Every year, students look younger don't they? I know, it's crazy! But guess what, they're not younger, but we are older!
As we get older it becomes harder to release students into leadership because they increasingly seem too young. So we end up only giving opportunities to mid-twenties, then thirties and forties. How old were you when someone trusted you with some leadership responsibility? Do you trust people that old?
It's crucial we get this right though because the future of the church depends on it and here is why.
If we want great leaders in their thirties, we need to let them take risks and make mistakes before that.
The students of today will shape culture tomorrow so we need to let them lead today and we need to journey with them so they learn well.
Students will teach the rest of us lots of useful lessons because if the way they go for it. They've got nothing to lose or defend. So they lead with abandon and show us how to do it.
If we don’t give them great leadership opportunities, they will go elsewhere. Great leaders seek investment and opportunity so let’s make sure we offer it.
Jesus said to his disciples, “‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matt 9:37-38)
Who are the workers in your church? Leaders within the student community? Do you give them real leadership opportunity? Do you train them, equip them and take risks on them? Do you let them fail and do you debrief with them afterwards? Is there a student in your church who you could meet with this week and tell them what leadership you see in them?
Read the 5 awkward truths for church leaders
Truth 1 - You don't invest enough in reaching students
Truth 2 - You think students are too young for "proper" leadership
Truth 3 - You are only interested in Christian students, not all students
Truth 4. Your students need to be in and leading non-Christian societies
Truth 5. Everything is better when students are discipled in the local church
These blogs are generalisations. The truths I have stated might not be true in your church. My objective is to provoke and inspire rather than accuse or discourage. Apologies if I haven’t got that balance right.
