Each week we’ll be writing about different ways that we, as leaders, can effectively be examples to our students, and we’ll discuss different topics to talk over with our students. These topics range from relationships to being active in a small group. All of these topics are nuggets every leader can apply to his or her life. It’s our hope that you’ll check back to see what next week’s topic is, and that you can apply what we’ve learned in your own life as a fellow volunteer youth worker.
“I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.” Genesis 17:7
Today’s blog topic is empowering students to be examples themselves
We believe that one of the most important tasks we have as youth ministry leaders is to empower the next generation to become leaders. It’s part of the reason we have chosen the title for our blogs “Generation to Generation.” Somewhere along the road, someone in our lives was an example to us and told us to live as an example to the next generation, to be an open Bible for them to read, and to learn the importance and wonder of living a Christ-centered life. Now it’s our turn to empower the next generation to do the same. Are you an example for your students?
Steven: As a junior high leader, I feel that I have a unique role in making sure my students become good examples. If we catch them young enough, they can be examples to other students when they get to high school, and then they can pass on what they know about living godly lives to other students. It’s the proverbial “gift that keeps on giving.” Just like we’ve been talking about for the past 10 weeks, the best way to instill those qualities in your students is to be a positive example yourself. When students see you doing something, they do it because they look up to you as a leader.
Last year I had an eighth grade small group, so it was going to be my last year with them. My co-leader and I had been teaching them all the things we thought they needed to hear for the past two years, and by the end of their eighth grade year, it finally seemed to click. They started to really open up to each other and share things that were going on in their lives, and it finally felt like the group was living up to its purpose. One of the other things I noticed was that leaders were beginning to emerge. One of my guys (we’ll call him Tommy) started asking a ton of questions about how he could get more involved with the church, how he could take Jesus to his school, and how he could make sure he was living a life God wanted him to live. My first thought was to say, “Tommy, we’ve been talking about this stuff for two years!” but I had to remember that it took the group a little longer than usual to grasp everything. We talked many times about how he could be a leader at his school, etc., and now he is leading an elementary school small group, he’s serving with high school ministry on the weekends, and he is still involved in his own small group with most of the guys from our old group.
It’s such an amazing feeling to see your students evolve into leaders. There are a few other examples from the same small group as Tommy, but it would take way too many words to tell their stories. As a leader, it was great to see my students stepping up to the plate to bat for God, and I hope some of what got them to that point was my co-leader and my willingness to be positive examples for our students.
Matt: When Steven and I began this enterprise of “Generation to Generation”, we decided that the whole purpose for what we were about to undertake was to: 1) Bring glory to God and 2) Do something to reach out to students and teens all over, not just our home church, so that we could help them live lives that would be Christ-centered, so that when they got a little older they too would be passing on to the next generation the love of God and how living a life where God is involved in each piece of your life, takes your life from one of satisfaction to a life of significance. We want them to have God in their lives so that when life’s speed bumps and pitfalls hit them they can handle anything because they are not doing it alone, God is right there with them, and they know it. I’m just sorry it took me most of my adult life to figure that out. I want to do everything I can to help today’s teens realize how great their life can be when they make the decision to put God first, and live their lives as a “walking testimony” to their peers on how great your life can be when God comes first and your life is Christ centered. I know Steven looks up to me as a mentor in his life, but truth be told I have learned a lot from him about how awesome it is when God is a part of every decision you make. Steven is so firm in his walk with God, it makes me want to follow in his footsteps. That’s the same thing we want the students we work with to pick up from both of us.
My high school small group has several high school seniors, which means this is the last year I will have them in my group. It makes me sad to think they won’t be with me next year, but I rejoice in the fact that my co-leader and I have worked hard to turn these guys into leaders, and that next year they will be leading groups of their own. I feel confident that as these guys enter college, and will no longer be a part of our high school ministry (although they better come back and visit!!) they will continue in their walk with God, be leaders of Junior High and High school teens, and be the best examples they can be
