We are wired for connection—we want to be part of something that’s bigger than us. Kids and students long to be part of something significant and the church can be a great place for them to learn and experience using their skills and talents to serve others.
This month, we’ll be looking at how leaders can provide opportunities for kids and students to regularly serve in ministry at your church. And on a personal note, we’re going to challenge you to take a look at authentic discipleship and how living it can change your world.
We know that you lead in several ways at any given time. You lead yourself, you lead volunteers, you might lead a staff, and you often lead up. So, here’s what we have in store for you to accomplish each of these tasks:
PERSONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
How can this happen every single week? Work commitments always seem to be in overdrive. But don’t allow that to interfere with the investment you make in yourself as a leader. Go ahead and grab your No. 2 pencil to mark some personal time each week this month to invest in your own leadership development—20 minutes should do it. We’ve already got a plan for you, so making the time is the first step to accomplishing it.
BOOK PREVIEW – Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt
This compelling book takes a look at how the gospel has been manipulated to fit our cultural preferences as Platt takes a closer look at what Jesus actually said about being his disciple. Platt will challenge you to consider a journey of authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in the world.
PODCAST – Matt McKee talks with Blake Canterbury
Blake is the founder of berememdy, a company that uses social media to meet the needs of local non-profits. In this podcast, they talk about the simplicity of helping others and what drives berememdy—an organization considered one of the top three users of Twitter. This is a practical approach to community outreach.
VIDEO – Reggie Joiner sits down with David Platt
David is the author of Radical, a book that looks at the church in America and challenges it to participate in both local and foreign missions. Reggie and David talk about missions in general but also what David would do if he was given a group of high school freshmen boys for four years to disciple them. The answer may surprise you.
REAL WORLD – Bubba Thurman, Lake Pointe
Take a close look into how Lake Pointe church student ministry abandoned midweek programming to serve the needs of the city.
TEAM LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Whether you’re leading a large staff, a few people, or you’re trying to lead up to your senior leadership, we’ve got something for you. We’re including another book preview and real world with this portion of YouLead because we felt they would be great tools to reinforce this month’s topic. Speaking of that, this month’s focus is (drumroll)—
REPEATED OPPORTUNITIES [I2]
Age-group directors and family ministry team members implement and monitor a systematic plan to help kids and students plug in to specific ministries inside the church. (See page 146 in The Orange Leader Handbook.)
Now that you have a plan to invest in your own leadership skills, why not make a plan to do some investing in the rest of your team? Not like giving away big, fat bonus checks, though. We have a way to invest in your team that we think you will love.
We’re going to make it really simple to become more intentional with your volunteer communication via some good-looking emails (if we do say so ourselves). We’ll even do the writing for you. Plus, you can even add your own words of wisdom to the messages.
WEEKLY EMAILS – Why We Do What We Do
Providing your volunteers with information that they can share with the parents of the kids and teenagers they serve will go a LONG way with your leaders. Sometimes the barrier between a volunteer and a parent is a simple lack of creative ways to connect with the parent—it’s time to change that.
This month we’ll be sharing encouragement, stories, and research in emails that you can send your volunteers. And we encourage you to challenge these leaders to turn around and share this same information with the parents of the kids and teenagers in your programs. Simple—did we mention that already?
BOOK PREVIEW – Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink
What motivates you? Contrary to popular belief, author Daniel Pink reveals it’s not the commonly thought hope of gain, fear of loss. Case studies with companies such as Google and Best Buy reveal that people are motivated more by the ability to grow and develop. Discover how this shift can change the way you think and work.
SENIOR LEADERSHIP PODCAST – Mawi Asgedorn
Mawi Asgedom, founder of Mental Karate, talks about the training system used by educators to equip students for success while building a positive school culture.
REAL WORLD – Real Stories from kids and students
Watch four stories from these kids and students who were determined to make a difference in the world around them, and they did exactly that.
