[vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px”][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/1″][text_output]
It’s that time of year again. The time when your ministry must vote on who will be the next student leaders and take the baton for the fall. With elections right around the corner I asked Ryan Raflowski, a leader with the Oswego BASIC chapter, to share with you about an idea he began to prepare students for this process. The following post is written by him.
God is looking for leaders. He is looking for a humble and willing heart that will follow Him and serve His people. As advisors, church workers, and student leaders, it is imperative that we also be “leaders of leaders” and identify the students that God may be drawing into a leadership role.
Through my experience, I observe these individuals to be the ones who serve when no one is looking. They are also those who take time to care for their brother or sister in times of dire need. Most importantly, they have the type of walk in Christ that others can look up to.
At our BASIC chapter, we recognized that students needed extra support when it came to an understanding of spiritual leadership and the student election process. We started our very own BASIC Leadership Workshop Series, where students could come to learn about, discuss, and participate in leadership.
The workshops are designed to be educational but also very hands-on. Our workshops usually run every year in preparation for electing new officers for our student leadership team. The workshops are a 3-part series including:
- Defining Your Purpose
- Spiritual Leadership
- BASIC Leadership
Each workshop was designed to not only educate students about leadership, but to also meet them wherever they are at in their own journey towards leadership. For example, we encourage students to come to the workshops if they are interested in learning more about the difference between spiritual versus natural leadership, have questions about the leadership process, or who may even be interested in becoming a part of our student leadership team someday.
It’s important that the workshops are engaging, informal, and even fun. We’ve gathered information from various books, articles, and resources about leadership to comprise a series of lessons, discussion questions, and thought-provoking activities. I’ve found that students are sitting in lecture halls and studying all day and even night. Therefore, the workshops have to be upbeat and engaging!
There are many opportunities to discuss opinions, reflect on their own leadership potential, and ask questions to our current student leaders. Having some good snacks available doesn’t hurt either!
It may seem like a lot of work, but any group can create their own Leadership Workshops. Take the following activity for example:
“Draw a Leader”
Give the students markers, colored pencils, paper, etc. Then prompt the students, “What does a good leader look like? Act like? Live like?” This is usually how we open our spiritual leadership workshop. Students each draw their own picture based on what they think about a good leader.
Afterwards, it’s best to ask the students if they would like to share their drawing or if they discovered anything throughout the activity that was eye opening. In any activity, the goal is to get students thinking about leadership and where they are personally at within the process of leadership.
Lastly, we wanted to be proactive about the student election process by having a BASIC Leadership Workshop. This workshop focuses on informing students about the election process, the life of a student leader, and how to spot good leadership in others. Personally, I’ve seen a positive difference in who gets elected as an officer as compared to before the workshops.
We chose to be proactive by educating students about what it means to be a student leader—the job description, the personal sacrifice, and the posture of growth and humility before godly authority. It’s important that students have an understanding of spiritual leadership in order to observe it happening in others (or even themselves!).
At times, student leaders can be chosen based on who is the nicest person, most popular, or even who has the closest semblance to that of a ‘perfect’ Christian! While it’s not always bad to be nice or well liked, I feel that students are better informed about spiritual leadership having attended these workshops.
As a result, I’ve observed students who really serve behind the scenes to be nominated as a student leader. Those with a servant’s heart are great spiritual leaders, and it encourages me to see other students following their godly example of service towards others!
I encourage you to be proactive about the leadership process at your BASIC chapter. Though you may not always see it, students have questions about what it means to be a godly leader. Be a part of that discussion! I think you’ll find that your students will be more informed about the leadership process and your whole group will grow because of it!
[/text_output][author title=”About the Author”][/vc_column][/vc_row]