Developing Young Leaders (cont.)
Use experiential learning.
Preteens learn leadership skills best by experiencing leadership situations. In your ministry’s programming, experiences, and lessons, create mock projects where teams strive to accomplish goals. Then let individuals take turns leading their groups.
Kids accomplish mental, micro, or macro skill challenges under limitations. Debrief these experiences in positive and constructive ways so everyone benefits. Encourage all kids to use their leadership abilities.
Introduce kids to leaders.
Have your kids meet leaders in your church and community. Recruit adults in your church who lead at work or elsewhere and who like kids. Most leaders are honored to be interviewed and are willing to talk with kids about what they do. They can explain how they keep Jesus at the center of their decisions and sensibilities. You may even arrange for a field trip to a leader’s workplace to let kids experience how leaders think, talk, and act.
Create meaningful leadership opportunities.
Find places where your kids can truly lead. Assign tasks that require solving problems with others. Allow preteens freedom—within reason—to figure out how they can accomplish task on their own. Then provide constructive feedback.
Let preteens fail forward with positivity and encouragement. People often learn best from failure! Put kids in charge of planning an event, coordinating the greeter team, or supervising the various roles in children’s church.
Develop community leadership projects.
Challenge kids to take on projects that go beyond the church walls. For example, one group planned a simple community service project. They sold food and drinks in a city park, with proceeds going to a child-advocacy agency. They coordinated the marketing, supplies, sales, and even the adults needed for transportation. As a result, they presented a $75 check to the agency directors.
Such projects communicate to adults that kids have can lead and succeed. They also move kids beyond the church, modeling ministry to others. That grows leaders for today’s and tomorrow’s church.
Leadership Potential
When developing young leaders, seek out social influencers in your ministry. Then help these kids hone leadership skills.
Here are 10 sure signs of a social influencer:
- The preteen initiates projects, has goals and ambitions, and challenges the status quo.
- The student has been labeled bossy, strong-willed, or opinionated.
- Other kids seek out the child’s opinion. They ask what the child wants to do—and then do it.
- Adults have selected the child to serve as class monitor, team captain, or group leader.
- The child has faced discipline for being a distraction in class or on a team.
- Peers listen when the child talks.
- The child negotiates well with peers and other adults.
- The preteen is good at organizing younger children in activities or play.
- Peer pressure doesn’t affect the child. Rather, the child stands up for his or her values.
- Other people like this individual.
This article by Alan Nelson, founder of KidLead, was originally published on ChildrensMinistry.com, © Group Publishing, Inc.
