How Are You Investing In Student Leadership?

It was a long drive, but we made it. As we popped out of our minivans, I said to our teens, you have 10 minutes to get settled, and then we head to the conference. It was a risk-taking these teens on a 14-hour car ride, and I didn’t know if it would be worth the investment. These teens were good students, but the question that loomed in my mind is, “What would they get out of it?”

When you see a teenager go from participant to leader it reminds you why what you do matters. Developing student leaders is one of the most rewarding areas of ministry, but it’s also one of the most difficult ones. It’s not as simple as handing them a book or delivering a message you need to:

MAKE THEIR FAITH A PRIORITY

A healthy student leader understands that the relationship they have with God and the local church matters. While you can give them a variety of responsibilities, it won’t matter if they don’t know how and why it impacts their faith. Hold your student leaders accountable to their faith by talking to them about it and giving them opportunities to go deeper in their faith. Remind them that they can influence change, but they can only do that if they are involved.

GIVE THEM A LEADER WORTH FOLLOWING

Your church has men and women the next generation need to start following. They are not only involved in the youth ministry but the everyday life of your parish. Invite them to have a conversation about mentoring a teen in your ministry. Ask people who are involved with:

• Parish Council
• Ushering and lecturing in the weekend liturgy
• Serving in the children’s ministry
• Leading your missions and outreach

Tell the adults you are trying to recruit that they don’t need to be perfect; they need to be authentic and honest. You are looking for listeners who can ask questions and pull the best out of your student leaders. Invest in these adults as if they were your program leaders. Check-in with them and help them help you lead the next generation.

GIVE THEM OPPORTUNITIES TO FLY AND FAIL

Your ministry needs to create opportunities where teens can succeed but also fail. Those types of situations provide lessons in team building and communication. For example:

• Clothing/Food drive
• Planning a pilgrimage or retreat
• Organize a message series

Whatever you do make sure it involves some challenging tasks like:

• Reaching out to adults they’ve not met
• Working with a budget 
• Developing a communication strategy

Give them direction by asking questions that can challenge their decisions. While you want them to succeed, don’t be afraid to allow a little bit of chaos so that they understand the importance of planning. In the end, make sure you debrief the experience.

POUR INTO THEIR RAW POTENTIAL

There are some leadership opportunities that your local parish alone cannot provide. That’s where summer mission trips and conferences can be essential. When looking for those experiences make sure teens are being challenged and not just entertained. Look at what the agenda and see if there is follow up support or resources so that you can continue helping that student leader’s growth.

It takes extra energy to build a student leadership team on top of your youth ministry, and that’s why you need other adults to help you run the other side of ministry. Start with a small group of teenagers so that you can give them the proper amount of attention. Provide them with a vision of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Help your teens know that there is something more to your church than attending the youth group because a big vision will lead them to something more profound.

Where have you found success in forming student leadership?