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Orange Merges with Amazing Life Foundation

The two will have shared oversight, but will maintain separate headquarters.

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Orange, the Christian curriculum company that hosts one of the country’s most prominent family ministry conferences, is merging with Amazing Life Foundation.

Orange Board Chairman Joel Manby and Amazing Life CEO Chris Heaslip sharing news about merger / Video screenshot

“After months of prayerful consideration and thorough evaluation of various opportunities for Orange’s future, the board has chosen Amazing Life as the ideal partner to elevate Orange to new levels of impact, surpassing what we have accomplished so far,” Joel Manby, chair of the Orange board, said in a press statement.

Amazing Life Foundation is an umbrella organization for several other products, such as Amazing Kids and the BSide App, designed to equip churches with tools and content.

Orange and Amazing Life will “operate with shared oversight,” but Orange will maintain its existing staff and operations in Cumming, Georgia.

“I am honored to lead Orange into this new chapter and to build on its legacy of equipping churches and families with practical, Gospel-centered, and world-class resources,” Chris Heaslip, CEO of Amazing Life, said about the merger.

According to the press release, more information about the merger and future plans will be shared at the Orange conference planned for April 29 through May 1.

Orange, founded by Reggie Joiner in 1996, has been the subject of controversy since last year.

In April 2024, Joiner and Orange CEO Kristen Ivy resigned from their positions due to an “inappropriate relationship.” In May, Ivy recharacterized that relationship as abusive.

“The truth is that Reggie has repeatedly abused his power and used it to gain access to vulnerable, often very young women, slowly crossing boundaries, isolating them, and eventually coercing them into agreeing to the abuse,” she wrote in an email to Manby.

In June, Orange told MinistryWatch it had engaged the law firm Castañeda + Heidelman LLP (C+H) to conduct a trauma-informed and forensic investigation into the allegations.

In the MinistryWatch database, Orange has a D transparency grade, 4 out of 5 stars for financial efficiency, and a donor confidence score of 55 out of 100, meaning donors should exercise caution when giving to this ministry. In 2023, its expenses exceeded revenue by about $1.3 million.

Amazing Life’s application for nonprofit 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service is currently pending.

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Kim Roberts

Kim Roberts is a freelance writer who holds a Juris Doctorate with honors from Baylor University and an undergraduate degree in government from Angelo State University. She has three young adult children who were home schooled and is happily married to her husband of 28 years.

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