For SURGE Student Ministries our small group leaders are the most valuable resource or asset. Many Youth Ministries are driven by a celebrity/show complex. In these performance driven ministries, students show up to see the music, lights, fog, and "TED talk-like" speaker! Some aspects of this are not inherently wrong, but we believe that student ministry should be driven ultimately by mission and discipleship and our small group leaders are the primary catalysts for this to take place. We value our leaders for the following reasons.
Our Leaders Are People
Every one of our leaders has their own story. Their lives come with a wealth of different experiences, successes, and failures that they can and do share with the students in their small groups. NEWSFLASH: None of our leaders were born Christians! Their stories are of broken but changed lives that declare the grace and glory of God. When these lives and stories are put in close quarters with teenagers, powerful influence and impact can occur. Our leaders are all people, but what makes them amazing is God...Our Leaders Have Faith
Every one of our leaders has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They are not just people, they are new people. "Old things have passed away, look, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The most significant thing about our leaders is that God is at work in and through them. "Apart from me you can do nothing," Jesus said (John 15:5). As followers of Jesus who have embraced Him as their Savior and Lord they are empowered by the Spirit and filled with a purpose, the expansion of God's kingdom. Our leader's believe that God is changing lives and they long to see this in the next generation of young people. This motivates each leader to pray for the students in their small group every day, something we find of the uttermost importance. However, the faith of our leaders would by no means be as attractive to students were it not for their love...Our Leaders Show Love
Every one of our leaders is passionate about students. They are not serving in student ministry because of a sense of obligation. They serve and love students because this is the specific ministry for which their hearts are burdened! Some have teenagers themselves and understand the gravity of this season of life. Others recently graduated from this transitive time and long to help guide others through it. For whatever reason our leaders love teenagers. They express this love weekly through countless texts, calls, athletic events, smiles, and prayers. Students are more likely to come if they feel loved, if they know someone will miss them. In a ministry that engages a few hundred students annually, a few student ministry staff could never provide this kind of care.Thank you Leaders!
We need to do better about acknowledging and appreciating these leaders. They are the most indispensable part of SURGE Student Ministries. So if you are one of the individuals who we are writing about, one of the soldiers in the trenches, know this...We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all [your students], because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth (Colossians 1:3-6)
Thank you, leaders!
Are you interested in serving in SURGE as a Small Group Leader for students from 6-12th Grade? Apply Here.
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