YouthAlpha

Developing young leaders is an essential part of any thriving youth ministry, and Youth Alpha provides the perfect opportunity for young people to step up and lead among their peers. Although the Bible is clear that leadership is a gift, it’s important to realise that we are all called to lead. If someone becomes a true follower of Jesus, it won’t be long before they find themselves leading.

That may mean leading an individual to know Jesus too, or influencing the communities or culture around them. Some will lead a few and others will lead many, but all leaders will be resourced and discipled well if we release them into roles of responsibility and purpose.

Youth initiatives that release young people into positions of leadership have experienced an increased ownership and commitment. As young people have been encouraged to put faith into action, use their gifts and influence others, they have grown as effective missionaries and disciples far more so than when they were spoon-fed from the front of an exciting programme of performance-driven dazzling lights and loud music. It doesn’t take long to see that youth who are given opportunities to lead and take responsibility mature at a ‘greenhouse’ pace compared to those who dutifully sit through week after week of activities designed to equip them for some future that they really should be living now.

The way we release young people into leadership must, therefore, be carefully considered. It’s not always good to throw them in at the deep end, sending them out along the tight rope of leading their peers, without safety nets to catch them if it goes wrong due to failure or missed opportunity. Equally, it isn’t good to put so many ‘safety nets’ in place that your youth are forced to wonder if they will ever get to actually walk down the tight rope at all (this tends to be the greater problem in most youth ministries).

There are three safety nets: mentoring and accountability, training and a culture of encouragement. There are also three tight ropes: real contexts, vision that releases vision and external engagements.

To get more tips on the different aspects of raising up young leaders then check out Pete's full article in the Youth Alpha Leaders' Guide.