Middle School Student Leaders Running Entire Service Tomorrow ... Here's WHY

Tomorrow 8 middle school students (6th-8th graders) we've been mentoring this school year as student leaders will be running our entire program from top to bottom! Setting up, greeting, games, announcements, doing tech, leading worship, and even preaching! Our staff and volunteers are just coming to be cheerleaders! Why would we do such a thing? Here's the philosophy of youth ministry that undergirded our decision.

Belief in Students:
The Bible is full of young people who accomplished great exploits for the Kingdom of God. In I Timothy 4:12 Paul says to Timothy, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” Teenagers can be leaders here and now!

Students CAN Hear from God Personally:
Teenagers are in a moldable season of life where their physical senses are developing in new ways. In the same way, we believe students’ spiritual senses are developing, and they can hear from God personally. (I Samuel 3) Experiences will be offered which will help students learn how to tune their ears to God’s voice, and opportunities for them to share what they believe God is saying will be given.

T.E.A.M. Leadership:
The best people to reach students for Christ are other students. It is imperative that we empower students by giving them opportunities to live out their faith and explore their giftings. II Timothy 2:2 says, “And the things you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these pass on to reliable men who will be able to teach others also.” This verse is at the crux of the call to being an adult leader in the youth ministry. It is critical that student have people who have gone before them to mentor and coach them as they are growing and maturing. And it is crucial that leaders be willing to step aside so students can step up. I call this T.E.A.M. Leadership (Teen Empowerment, Adult Mentoring). The two must go hand in hand.