What Makes a Good Youth Leader?
As I’ve been assembling my Fantasy Football team for the fall, my mind has been on the draft. What players will make up my team? Will I get the perfect team? Will I get the players I really want or will I have some dogs? Well, there’s a more important team that needs some players drafted and that’s your Youth Leadership Team.
This time of year can be pretty tough for a lot of youth ministries. Most ministries are gearing up for a new Fall and with that comes a lot of planning and preparing. Part of the preparation process is putting together a TEAM that can minister with you in the lives of students. All of us have our ideal team in mind, but putting that team together is many times difficult.
The next few blog posts will comprise a series on BUILDING YOUR TEAM. We’ll look at what makes a good youth leader, how do you find them, how do you recruit them, and how do you build them. With that said, let’s tackle the first one now: What Makes a Good Youth Leader?
Someone with ENERGY
You want to pick someone who can get excited! The best youth leaders are ones who jump right in and play the games, sing with all their heart, interact with students and generally have a lot of energy. Don’t pick a bump on the log. And don’t confuse a quiet person with someone that has no energy. Sometimes quiet people will surprise you. But if they never sing, never play the games and sit the in the corner all night or only talk to the other leaders, you probably need to find someone else.
Someone who’s an EXAMPLE
You want leaders that are already Godly people. Not perfect, but definitely further down the road spiritually (more mature) than the students. The leader is to disciple the student. That means they need to teach the student to become what he (the leader) already is. He can’t do that if he hasn’t already walked the road ahead of the student. You may have adjunct positions for people you are trying to disciple into being strong leaders, but the main leadership positions in your youth ministry need to be people who are living an example. They also need to be open to accountability and able to live transparent lives.
Someone who is an ENCOURAGER
The best leaders are always looking for ways to edify their students and the other leaders. Look for people who seem to naturally gifted in encouraging and building up others. This is what your students desperately need, so find the people who are good at it. Sometimes the coolest, most athletic college students seem like good leaders, but if they’re lousy encouragers, steer clear.
Someone who is EAGER to learn
You don’t want someone who already thinks they know everything about youth ministry. You’re not really looking for an expert. You’re looking for someone who is teachable and will follow your leading. You’re not looking for yes men, and they should be allowed to disagree with you…. However, they need to be able to listen, learn and change as well.
Someone who’s fully ENGAGED
By this I mean someone who is committed. It’s not just a Wednesday night thing for them. They will pray for, call, Facebook, etc. the students all week. They’ll go to ball games, plays, band concerts all because they love the students. They’ll come early, to all your meetings. They’ll do training, they’ll participate in fundraisers…. They’re committed. Get the ones who can be fully engaged.
These are just some characteristics of what I have found to be the best youth leaders. What about you? What makes a good youth leader in your eyes? Share in the comments.
