Multiplication and Kingdom Focused Ministry are not new. It was Jesus who designed this model of
ministry and outreach! He invested in
three, then twelve, then seventy, and eventually the name of Jesus Christ was
more famous than any name in the world!
His Gospel spread, and is still spreading, like wildfire! This major
investment in a few is essential for making a Kingdom Impact. It is crucial to leave a legacy for
generations to come. Let’s be honest for
a moment, and I am speaking to all my friends in the trenches of youth
ministry; to those very few that have stuck with youth ministry for the long
haul. One day, we will all be too old to do all the things we do today. (I am
already reminded of that very fact when the muscle aches set in after a marathon
of dodge ball or being up all night at a lock- in) We can, and should, do
ministry until the day we die, but our prime will pass us by like it has every
other believer who has ever lived. When
that happens, we will be faced with the questions of: how well did we do in passing the baton to the next generation? Are we
investing in their lives in a way to fan the flames in their hearts to be the
future church leaders with a passion for Jesus, His word and His church? Do our
students reflect the character qualities Paul describes in 1 Timothy 4:12 when he wrote, “Don’t let anyone look down on you
because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in life, in
love and in purity.”
As I have previously discussed through what I call a sort of
farm system approach, it is important to identify and coach those student who
are ministry-level leaders. But how do we invest in these students without
neglecting the rest of your group? The great thing is that although it starts
with your leadership, it isn’t all up to you. It is important to understand
that the student leaders must jump in all the way and commit to work and serve
for the cause of the Kingdom. You can lead them to be leaders, but you
ultimately have to lead them to fall at the feet of the cross and submit to
their calling before the King of Kings! It is up to them to commit to Godly
living, to regular personal Bible Study, and to facing the challenges of
leadership. Here is a simple plan to get started:
Step One: Call a meeting. Call a meeting and invite everyone that
is interested in student leadership.
Step Two: Lay out the commitment. During the meeting, be sure to use scripture like
those verses in 1Timothy 3, 1Timothy 4:12, and Titus 1, for example, to talk
about the character qualities you are looking for in ministry level students.
This helps to define what the goals and tasks are and the cost of discipleship and service. I like to hand out a list
of assigned quiet times for thirty days and have the students complete study questions
to go over together when we meet. Explain to them that to be a student leader,
they cannot miss more than two meetings a quarter (except for illness) and must
attend the leadership retreat. Provide a ministry handbook with the guidelines
for serving students and you might also want to require applications, a written
testimony, and other formal processes. These are just a few examples, but the
idea is to raise the bar without being legalistic. But at the same time, don’t
shy away from making student ministry leadership challenging. This will require some prayer and preparation
on your part as the youth leader, which will be setting an example for your students.
Step three: Have students sign a Student Leadership
Covenant. This works well, because the students who discover that
student leadership is not their calling can simply dismiss themselves form the
process. Those students who remain can continue to commit and prepare for the
tasks ahead and you can begin to invest in those students who will help reach
out to their school campuses as well as helping to plan and carry out the
events for your church group. Make sure these
students are committed to their own personal discipleship and keep them
accountable.
Now this team of student leaders can not only be inspired to
be leaders in their church, schools and their homes, they may also be challenged
to see ministry as a possible vocation. Let’s face it, there are not enough
great youth leaders/pastors out there, and the church itself needs Christians
who are called and willing to serve their church and reach out to their
community. But in truth, all
Christians are called to be “ministers” in whatever vocation they are called
to. We also need more principals, teachers, doctors, lawyers, accountants,
movie and music producers, and the like, to be committed servant leaders who
love and minister in the name of Jesus Christ! Leading students to a personal encounter
with Christ and teaching them all he commands is where it starts. Leading them to pursue a life of discipleship is where the baton is passed!
