Raising leaders the real-world way

Group, Nov/Dec 2002 by McKee, Jonathan

5. Plan regular training meetings.

After your retreat, you'll need regular student leadership gatherings to challenge, affirm, and equip your kids. Plan time for them to build relationships, pray, and encourage each other. Then add bite-size training tips that kids can use that week. You might also need to plan additional time for individual ministry teams to meet.

As you develop your leaders, you'll be rewarded coming and going. You get important ministry tasks covered, and they experience the incredible joy that comes when you're making a difference for God. Believe me, the work is worth it.

1 Because I ask kids to go through a ministry staffer or me to get a leadership team application, we weed out kids who aren't all that motivated to serve.

2 For samples of the forms I use, check out my new book, The Top 12 Resources Youth Workers Want (Gospel light Publishing). You can get a peak at the book on my Web site-www.thesourcefym.com. And you can order it right from the site.

3 Consider giving your kids a spiritual gifts inventory-get one by calling the Church Growth Institute at 800-553-GROW or by going to www.churchgrowth.org.

Jonathan McKee is a longtime youth minister who worked for Youth For Christ in California. He now directs The Source for Youth Ministers-a popular online resource for youth leaders. He's also a contributing editor

for group. This article is drawn from Jonathan's new book The Top 12 Resources Youth Workers Want (Gospel Light-it's available at www.thesourcefym.com.