The Student Leader

Leadership is something that is sought after in all areas of life, workforce, home.   We are constantly trying to develop and bring about leadership in people.  Some have so much potential to impact people in a positive way yet they dont fully take hold of those opportunities, they let life slip away.  Some do not have a lot of potential or may not be wired that way but work at it extremely hard because they UNDERSTAND why leadership in any aspect in life is important!  If we can develop at a young age students heart for leadership no matter how gifted or how much potential they have; then we are developing people who can change the world. 

The student leader is every student ministries pastors best friend.  Without these leaders then we find ourselves looking for ways to motivate, create energy and get students to buy into whats going on in the ministry.  Student Leaders are essential for the vital health of the church as well.  These are the next generation of church leadership, a group that will rise up and take hold of the awesome responsibility of spreading the Gospel. 

Its hard to start from scratch and develop leaders, here are a few tips for starting out...

1. Open your eyes - lots of students have the natural ability, people gravitate towards them, they can be the life of the crowd.  Those students need some coaching but have limitless potential.

2. Solid Trumps Popular - students who are grounded in what they believe will be more committed than the popular student who isnt as focused and isnt dependable.

3. Consistency in Meeting - meet with these students on a regular basis, consistency breeds accountability and allows them to be encouraged consistently.

4. Poll the student body- ask them who they look up to, who do they look to for spiritual matters, who would they follow... they usually get it right!

5.  Challenge - Dont make it easy on them.  Give the student/s something to strive for, something that will stretch them and allow them to fail.  Nothing says learning from experience like having a task and bombing!!  You learn real quick what to do and what not to do!

6.  PRAY like crazy - In order for God to do something huge through these students then you must intercede for them on their behalf. 

My desire is for students to be equipped to change the world.  There is nothing to big that God cannot do...  dream big, live big... impact people for Christ!!

Dream...

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore" - Gide

If you could do anything in your ministry what would you do?  If cash was no object and you could have any facility you wanted and could totally redesign your ministry what would you do?  

Ive been asked to think about these things a few times...  so I have!  The more I contemplate this facilitates the wrong mindset for me and for the student ministry and Sugar Grove Church.   When I dream for myself I come up with programs, atmosphere, lights, flat screens and Ipods... "stuff."  I think this happens to all of us in Youth Ministry at some point or another.  We want all the bells in whistles so we can make our student ministry "cool" or a place where your students want to bring their friends.  Wanting your students to enjoy coming and invite their friends and instill pride in their church is all well and good.  This, however, does not reach the heart of why we should be doing what we are doing.

If we focus on the outward we miss the inward.  As hard as it is to not be consumed by those things we should be more worried about our students being sold out for Christ.   We want to help bring up fully devoted followers of Christ and no light board, flat screen or sweet video is going to do that.  None of those things are bad unless they take precedence in your ministry.  

Build relationships, grow disciples, show Christs love to the people you come into contact with, pray for your students, challenge them to take risks for Christ, make an impact...  from the inside out!

Whats the heartbeat of SGC

Recently I have really been thinking about the heartbeat of our church... what is it?  What is God calling us to here in Elkhart County??  What is Sugar Grove's role in it all??

I want to ask you those questions... what do you think?? 

Love to hear your thoughts on it...