After a while, our student leadership teams can become routine and boring. The same students do all the talking and most students aren’t leading, they are following. It’s time to change this up and refresh the student leadership team. Here are a few ideas to help:
1. Make the team smaller.
Most student leadership teams are too big: 10-12. Reduce the size of the team to three to five. This is to get the students on the team working together.
2. Students lead programming.
Allow the students to run programing for one month. Your weekly event totally led by students. It will be messy, but the teachable moments will be awesome.
3. Shorten the term on the team.
Most student leadership teams go for one year. This, in my opinion, is too long. Students have so much happening in their lives they can only focus for a few months at a time. Have four student leadership teams meet for three months. More students get to lead with more focus.
4. Service projects student-led.
Challenge the team with the only service you will do this year being student started and led. Students are always willing to serve, but seldom see a need and rally the youth group to meet the need. This challenge will teach you a lot about the students’ hearts to serve.
5. Each team leads one project.
Have a group of smaller leadership teams that serve for one project. A leadership team for fall retreat and one for winter retreat. One for welcome team and one for the summer mission trip. You get the idea. The team serves until the project is complete.
6. Student leaders mentor.
Challenge your student leaders to mentor one other student. Maybe a junior higher or maybe another student in the ministry. This challenge may change their view on leadership. Student leaders think leaders just tell others what to do, but this challenge will help them see the power of doing life with another person. Use your team meetings to share how it’s going and what struggles they are facing. This could be a powerful experience for your student leaders.
