MAYO BEATITUDES OF DEVELOPING A LEADERSHIP TEAM
In Cadre emails, I'm frequently asked to share some of my tips on developing a great leadership team. I thought you might enjoy hearing a few too. While some of the points may not sound too "glamorous," please just know that they work if you have the guts and endurance to keep doing them.
#1: Blessed is the leader who recruits other youth leaders one person at a time.
Did you notice my choice of the word "recruit"? Jesus didn't just make "pulpit" announcements and ask for "volunteers" when He was assembling His leadership team (the disciples). He aggressively went looking for people to share His mission and then He unashamedly recruited them!
Please stop thinking that bulletin inserts or pulpit announcements are going to build your leadership team! Quality people rarely involve themselves with a ministry simply because they felt motivated from a general announcement. With rare exceptions, non-targeted announcements usually get pretty non-targeted volunteers! The building of an effective youth ministry team is a mission of recruitment...one person at a time.
#2: Blessed is the leader who creates a three-month entry level opportunity so potential leaders don't feel trapped.
Often in church ministries, people don't want to give leadership a try because they feel as though they will be trapped for a year or so, even if they quickly determine that a specific ministry arena is not fulfilling for them. So it is important to create a fulfilling but non-threatening entry level opportunity for people you are recruiting to join your leadership team. It is also important that you clearly say, "Give this a try for just three months. At the end of that time, I promise you that you can back away without guilt if this ministry doesn't seem to be a fit.
All through the three-month period, focus on expressing honest appreciation to them over and over about their willingness to reach out to some of the teenagers. Appreciation still remains the best motivator for most volunteers.
#3: Blessed is the leader who "Loads the Bases" for new recruit's future ministry success.
None of us like to volunteer to do something that makes us feel like an absolute reject and failure and working with teenagers can be incredibly intimidating, especially when a leader is first starting. So make sure you "load the bases" for your new recruit's ministry fulfillment by assigning a couple of teenagers to them who will be very responsive. I assign 3-4 students to each new leader and often I call a couple of teenagers on a new leader's list and say something like this, "OK, we've got a new potential youth leader named, ‘Leroy Leader' that we really want to be a part of our leadership team. I gave him your name as one of four teenagers in our youth ministry he can build a friendship with. When he sees you at youth service or calls you on the phone, be really nice to him!" (I also tell the teenager to obviously not tell "Leroy Leader" that I requested that!)
#4: Blessed is the leader who requests a few specific but clearly-defined actions from newly recruited leaders on a weekly basis.
You are wise to follow the "KISS" Principle. "Keep It Simple, Sweetheart!" Keep your specific actions simple, reachable, and not terribly threatening. I request that my new leaders do the following each week:
#5: Blessed is the leader who understands the never ending importance of encouragement and appreciation.
Mark Twain said that "Most people can live a long time on one really good compliment."
It's so important that people feel genuinely appreciated for the sacrifice of their time and energies. The Epistles talk about "being addicted to the working of the ministry." Given time, your new leaders will become so fulfilled with the joy of changing teenagers' lives that they too, will become "addicted to the work of the ministry." But along the way, I cannot overestimate the importance of expressing genuine, continual appreciation and encouragement.
#1: Blessed is the leader who recruits other youth leaders one person at a time.
Did you notice my choice of the word "recruit"? Jesus didn't just make "pulpit" announcements and ask for "volunteers" when He was assembling His leadership team (the disciples). He aggressively went looking for people to share His mission and then He unashamedly recruited them!
Please stop thinking that bulletin inserts or pulpit announcements are going to build your leadership team! Quality people rarely involve themselves with a ministry simply because they felt motivated from a general announcement. With rare exceptions, non-targeted announcements usually get pretty non-targeted volunteers! The building of an effective youth ministry team is a mission of recruitment...one person at a time.
#2: Blessed is the leader who creates a three-month entry level opportunity so potential leaders don't feel trapped.
Often in church ministries, people don't want to give leadership a try because they feel as though they will be trapped for a year or so, even if they quickly determine that a specific ministry arena is not fulfilling for them. So it is important to create a fulfilling but non-threatening entry level opportunity for people you are recruiting to join your leadership team. It is also important that you clearly say, "Give this a try for just three months. At the end of that time, I promise you that you can back away without guilt if this ministry doesn't seem to be a fit.
All through the three-month period, focus on expressing honest appreciation to them over and over about their willingness to reach out to some of the teenagers. Appreciation still remains the best motivator for most volunteers.
#3: Blessed is the leader who "Loads the Bases" for new recruit's future ministry success.
None of us like to volunteer to do something that makes us feel like an absolute reject and failure and working with teenagers can be incredibly intimidating, especially when a leader is first starting. So make sure you "load the bases" for your new recruit's ministry fulfillment by assigning a couple of teenagers to them who will be very responsive. I assign 3-4 students to each new leader and often I call a couple of teenagers on a new leader's list and say something like this, "OK, we've got a new potential youth leader named, ‘Leroy Leader' that we really want to be a part of our leadership team. I gave him your name as one of four teenagers in our youth ministry he can build a friendship with. When he sees you at youth service or calls you on the phone, be really nice to him!" (I also tell the teenager to obviously not tell "Leroy Leader" that I requested that!)
#4: Blessed is the leader who requests a few specific but clearly-defined actions from newly recruited leaders on a weekly basis.
You are wise to follow the "KISS" Principle. "Keep It Simple, Sweetheart!" Keep your specific actions simple, reachable, and not terribly threatening. I request that my new leaders do the following each week:
- Show up 15 minutes early to the youth service and walk around, acting like "you own the place," creating positive tenor and an atmosphere of friendship.
- Stay at least 15 minutes after the youth service concludes, attempting to reach out in friendship or ministry to at least one of the teenagers before you leave that night.
- In order to begin to build "friendship bridges" with specific students, please call each of your four students on the phone every week. Let your leader know that when the student "grunts" as though he is not interested in anything you have to say, please realize that this is just normal!
- Attempt to connect friendship-wise with your 4 students at some point during the youth service. "Realize that friendship is the paved highway that the Holy Spirit will most often travel on." Most teenagers are not deeply impacted by hearing another message, but are more deeply impacted by having an authentic, Christian relationship with a caring leader that believes in them and helps them to become all they can be.
#5: Blessed is the leader who understands the never ending importance of encouragement and appreciation.
Mark Twain said that "Most people can live a long time on one really good compliment."
It's so important that people feel genuinely appreciated for the sacrifice of their time and energies. The Epistles talk about "being addicted to the working of the ministry." Given time, your new leaders will become so fulfilled with the joy of changing teenagers' lives that they too, will become "addicted to the work of the ministry." But along the way, I cannot overestimate the importance of expressing genuine, continual appreciation and encouragement.