On Thursday I pulled into a parking lot I’ve been in hundreds of times before and it felt like I was there for the first time. Parkside Collegiate, where I coach football and rugby, is suffering through the tragic loss of one of their own, and I had been invited to join with some of the students as they held a memorial for their friend in the school parking lot.
Read MoreAt church, I’m the youth pastor. I make the decisions, execute plans, and run the program. I’ve got a team of volunteers that help me accomplish all of that. They rely on me to give them direction. At football, I’m one of 8 assistant coaches. I don’t make the decisions, execute the plans, or run the program. I’m a volunteer and I take direction from the head coach. Being in that role has taught me tons about leadership. It’s been an important lesson for me to be on the volunteer side of things to appreciate and understand that perspective. After 9 years of being a volunteer football coach 5 things have stood out to me as essentials that leaders need to give volunteers in order for them to thrive.
Read MoreThe perfect youth ministry program… doesn’t exist.
There is no one size fits all way of doing youth ministry that can be implemented and succeed everywhere. If you look at the program across town or across the country that’s exploding with growth and simply try to take what they’re doing and replicate it, you’re headed for disappointment. Besides, if you and the church down the street are doing the exact same thing, one of you is unnecessary.
Design your program around the leadership you have, the discipleship your students need, the infrastructure you have access to, and the culture you’re trying to create. Working in that order will create a program uniquely suited to your students.
