Leaders Are Learners, Readers, Thinkers

My pastor teaches that leaders are learners. He says, “Once you stop learning, you stop leading.”

I’ve gone through seasons when I feel like I’m out of material to make generic curriculum personal and applicable for my students. Nothing seems fresh. Teaching becomes a chore. I think it’s normal to go through dry seasons. However, sometimes dry seasons are brought on by neglecting to stretch our minds or create experiences.

Some ways I stay fresh and stretched mentally include:

– Reading books or magazines – Resources which focus on spiritual growth, self-improvement, trivial information and something that makes me laugh out loud (all types are important, but don’t need to happen simultaneously). For trivia and laughter, Mental Floss Magazine typically does the trick. MANY times what I read becomes part of my lesson or inspires an opening activity a Bible study.
– Getting out in public – Thought-provoking, maddening and funny things go on all around me when I’m in public and paying attention. Being reclusive tends to dry out my imagination and miss out on life lessons.
– Staying current on the news – I watch news or listen to a talk radio show every day… without fail.
– Telling stories – I love conversations with people where we tell stories back and forth. We don’t start the conversation for that purpose, it just happens. Often times stories I tell or hear tend to find their way into my teaching the following week. As I prepare my lesson, stories I’ve told or heard will be on my mind and can be readily inserted to make the lesson come alive. This also can be a great source of mind-stretching and hysterical laughter.

These are simple, yet important ways to keep the mind sharp, young and fresh, and stocked up with teachable moments.

Right now I’m reading:

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man’s Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible

The Sacred Romance, Desire, and Waking the Dead (Three Life Changing Books in One Volume)

I’d love to know what you’re reading or doing to keep yourself fresh for teaching. Leave a comment on this post to share your thoughts.

PDYM Student Leadership Conference

(Don’t be fooled by the cheesy graphic, it’s a great conference!)

PDYM Student Leadership Conference
Saddleback Church || July 14-17, 2009

Want to take your student leaders to the next level? Want to start student leadership in your youth group? Take a trip to California to the Purpose Driven Youth Ministry Student Leadership conference July 14-17, 2009. This annual conference will change your students lives giving them insight into how they can fulfill God’s calling on their lives. Don’t miss this chance to have your students learn about biblical purpose and support your ministry as well.

General sessions by Doug Fields and other terrific speakers! Get practical ministry exercises and a retreat-like escape to Saddleback Church this July.

Registration now open!

Ministry Lessons: Consistency is King

I rarely miss teaching my small group or being present for our weekend services. If I’m consistent, it helps me hold my students accountable to also be consistent. It also shows my dedication. Being self-employed, I rely on appointments for my income. I’ll typically lose a good amount of money each year for the sake of being consistent to my responsibilities. Of course I don’t tell my students this, I only share that information in this post to illustrate the priority ministry commitments need to have in our lives.

Commitment requires sacrifice. As a coach of other leaders, I’ve seen the effects of inconsistent leadership. It’s worth the lost income to get the ministry and relational results. I have actually recommended that inconsistent leaders not be allowed to return as small group leaders the following year. Inconsistency is not a good example and it’s not fair to the students. They deserve consistent caring adults they can count on.

Find a Ministry Partner

There have been rare times that missing small group is unavoidable. Because of this, I’ve connected with another leader who also has had to be out of town occasionally on a small group night. Every time he is gone, I combine his group with mine. When I’m gone, he takes my students. This way our students are not passed around. They always know they’ll have one of us there to lead them. This has helped keep the perception of consistency in their lives even when one of us is absent.

Ministry Lessons: Reproducing Yourself

In my conversations with students, I frequently use phrases like, “When you’re a high school volunteer…”. I always plant the ideas in their head that they will be youth ministry volunteers one day. I want them to see it as a natural progression for them to go from student to servants of students.

The hope is that when I’m not able to do youth ministry anymore, I will have inspired hundreds of people to carry the youth ministry torch. I want to inspire others to dedicate their lives to helping students discover Christ, serve him wholeheartedly, grow deeper in their faith, and worship him fervently while helping others do the same. In my eyes, there’s no higher calling. I see it as the most important thing I do with my life… even though I’m “Just” a volunteer.

The other night I received a trophy in the form of a Facebook message from one of my students. He has taken the challenge of ministering to others. With his permission, I’ve posted an image of the message below. I’ve reproduced my passion for ministry to students in the heart of Kyle who is, in turn, doing the same for a college Freshman. So great and rewarding to see God making a difference through our availability.

What it looks like to reproduce yourself in students