Comments on: How to help students take ownership over their youth group

By: Jordan Muck

Jordan Muck — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:04:13 +0000

interesting stuff. I agree. Discipleship and one on one growth is key. We are seeing this with our students as well. We embrace them, give them a change to run with an activity and support them whether it is a “success” or “tanked”. No matter what happens, they got the experience of having ownership and leading.

amen brother. Keep it coming.

-Jordan

By: MentalRover

MentalRover — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 07:14:20 +0000

Tim and Schrotty, this is one thing which seems very important to me.

I obviously can’t spend individual time with all of them on a consistent basis, but that’s why I team up with other adult leaders

Regarding who you are as an “adult” (say: what age) and who are the “couple of them” (say: their maturity), teaching to “take ownership” can mean to teach this couple of them to be in relation with the other ones themselves.

And even if you don’t have enough adult leaders, don’t let that stop you from spending time with a couple students on your own anyway. It’s better to invest into a couple than into none of them at all, right?

Instead of distinguishing between the “adults” and what their task is, and the “youngsters taking ownership” and what they do, you can let them participate in the whole relational and caring-about-others stuff too.

Often in church it’s about “giving ownership”, not “taking”, but we only trust them with organisational parts (both of your stories of game leading and this event planning are in principle about this same stuff only!).
That notion exactly leads to the said problem of “some lack connection, but better some connected than no one”.

What I miss are (adult) youth leaders who educate their students being … youth leaders. Means: teaching them to do exactly(!) the same stuff they do.
That involves also counselling to others, and doing ministry.
“Be for your comrades what I be for you”.

What I mean: Don’t divide the kind of tasks between the “adult” stuff and the “ownership” things. Divide the severity of tasks between what you take over and what they do themselves.

Let them also pray for one another. Train them to help each other in critical situations, listen to each other, ask about the other’s life circumstances. Even guide them to lay hands on each other. And so on.

This way investing time into “a couple of them” is indeed investing into ALL of them.

(PS: This idea is partially related to how peer mediation is installed at schools, and also by the concept of general priesthood. There is no “age” limit, only “maturity” limits)

By: Schrotty

Schrotty — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:40:41 +0000

Hey Tim, you are totally right, and that are also my thoughts. As a leader alone you are not able to spend time in everey student. Teamwork is the only solution! And if there is no team, i can only repeat what you actually said: It’s better to invest into a couple than into none of them at all!!!

By: Tim Schmoyer

Tim Schmoyer — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 17:03:08 +0000

Schrotty, my youth group is also over 100 students. I obviously can’t spend individual time with all of them on a consistent basis, but that’s why I team up with other adult leaders. Together we can each invest into different students. And even if you don’t have enough adult leaders, don’t let that stop you from spending time with a couple students on your own anyway. It’s better to invest into a couple than into none of them at all, right?

By: Schrotty

Schrotty — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 14:06:08 +0000

hey tim, very good thoughts. It’s too important to involve students into the ministry, to disegard this.

But what can i do, if i have a youth ministry above 100 students?

By: Students and Youth Ministry Ownership « Random Bloggings

Students and Youth Ministry Ownership « Random Bloggings — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:26:35 +0000

[...] ownership, prayer, prayer room, students, youth, youth group, youth pastor trackback Tim has a great post on helping students take ownership of their youth ministry. I have some comments to make, and I [...]

By: David

David — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:34:49 +0000

I heard from someone at work (the ER) that a trait of a good leader is someone who is able to inspire others to do on their own accord what you need done. Looks like you explained the “how to” in this post. Seems like this would apply to any business, not just youth group. People take ownership when they know you care about them personally, rather than because it’s your job.