‘Oh, yeah, I could do that!’
This was the surprised response of a second year student as she sat in my office this afternoon. She is enthusiastic, creative and mildly obsessive about all things Royal. I had just suggested she organise a Jubilee celebration for our church community this summer. To me it seemed like the most obvious thing in the world – she’s enthusiastic, organised, and loves the Queen! She's already got bunting patterns picked out and scone recipes pinned on pinterest. She knows the church would back her, and is confident in leadership and most of all, she'd love it!
All she needed was someone to spark that idea in her.
How often are there young people in our churches who are full of enthusiasm, creativity and capability which just doesn’t get sparked? Young people are some of the most creative, commitment-light and enthusiastic members of our churches, if given the right project, and yet how often do we encourage them to run with something? What if your young people had ideas, then made them happen?
So often young people are not passive observers because they don't want to contribute but because they need someone to give them permission to lead, to spark that journey. They need someone to put forward something to which they can say ‘Oh yeah, I could do that’. More than the idea itself, though, is the faith in them that such audacious suggestions communicate.
That student wasn't just excited by the idea, she was encouraged by the confidence I evidently had in her.
Can I encourage you to think about the young people you lead and ask God to open your eyes to their potential. What are they passionate about? What injustices are they angry about? What are they talented in?
