We’ve already talked a little about good leadership and looked at some qualities that help identify good leaders. Of course, good leadership qualities are important for all Christians but they are especially important for those who have the responsibility of overseeing other people or things. This is illustrated by an e-mail that The Doctor received from a 15-year-old youth leader who asked a very good question…
"I want to ask you how I can get my youth group to come closer together... We have no clue as to how to get our youth group to be firm and so focus on God more"
You can tell from this question that this youth leader really has the right idea in looking for ways to help their group grow spiritually and get centered on God. You see, youth groups exist for lots of different reasons but a group that is really focused on God and spiritual growth is the one that is definitely going in the right direction. So with this in mind, let’s look at some ways that youth leaders can help their groups really honor God and grow spiritually. The first suggestion is pretty simple…
Pray First Before Doing Anything Else
This seems like a no-brainer but it’s something that can easily be overlooked especially when things start to get busy. Remember that prayer is a very important part of leadership, so much so that even Jesus Himself spent lots of time in prayer (see Luke 5:16). So what should you pray for? Well, it’s usually good to start first by thanking God for the opportunities that He’s provided and to ask for His help in leading the group (see 1 Kings 3:5-10 for a good example of this kind of prayer).
You might then ask God to give you direction regarding the group and ask for His blessings on your meetings. Then don’t forget to thank Him for all that He is doing and for all that He is going to do with your group. Remember, prayer is a basic thing that’s necessary to build a good, solid youth group and strengthen your own relationship with God!
Be Prepared
There is no substitute for being prepared to lead your group. In the end, it’s always the leader’s responsibility to make sure that any details regarding the group are taken care of. This would include things like…
- Making sure that you have a good place to meet
- Checking to make sure that everyone knows where and when the group meets
- Taking care of things like tickets, transportation, permits, forms and clearances for group activities
- Seeing that everyone’s behavior honors God during group meetings
- Making sure that your meeting place is clean and orderly when you leave it
A youth leader who is disorganized and unprepared leaves a bad impression on others and represents Jesus poorly. Remember that everyone takes their cue from the person who leads the group. Make sure that you are setting the right example by being ready and prepared to lead your group.
Teach The Bible To Your Group
The next suggestion is that you emphasize the teaching of God’s Word. If you really want your group to grow closer to God then the thing to do is focus on the Bible! God will surely honor His Word (and your youth group) if you make teaching and learning the Bible a top priority. You can start at the beginning of one Biblical book and study it together or you can use a lesson plan- there are many good ones available and your Pastor or Youth Pastor should be able to point you in the right direction. No matter how you choose to do it, you should definitely make teaching and learning the Bible a priority for your group.
Now some leaders may read this and say, “I could never do that!! I could never teach people the Bible!” Perhaps you feel that way too. While it’s true that it can sometimes be intimidating to speak in front of a group of people, you should also consider this: if God is capable of placing you in a leadership position for your group then He is also capable of giving you the ability to effectively communicate His Word! Why not prayerfully try it and see what happens? Remember what Philippians 4:13 tells you: “…I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.”
Now at this point some of you might be thinking, “That sounds too much like a Bible study, man- nobody’s gonna show up for that!” Well, maybe and maybe not. This conveniently brings us to the next thing…
Don’t Worry About Who Shows Up
Here’s the last piece of advice- try not to worry about who shows up and who doesn’t. The Doctor knows that it can be very disappointing for a leader who works hard to prepare only to have people make excuses and not attend the group for some reason. In fact, The Doctor himself has been in that very situation on more occasions than he would like to remember!
Anyway, this can be very frustrating but remember that it’s your job to be faithful to God and those responsibilities that He has called you to and God’s job to bring out the people. You can see an example of this in Acts 2:47 where we read that it was God (and not the leadership) who added to the membership of the first century church- check it out when you have a chance.
Of course, every leader would like to have a large and growing youth group but having a large group doesn’t necessarily make it a good group, you know? Listen, anyone can find ways to draw attention and attract a crowd if that’s what they really want but it’s not so much the quantity of people who attend but the quality of your group that will be most pleasing to God.
Don’t worry about who shows up for your youth group and who doesn’t- just concentrate on doing the very best you can with the people who do show up. If only a few people attend then do your best to make those few people the best loved, best taught, best cared-for people. Whether it’s 2 people or 20 people or 200 people, make it your determination to give them God’s very best, no matter how many attend.
If you do the best that you can with the few people that God gives you now then who knows- maybe He’ll give you a lot more. On the other hand, if you don’t try hard because there aren’t many people showing up for your group now then why would God entrust you with any more?