Written by We just wrapped up our student programming for this school year and are moving into our summer schedule. It’s surreal to think that this school year is already coming to a close because it feels like just yesterday we kicked off the school year. But in the midst of all the memories and celebrations, this is also a great time to begin to plan ahead for fall leader training.
Before we begin our fall programming, we host an annual leader training in August that covers a large swath of material. We walk through logistical information, legal information like mandated reporting and meeting with students, ministry updates, doctrinal beliefs, and more. This is our big training that we host each year and it incorporates a lot of different elements, but it’s also something that has evolved over the years to be more intentional and formational.
With that understanding it is imperative that the planning happen farther out so the training can be as purposeful and helpful as possible. Leaders are the backbone to our ministries and our training must be intentionally planned so we can best equip and care for them. The following points are not necessarily outlining all the details that you should cover, but more so highlighting key aspects that should be included to make your training the best it can be.
Make it relational.
I’ll be honest: for years I thought simply having everyone gather together with snacks and coffee made training relational. But the truth of the matter is that I was simply hitting them with a firehose of information with a sprinkling of potential relational opportunities added in. However, that’s not really relational.
So instead, we tweaked our training to incorporate opportunities for fellowship, getting to know one another, and to hear and learn from one another. The result was fantastic: leaders were thankful about the training and excited to be there. When we center training sessions around relationships, it allows our communities to grow and flourish.
Utilize practical principles and resources.
Many of our leaders have been with our program for multiple years. That means they thoroughly know our logistical information and when we take a prolonged amount of time going over it, we see their eyes glaze over. Now that doesn’t mean we don’t go over it, but instead we condense those moments and allow l newer leaders to connect one-on-one with our leadership. Then that affords us more time for practical principles and resources.
We highlight books and podcasts, we bring in experts to train in certain areas, we lean into spiritual formation, and allow for collective equipping, team building, and a space to share ideas.
Have fun.
I am a big proponent of incorporating fun into training. Being able to laugh, joke around, tell stories, and play games helps to build community and fellowship among your team. It also alleviates the tension or weight that can come with a longer training as it provides a needed break from the tension and rigor. So find ways to have fun and laugh with your team during the training and see how that shapes your sessions and interactions in positive ways.
Provide food.
Part of hosting intentional training means finding ways to encourage and care for your leaders. And one of the best ways to do this is to provide food. That doesn’t mean you need to break the bank and provide prime rib (but if you do let me know so I can attend), but it should be something that is different from what you provide to students and also something that shows you care.
It could be coffee and pastry trays, a nice luncheon, party subs, special candy on the tables, fun punches or mocktails, or even just having fun creamers to make the coffee a little more special.
Incorporate spiritual rhythms.
Spiritual rhythms are something I think student ministries overall should lean into more frequently, which means we must incorporate them within our training. Taking time to pray in different and engaging ways is vital. Worshipping together and praising God helps to transform our hearts. Reading Scripture highlights God’s heart for His people.
These are not the only rhythms we can incorporate nor do they have to be utilized in the same way that we have always utilized them. Instead, seek out creative and thoughtful ways to draw your people nearer to Jesus and cultivate their hearts as disciples of Jesus.
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