marks of a healthy student ministry
Godly Leaders
Here is the second mark of a healthy student ministry:
A healthy student ministry has people who are godly leaders.
We cannot bypass the principle of godly leadership and still expect to see God’s blessing. Holiness is the primary ingredient for leaders in the church.
It is staggering to consider how many churches–and youth ministries in particular–select leadership. A man (or woman) is not to be a leader in the church because he is the best businessman, has innate leadership ability, or has a large bank account. In student ministries specifically, leaders aren’t chosen because they can snowboard or play Halo or whatever. Those with worldly gifts and talents are not God’s best tools; God wants and uses righteous instruments.
Godly leaders are those with deacon qualified character. When Timothy stayed in Ephesus, he had the responsibility of bringing the church to spiritual maturity. The apostle Paul knew Timothy couldn’t do it alone and that he needed godly leaders beside him.
Titus faced the same challenge in Crete, and Paul gave him similar advice. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7 bibref1timothy3 bibref1timothy3v1 bibref1timothy3v2 bibref1timothy3v3 bibref1timothy3v4 bibref1timothy3v5 bibref1timothy3v6 bibref1timothy3v7 and Titus 1:5-9 bibreftitus1 bibreftitus1v5 bibreftitus1v6 bibreftitus1v7 bibreftitus1v8 bibreftitus1v9 Paul gives a profile of the kind of people that are to be leading the church. They are to be:
- above reproach
- devoted to their wives
- temperate
- prudent
- respectable
- hospitable
- able to teach
- self-controlled
- not self-willed
- not quick-tempered
- not pugnacious (not a punch-throwers)
- not contentious
- gentle
- not materialistic
- managing their household well
- having a good reputation among unbelievers
- lovers of good
- just
- devout
- and not new converts
Those are the qualifications given in Scripture for leaders in the church. They indicate the kind of people God wants to lead His church. A church should not accept just any volunteer; it should elevate godly ones. While not everyone on the youth staff will be an elder or deacon/deaconness, these are the spiritual characteristics that must be promoted and pursued.
Godly leaders are also those committed to sacrificial service. This involves their:
- time
- talents and
- treasure
The sacrificial service of a leader is above and beyond the sacrificial service of a non-leading Christian. And since every Christian follower is called to lose their life, giving up everything to follow Christ (cf. Mark 8:34-38 bibrefmark8 bibrefmark8v34 bibrefmark8v35 bibrefmark8v36 bibrefmark8v37 bibrefmark8v38), how much more the leaders.
This above-and-beyond commitment is alongside of responsibilities to family and work. The family is not equivalent to the church, so serving one’s family is not synonymous with one’s “ministry.” Neither is a person’s vocation equivalent to the serving the body, regardless of the spiritual opportunities provided by the position itself.
There are other ministries in the church that someone can serve in, even “deacon” in, using their spiritual giftedness, discipling, while following Christ that will cost a person less than serving in a leadership position in a student ministry. But we should stop making apologies for how much is asked of leaders. We ultimately answer to God (and to a lesser degree, to the elders, the parents, and even the students themselves), therefore, it is not a responsibility to take lightly. We show how valuable we think the ministry is by how much it costs us to serve. Ministry that doesn’t cost anything isn’t very precious.
The consequences of our work are eternal. We’re engaged in a spiritual fight. Our work demands commitment. If a youth ministry doesn’t have leaders who measure up to God’s standards, there will be problems from the start. So we must labor to make sure that our leaders (staff and students) are biblically qualified and clearly identified. Leaders don’t just appear with the push of a button.