Tag: leading

Planning Ahead: Fall Leader Training

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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.

How do you make your leader training intentional and meaningful?

Be the Supervisor You Want to Have

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Have you ever worked under a great boss? What about a not so great one? Have you ever wished a supervisor would do something a certain way for you or care in meaningful ways? Have you had a boss who wasn’t just a good supervisor but also a good shepherd?

I’ve been in ministry for a long time and I’ve worked in a variety of jobs outside of ministry. In every single one of those jobs I had supervisors. Whether it was a lieutenant, a board of elders, an executive or senior pastor, managers, or an account supervisor, I’ve always had someone to whom I reported. With in each of those settings I can point to good and bad moments.

But here’s the thing: we often tend to remember the bad moments, the moments we weren’t cared for well, the moments our supervisors didn’t do something we wished they had, or times when those supervisors just weren’t good supervisors. And if you’re like me, you probably have focused on that way too much. Now understand, I’m not saying people shouldn’t be held accountable and I’m also not telling you to just knuckle under.

Instead, what if rather than focusing on the disappointment and discouragement that can and will come from faulty leadership, we utilized that passion and tension in a positive way. Imagine if we leveraged that as a growth opportunity for ourselves to be the best supervisor we can be! I’m not saying there’s no accountability for those in authority over you and I’m not saying that you’re the problem. Instead, I’m challenging each of us to be the supervisor we wished we had.

We all know what we have desired in a supervisor. Maybe you have had a great one and want to model your leadership after them. Perhaps you had one who didn’t afford you what you needed and now you know what a supervisor should do. What we must do as leaders is take a look at our history of supervisors and use that to cultivate the supervisor we need to be. Take the good, the bad, and the indifferent and learn from it. Be willing to discern those moments and use them to transform how you lead.

Some of my greatest strengths as a leader have come from learning from those who led me. And some of the ways I lead flow out of a desire to lead differently. But in all of those moments, I ask myself if I am leading in a way I would want to be led. Am I listening? Is my team being empowered and released to utilize their strengths? Have I been a good encourager? Have I helped my team grow and flourish? Am I willing to engage, even the hard moments, when needed? Do I have my team’s back? Am I okay with my team succeeding even if it moves the spotlight off of me?

These aren’t all the questions a good leader should be asking, but they are a starting point. Whether you’re supervising staff, leading volunteers, shepherding students, or preparing to lead, thinking through these questions and gaining insight from good leaders and mentors will help to shape you as a healthy leader. By leading others well, we are cultivating not only our own abilities but shaping future leaders to also be healthy and beneficial.

Planning Ahead: Teaching Calendars

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Welcome to a brand new series called “Planning Ahead.” This series is intentionally designed to help youth workers think through strategically planning for specific events, dates, and bench markers in ministry.

We will talk about fall kickoffs, Christmas parties, Lent, training sessions, and more. Our hope with this series is to provide you with practical steps to help you succeed in ministry by setting benchmarks in planning and sharing insights we have learned along the way.

If your experience starting out in ministry is anything like mine, I wasn’t taught strategic planning. I didn’t know how important it was to plan ahead or build out a teaching calendar. I didn’t see how intentionality wasn’t just intended for teaching and preaching but also in how we structure, prepare for, and implement important events and key programmatic pieces within our ministries.

I’ve learned how important planning ahead is not just for my own sanity but also for our students, families, and volunteers. When we plan ahead we show intentionality, communicate value and worth, help everyone to understand what we are doing and why. We are able to unify under a shared vision and goal.

So with that in mind, today I wanted to share about intentionally building out teaching calendars by answering some common questions surrounding them.

How far in advance should we plan?

When it comes to a teaching calendar, I plan a semester ahead and I typically don’t plan for a whole year. We curate our content for a semester at a time and try to have it finalized months before the next semester rolls around.

That means we typically have our fall teaching calendar finalized around May or June and our spring teaching calendar finalized around October or November. When you plan this far ahead, it allows you to start recruiting teachers, planning for different events, and strategically choosing teaching series.

How do we pick what we will teach?

When I first started in student ministry, I picked topics that I thought were relevant or that sounded cool. Curriculum with catchy titles and graphics were always a win. But we need to think beyond just what will be relevant or “cool” and instead plan with intentionality, purpose, and vision. That means when you are choosing what you will teach, you do so in light of those things as well as choosing relevant and necessary topics.

So plan your teaching around your vision, themes that you’ll focus on in your ministry, and key dates or momentum seasons. You can also begin building a 3, 4, or 7 year curriculum track based on how your program functions. You could choose a 3 year curriculum for middle school and a 4 year curriculum for high school that repeats (with updated changes as needed) to help students move through key life phases and seasons.

What should be included?

This is a question I used to wrestle with when I was younger because I would second guess myself. But here’s the thing: you know your students best and that means you know what they need to hear and be guided in. Trust your instincts and lean into your group dynamics.

But I would also encourage you to pay attention to culture, what Gen Z and Gen Alpha are searching for, and what students are grappling with overall. You can do this by talking to other youth workers, joining online communities, stepping into various cohorts, and following organizations like CPYU, FYI, Barna, others. If you utilize those key pieces to think about what is being taught, you will have a solid teaching calendar.

How many calendars should you have?

Sometimes I see ministries with multiple calendars and frankly that can get confusing. Instead of having multiple calendars, look to simplify down to one. Yes, you may need to have a calendar for families and one for leaders, but trying to simply the amount of calendars also allows your communication to be simplified and concise which provides clarity for everyone.

I won’t lie to you and tell you that if you do all these things that you’ll always hit it out of the park. We all swing and miss at times. But I will tell you that you will see more success and you can fine tune the necessary areas to fully pour into your community.

The Importance of a Personal Mentor

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Recently our church has been undergoing a big change. We are in the midst of a search for only our third senior pastor since the church was founded. When we heard the news, there was a piece of me that entertained the thought of applying for the position, but also a piece of me that strongly resisted applying.

As I processed with Elise, we both knew we felt similar tensions and that we needed the voice of trusted individuals and mentors in our lives to speak into this moment. So I reached out to some of them to hear their input and advice. They all resonated with the feelings and tensions we were feeling. After talking with them, we confirmed that we were not going to pursue the position (unless God made it clear that we should) and instead were content with where God had us.

I don’t know where you are in your ministry career or what you were taught about serving in ministry, but in my experience I was not encouraged to have a mentor until I had been in ministry for years. When I first started in a tiny church as their pastor, I didn’t have anyone who was shepherding and guiding me. No one was speaking into how I was leading, what could be improved or changed, how to navigate conflict, self care, and so many other vital aspects of ministry.

Looking back, I made a lot of mistakes as a young and naive twenty-something stepping into their first paid ministry position. I made decisions quickly, I was harsher than I should have been, and acted out of naivety and without thinking through how things would be received. If I had a mentor during that time, I know I wouldn’t have made all of the same decisions. I am not saying I wouldn’t have still messed up, but having someone guiding and challenging me would have helped to shape how I led, engaged, and reacted.

A personal mentor is one of the best things we can have in our lives. A personal mentor is someone that you trust and can go to with questions and doubts, and for encouragement. They are individuals who know you, can speak truth into your life, challenge and correct you, and also be a sounding board for choices and decisions you need to make.

A mentor is someone who cares about you and helps to form and shape you as you walk through ministry. This isn’t something just for young or new youth workers, but something we should incorporate throughout our careers. Even now, having been in ministry for over two decades, I’m so thankful for the mentors in my life who help to shape me. Whether it’s being encouraged during challenging times, being pushed to step out of my comfort zone, empowering me to lead well, or simply listening to me as I process. A mentor is something everyone should have in their lives.

A great place to start looking for a mentor is within your current context. Is there someone who has gone before you, a supervisor, a career volunteer, a friend? You can also connect with other established youth pastors who can help guide and shape you as you grow in your career. We are willing to be in your corner and to walk with you. There’s also professional coaching programs through a variety of organizations. The question is simply this: are you willing? Are you willing to have someone pour into you and walk with you as you lead in your context?

So, what’s stopping you from having a personal mentor in your life?

It’s Okay to Say No and Set Boundaries

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Have you ever said no to someone before? Have you ever declined a work meeting? Have you waited to respond to a text or sent a call to voicemail? Have you ever told your boss that couldn’t do an additional task?

If you’re a people-pleaser like me, those questions may have rubbed you the wrong way and caused a fair amount of tension or anxiety deep within you. I get it. Saying no to someone or something is difficult. Saying no to someone or something that is connected to your job, ministry, gifting, or calling feels wrong and maybe even unchristian.

But have you ever stopped to consider that the word “no” is a healthy word? Don’t we teach that boundaries within life are healthy and necessary? God gave Adam and Eve boundaries within the garden. Jesus gives us plenty of boundaries in the Gospels. Paul lays out intentional boundaries within his letters. We see that the word “no” is used to highlight healthy boundaries and to protect people.

If we see the word “no” used all the time in Scripture and by God, why are we so hesitant to use it? I would assert it is because we are in a culture that embraces and champions workaholics while it decries anything reflective of rest and sabbath.

We elevate and celebrate the individuals who sacrifice everything to advance in their career, even when that includes their own well-being or their family. We even offer people a higher pay wage for when they work more than they should. In essence, we celebrate and reward people for not resting and for always saying yes.

But God Himself set boundaries and parameters for rest and refreshment. And I would assert that He did so to help us be the best version of ourselves as we reflect Jesus to the world. What that means is we need to set intentional boundaries and be willing to say “no” when it’s warranted.

You cannot do everything and always say “yes,” because that mentality will lead to burnout, frustration, and bitterness. Instead, we must practice healthy rhythms with intentionality to protect ourselves, our families, and the ministries we serve and lead. Being willing to set boundaries helps you make better decisions and lead out of health instead of depletion.

Part of doing this means being honest with yourself, your family, your teams, and your supervisors. Identifying your capacity and limits will allow you to find where you need to set boundaries and say “no” to additional asks.

Another aspect of intentionally engaging this process is asking for someone to keep you accountable. Having an individual (or individuals) lovingly walk with you and challenge you when needed will help you to be better at setting healthy boundaries while still doing what God has called you to do.

This doesn’t mean there aren’t busy seasons or times when we have to say “yes” to additional things and tasks. However, those moments should be the exception and not the norm. We should also be willing to take time after those seasons to refresh and reset from those busy stretches.

When we learn to set boundaries and say “no” to protect ourselves, our relationship with Jesus, and those we love and care about, we are honoring God and showing the people we lead and serve what a healthy life truly looks like. So, my question to you is this: will you say “no” and set up healthy boundaries?

Trip Tricks: Mission Trip Interview Tips

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We just closed out our mission trip applications for this summer and are thrilled with the amount of students and leaders who want to serve this year. Part of our methodology for summer programming is to lean into mission trips as it correlates with our vision of disciplemaking.

An integral part of our application process is sitting down for an interview with each student who signs up. We discuss their application, work through their references, get to know them better, and discern if this trip is the right trip for them.

This process helps to ensure that the team going on the trip can work together, mesh well, and have the right philosophy for the trip. It also allows the trip leader to know their team, to begin to see how the team will integrate, and to begin to see pressure points that may develop.

Another aspect of this interview is that we are able to ascertain where students are at in their faith. I am a firm believer that mission trips are not just for the students who have it all “figured out” or even just for Christians.

Mission trips can be missional to the students who are going to serve. But in walking through an application that should have pertinent faith questions, you can begin to understand where each student is in their journey with Jesus.

In preparation for each of the interviews, I would highly suggest the following before you sit down with your student:

1. Read the application and take notes.

Write down any questions you have, underscore things you wish to touch on, and make notes about any themes, challenges, or encouragements that you see. Be prepared to follow up on those notes during your interview with the student.

2. Pray for the student.

Part of our application asks our students to list ways we can pray for them. These requests are then shared with our church through prayer cards when we do fundraising, but it also provides a way for you to pray for your students before, during, and after the interview process.

Take time to not just pray for the requests they shared in the application, but also ask if there are any other requests that they may have when you sit down for the interview.

3. Prepare any guidance or follow up that will need to be done.

One thing we ask each of our applicants to do is share their testimony. Sometimes we need to offer guidance in writing the testimony out or even in helping them to understand what their testimony is. Whether it’s the testimony or other guidance, be prepared to speak into specific areas during the interview.

4. Follow up with references if needed.

Part of our application process involves students getting a parental and personal reference. If concerns are raised by their references, or if there are specific aspects that warrant follow up, make sure to do so before the interview so you’re adequately prepared.

Proper preparation for interviews will help to ensure they go well and you are building a unified team that will work well together. Being proactive and intentional in the interview process helps you to lead well and instill trust in your students as they prepare for the trip.

Quick Tip: Always Have a Wellness Policy

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It’s wintertime and that means illnesses are abounding. I’m not a scientist by any scope of the term, but I’ve worked with students long enough to know that this time of year sees a large uptick of sickness. There’s colds, stomach bugs, the flu, Covid, allergies, and more.

In the area we serve, doctors have been seeing a very large increase in illnesses and in how quickly they are spreading. Schools are seeing droves of students missing classes. Trips and gatherings allow for illnesses to spread quickly. And illnesses are not always being actualized until symptoms appear, allowing for many people to get sick faster.

The years 2020-2021 taught us a lot of things, and one of them was the necessity of having a wellness policy. Covid forced us to think about social distancing, how to better cover our coughs and sneezes, the increased importance of sanitary practices, and how important it is to stay home when sick and not spread illnesses. But the reality is Covid isn’t the only illness that can and will spread rapidly, especially in scenarios where large groups are gathered together.

As we began to reassess and think differently about how we did ministry post-Covid, an area we realized needed to be updated was our wellness policy. We decided to call it a “wellness policy” rather than “sick policy” because wellness highlights what we are seeking to achieve and it is more positive sounding. A sick policy seems punitive while wellness points towards a safe place where even immunocompromised individuals can attend.

So what does this look like? Well, I’ll be honest with you and share two key pieces about a wellness policy: it may change over time, and it will also depend on your context. Let me explain both of these in a little more detail.

A wellness policy may change as you understand more about the illnesses you are dealing with and how that pertains to your ministry and its setting. For instance, our wellness policy was originally focused on multiple symptoms but we adjusted that when we understood people could be asymptomatic. So we went more broad than narrow on our policy to work within that understanding.

Your context will also help determine how you shape your wellness policy. If you live in a setting where you can conduct ministry outdoors for a large part of the year, you will probably have a bit more freedom in how you shape the policy. If you’re indoors in a smaller environment that will also shape how you purposefully engage this policy. Another thing to consider is allergens and how prone your area of the country is to them as their symptoms can sometimes manifest in the same way other illnesses can.

So understanding your context and present setting should help you in shaping how your policy looks. I stated earlier that we went simple with ours as we believe clarity is kindness and simplicity helps us be direct and understandable. We focused on a few key points for our policy and have shaped it in this way: “If you feel sick stay home. We want you to rest up and feel better, as well as prevent any one else from catching anything.”

We have an addendum for Covid which states, “If you test positive for Covid, please adhere to the following guideline: you must stay home (i.e. away from the church) until you are symptom free for 24 hours without a fever.” We also encourage everyone to follow good hygiene practices.

These simple statements have not only helped our group stay relatively healthy throughout the years, but it’s also given people permission to take a sick day. This policy applies to our leaders who, like yours, are dedicated and wanted to always be present even to their own detriment. But now they are given the freedom to stay home and get better.

This policy is not guaranteed to prevent any type of sickness, nor stop the spreading of anything. But it does help in keeping our people safe and provides clear communication.

In months where illnesses are rapidly spreading, having a wellness policy helps you to care well for you people by giving them loving direction and seeking to ensure a safe and healthy place for your entire community.

Quick Tip: Have a Sick Plan

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Have you ever been sick on youth group night or Sunday morning? Has the flu surprised you the day of youth group? Have you experienced prolonged illness that kept you out of service for a good amount of time?

The longer I serve in ministry, especially student ministry, the more convinced I become that having a sick plan is a necessity. Trips can allow for illnesses to spread quickly. Winter months see a drastic increase in cold, flu, Covid, and other illnesses.

And then there’s always the unexpected sickness or health concern that creeps up. Family members may get sick and need help at home. And if this is the case, how do we handle those moments when we can’t be at our ministry? Is there a game plan? Do your volunteers know what the plan is? How is that information communicated to your leaders, students, and families?

Today I want to help you think through these moments by providing tangible steps you can take to address these concerns. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, but more of an à la carte approach where you can pick and choose the steps that work best for you and your ministry.

Take a sick day.

Sometimes we just want to work through whatever illness we are wrestling with, but that’s a poor approach to take. Showing up sick can put others at risk, it depletes you even more, and it communicates to your team that it’s okay to show up sick, which can lead to illnesses being spread quickly and more often. So take a sick day, rest, recoup, and come back when you’re healthy.

Have a backup teacher.

One of the truths we must come to terms with is that our programs and ministries can and will exist without us. It’s a hard truth to reckon with, but a truth nonetheless. For many years I wrestled with this and convinced myself of the lie that the ministries I oversaw couldn’t exist without me.

It took a mental health leave for me to see that these ministries will not only exist without me, but can flourish as well. And I saw this truth through our leaders who stepped up and utilized their gifts. I became much more aware that I have gifted communicators on my team and I should be empowering them to serve. One of them has actually come to me and said, “If you ever need to bail, for any reason, I’ll have a lesson ready to go.”

This taught me so much and I want to encourage you to seek out and have backup teachers ready for when you can’t be present. No, it won’t be in the series you’re doing and no it won’t be what you had prepared. But God will use those individuals and His Word to help your students grow and flourish. So find different people who can step in for you when you’re sick (and a bonus tip: use them even when you are not sick and watch how different voices resonate with your students).

Build a communication plan.

This is important across your ministry as a whole, but having a communication plan for illness is key. Who will you tell? Who gets told first? What’s the communication say? Is it intentional, informational, or both? Drafting a plan for how communication goes out, to whom it goes out to, and what it says is key.

My mentality is to start with my leaders because they help in communicating any change to their students. They have more established communication lines so it makes sense to start there. We then email families and post across our media channels.

Our emails contain information that is needed about any change or cancelation, but they also provide intentional touch points. We provide ways for families to connect like cooking or baking together with recipes, or watching a movie and discussing it. We highlight ways to engage in worship, and we even point to a passage in Scripture that they could discuss.

Now all of this sounds great, but when you’re sick no one wants to spend the time writing all of this out. So prepare it ahead of time and have it ready to go when needed.

Have a plan for Sunday morning and youth group evenings.

As you think about the two prior points, it’s also important to have a plan for how your programming will function when you are not present. Have you taught people how to set things up? Have you shared your expectations? Do people know what to do in different scenarios like if a student gets hurt or if there’s a fire alarm?

Often times youth workers handle their own set up and know the ins and outs of tech, lighting, and how to open and close up the church; but do the people filling in for you know how to do all of that? Training, equipping, and empowering others to handle this means building a plan for them and helping them understand that plan.

At the end of the day, there will be times you are not present at youth group or church. That is okay, and you should be encouraged to take sick days and vacation time. But how will your ministry do without you? Is it build upon you and your identity (or perhaps is your identity wrapped up in it), or is it sustainable because it’s built around Christ? Have you empowered others to lead in your absence? Do you have a plan for when you are not there?

By preparing ahead, you are setting your team and ministry up for success. Take the necessary steps to be proactive rather than reactive and watch your ministry flourish even if you’re sick.

Trip Tricks: Post Trip Follow-Up

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It’s the end of your trip. You’re preparing your group to head home. You and your team are saying your goodbyes to camp staff, missionaries, and new friends. You’re taking group pictures, thinking about the ride or flight home. And when you finally get back, you can’t wait for those first few minutes of silence and stillness before heading home to see your family, take a nice long shower, and sleep in your own bed.

Sound familiar? I know I tend to feel all of those things during the end of our trips. But what about intentional follow-up with your students?

Students usually encounter Jesus in new and refreshing ways during trips and come away with a renewed desire to follow Him and grow deeper in their faith. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: are we intentionally leveraging and engaging in these moments to best steward and grow our students’ relationship with Jesus?

In my early years of student ministry I didn’t always focus on this. And it became painfully obvious that my students rode the “camp high” and then began to fizzle out as they simply went back to their old habits. But that doesn’t have to be the case.

We can avoid the “camp high” by helping our students to intentionally continue engaging in their relationship with Jesus and continuing in community with believers. We can help them see that there is more than simply settling for the mundane and typical life this world offers, and instead show them how amazing and grand it can be with Jesus.

One of the ways we can do this is by offering intentional steps our students can take to engage their faith and help them with follow up. Here’s what it looks like for us.

We sit our group down all together for ten to fifteen minutes at the end of the trip before we load up to go home and we take time to talk through intentional steps they can take.

We talk about continuing to be in biblical community, engaging with spiritual rhythms, next steps in their faith journey like baptism, joining a summer mission trip, serving in the church and their community, and sharing their story with others. Each of these steps are designed to eliminate the myth of the “camp high” and to help students continue to grow and flourish in their faith.

We also tried a new approach this year where we gave postcards to our small group leaders that were designed to give students a means of responding to their experience on the retreat. We realize that as our ministry has grown, the large group gatherings at the end are great, but with a discipleship format, having small group leaders engage in a different setting allows us to help our students grow and take steps of faith. The postcards can be fairly simple and should included space for contact information, and then some tangible check boxes. The check boxes could include things like, I followed Jesus, I want to get baptized, I want to serve, and I have questions.

We also try to be intentional in providing pathways for students to take after the trip that will help them grow in their faith. After our winter retreat we launch our summer trip sign-ups a week after returning home. We challenge students to serve by promoting opportunities during youth group in the weeks following our trips. We also try to provide thoughtful and intentional ways for students to share their stories throughout the year.

Providing intentional opportunities for follow-up with your students allows for continued growth and development of their faith. It also helps students to understand that their faith doesn’t simply ride the rollercoaster of jumping from event to event but is an ongoing journey they get to be a part of with Jesus. It also helps to ensure that upcoming generations don’t walk away from their faith after high school, but instead are committed to an ongoing transformative relationship with their Savior.

Quick Tip: Empower Your Students

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This past week we had our student ministry Christmas party. It was a ton of fun with lots of sugar, activities and games, worship, and of course a white elephant gift exchange.

But none of this would have been possible without our students. Not just because that’s what the focus of student ministry is, but because our students are in charge of our worship team and tech team.

One thing you should know about me is that I am not musical at all. I can’t play an instrument, I’m not a great singer (some may say I shouldn’t sing at all), I can’t mix audio, and I’ve only had one basic conducting course way back in undergrad. But really, who conducts in student ministry?

All that to say, I am not the guy to lead and direct our worship and tech ministries. I can have some oversight but even in that capacity my abilities are limited.

A handful of years ago, I met a student who had a passion for running our tech during weekly programming. This student was struggling to find their place and I noticed that they were hanging around our tech setup, so I simply asked if they were interested in helping out. Their eyes about jumped out of their head as they nodded yes!

So jump in they did. But not just in our ministry; they now help on Sunday morning during our worship services and their skill set and intentionality has made our worship services much more intentional.

Two years ago I had a handful of students come tell me they wanted to have worship incorporated in our ministry. I explained that I loved the idea but I couldn’t be the person to facilitate it so they would need to put together teams and run it. They agreed and we are now two years into having intentional moments of worship incorporated at specific times throughout the year.

We have had students who wanted to lead Bible studies in their schools and needed resources and guidance. So we equipped them, trained them, and sent them out. They are now leading multiple Bible studies and prayer groups in their schools and on their sports teams.

I wish I had started doing this sooner because it not only afforded our students an opportunity to step out in their faith and lead, but it also helped our ministry to grow because our students took ownership and became more invested.

When students are empowered and equipped to lead they will do so with boldness and excitement. They will bring others in and make disciples as we have been called to do. It does take time and work to unleash your students in leadership roles, but it’s incredible when they do as you witness God work in powerful ways through them.

At the end of the day our job is to disciple our students in their faith and unleash them to go out into the world with the Gospel. When we release control, and challenge and empower our students, we will see the world changed by the Spirit working through them.

Empowering your students will not only give them ownership and release certain responsibilities from your plate, it will help the Gospel to go forth through a generation that is passionate and sold out for what Christ is doing in and through them. Take a bold step, empower your students and give them the opportunity to flourish and lead as they are discipled and cared for by you and your team.