something cohesive?

Unlike traditional conferences, NEXT is built around conversation. Expert voices bring data, trends, and insight, but roundtable discussions give leaders space to process together, share what’s working, and learn from one another.

Event Details
January 26–27
Dallas/Fort Worth
Apply at next.thinkorange.com

Church Conference: Learning Together as a Whole Team

Looking ahead to 2026, the team is also preparing for Church Conference, formerly Orange Conference, now expanded and designed for the entire church team.

Church Conference is for NextGen leaders, senior leaders, executive pastors, ministry volunteers, and more. It keeps what leaders have loved about Orange Conference while broadening the focus to reflect the reality that the local church thrives when leaders learn and align together.

This is an opportunity for teams to travel together, grow together, and return home with shared vision and language for what’s next. Learn more at achurchconference.com

Why It All Matters

From nursery to preschool to long-term strategy, these updates are anchored by the conviction: discipleship works best when it’s intentional, consistent, and shared.

HelloBaby ensures truth is spoken from day one. Wonder helps preschoolers see themselves in the story and recognize Jesus consistently. NEXT and Church Conference give leaders space to connect the dots across every phase.

We’re grateful to partner with you in this work—and we’re excited for what God is building through His church in the year ahead.

What you’re doing for the next generation truly matters. 

Have questions or feedback? We’d love to hear from you. Email us anytime at hello@amazinglife.com.

 

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