Discovering Young Leaders

There are young leaders in your class. They may be the kids who are trying to take over. Sometimes what we call rebellion is really young leaders trying to use their leadership gifts.

One thing about leaders is that they want to lead. If they can’t find a positive way to use their leadership, they will find a negative way to use their gift.

Here are six steps for developing leadership gifts in kids:

1. Identify your leaders.

Who are the most popular kids in your class? (They currently have the most influence.)

2. Give them something to do.

Here is a list of things that I have asked kids to do:

• Take up the offering
• Help new kids find a seat
• Help children get checked in
• Run sound or computer
• Pray for the sick
• Teach an object lesson
• Puppetry
• Drama
• Sing
• Play the piano
• Lead worship
• Run a camera
• Pray with kids for salvation
• Intercessory prayer

Kids can do whatever you will take the time to train them to do. Pick one child, and get started today.

3. Listen to your young leaders.

Do you like it when your pastor listens to you?

4. Affirm their ideas.

Nothing is more rewarding to a leader than when you take his or her idea and do it.

5. Teach them about servant leadership.

The biggest part of leadership is what happens at the back of the room.

6. Leading and following are connected.

Teach that if they want to lead, they need to follow first.

Have you heard about our curiculum, Super Church 2.0 Leadership? We took all of our years of training leaders and put in into a curriculum. 

What do you do to help train young leaders?