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| | Hello everyone, I'm currently thinking about starting a student leadership team and was wondering if anyone had any experiences of things that work or things that don't work. I'm thinking about getting one student from each grade to be in the group (8th-12th). This group will serve as leaders in many areas; lead devotions, assist me in planning the calendar,etc. Question: How do you select the group? Do you observe their character and hand pick them? Do you let them apply for the position and interview students? Do you let the students vote for the leaders(This isn't my preference)? Also I would plan to invest more time into the student leaders. Do you see this as a negative, showing favoritism? Thanks!
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| Josh,
I commend you for having the desire to start a leadership team of His kids to impact the ministry. I love the idea of having at least one student from each age group.
First, determine the criteria or requirments for making the leadership team (and by the way, it is not a form of favortism. Read the chapter on student leadership in PDYM). Second, determine the responsibilities for the ministry. Third, begin to ask adults you trust and one that are connected with the ministry to submit suggestions. Doing all of this while saturating this in prayer will definetely get you headed in the right direction.
One last thought. Don't pick someone in an age group just to fill the spot. The wrong person can really set the ministry back.
Matt McCage
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| | Hey I got a question regarding student leadership as well. I have been at my current churhc 5 months now and there is one student in particular that I have noticed has some leadership potential. Is it too soon for me to start approaching him and reading Help Im a Student Leader. I remember Doug Fields saying in PDYM something about not expecting student leadership too early into your ministry or something to that effect. |
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| | ANU12, I would personally ask the teen if they would like to be a student leader first. Have a meeting with them or just a personal chat and ask them if they would like to be a student leader and to pray about it. If they want to be a student leader and God has called them then they will say yes. If they say no encourage them by all of the qualities that they portray for being a student leader. Praying over it though is the best thing, both you and the teen. God Bless, Josh T. in Ohio
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| JoshLD (11/8/2007)
I'm currently thinking about starting a student leadership team and was wondering if anyone had any experiences of things that work or things that don't work. I'm thinking aboutgetting one student from each grade tobe inthe group (8th-12th). This group will serve as leaders in many areas; lead devotions, assist me in planning the calendar,etc.
Question: How do you select thegroup? Do youobserve theircharacter and hand pick them? Do you let them apply for the position and interviewstudents? Do you let thestudents vote for the leaders(This isn't my preference)?
Also I would plan to invest more time into the student leaders. Do you see this as a negative, showing favoritism?
I've been working on this for about 2 months. I have no practical experience with student leader development (I've been a volunteer senior high leader for 2 1/2 yrs) but I've read a ton and listened to lots of audio talks in the past 2 months while researching it. I'm hoping to start implementing in January. I've found there are about a zillion different ways to do student leadership. Everything from making every student a leader to designating just a few.
You need to define what your hoping to accomplish. If all you want is student input in planning then an election or some other selection method of one from each grade would be good. I wouldn't want to have to pick one from each grade as a requirement because hopefully my older students will be more mature and ready for leadership and my younger students I don't know as well or they may not be spiritually mature enough for such a role yet. I'm not saying a younger student wouldn't be able to do this I just expect more of my older students to step up to it.
From what I've gleaned the most important thing is to select students that want to do it. Since I started researching this I've changed my opinion on who would be a good fit for this type of program, its not necessarily, natural leaders, the students that your students are already following its the students that have already chosen to follow Christ and are already living their lives as Christ followers. Those are the students you want your other students to follow. I like the idea of opening it up to everybody but specifically encouraging those that you can see are already living their lives for Christ. Check with other adults especially leaders in your church for help in finding those youth that are ready and nudge them into this.
When they come to the first meeting have an application and a syllabus of what your going to expect out of them including assignments, meetings, journaling, prayer... What ever it is that your expecting them to do as part of this put out there for them to see. As part of the application have them sign a covenant that they will to the best of their ability's fulfill these requirements. This will pretty much weed out those that aren't interested or aren't ready. Don't make this another outreach program, make this a building program. Train a few as Jesus did and they will train many. Its not favoritism, its the model Jesus showed us. Jesus left it up to the individual to follow him and he made it clear what his expectations were. His disciples were 13-25 years old, they weren't necessarily the best public speakers or the most popular.
One opinion I've listened to said that you need to make this important. More important than homework. If you make your expectations a reasonable stretch there is no reason every kid can't do what your asking them to do. If they are to busy and aren't willing to give up some activity or sport or other commitments that they have in their lives then this isn't right for them right now. I believe its time to stop allowing our youth to give excuses and time to challenge them to step up, some are ready. It's ok if they are not ready but don't water it down just to up the numbers. One of my goals is to challenge and stretch them. I know in my church there are a few just looking for direction and will do this really well. Others will need to be helped and encouraged along.
Its going to take more adults, you shouldn't do this alone. You mentioned spending more time with these students. While that will be necessary if your leading this one of the things I've seen repeatedly stressed is to have a spiritually mature adult mentor for each student. Give the mentors a copy of the syllabusss and have them provide accountability, guidance, and an example for the students. Don't try to be the only mentor for them, they need other examples than just you. |
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| | t1mhphi413, Thanks for sharing that! Very well said. God Bless, Josh T. in Ohio
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| Thanks! Very helpful information from everyone!
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