Student leaders. They can be your college ministry’s greatest asset or your biggest frustration. Not everyone has the luxury of being choosy with who they put in leadership, but if your group does then I’d like to give you some standards to consider when selecting yours.
Steve Shadrach, author of The Fuel and the Flame, uses the acronym FAT (Faithful, Available, Teachable) when speaking about finding people interested in being discipled. I think those three standards can be applied to appointing student leaders along with several other important ones.
Spiritual walk – This is the most important aspect and while it’s not always easy to determine if a student’s spiritual walk is in the right place ahead of time, you should do your best to figure it out. Take the student out to lunch before selecting them and ask your current student leaders if they know where the student stands. Chances are you’ll find out pretty fast if they have their eyes set on reaching the campus for God or if they prefer to go out partying every night.
Faithful – Look for students who have shown that they can be trusted to do the things you need done. These people usually show up to meetings consistently on time and are happy to do whatever you ask of them. The best way to determine this is by giving them tasks before they are leaders and seeing how they respond.
Available – Too often the students who want to be leaders in your ministry also want to be leaders in everything else. Make sure that they are able to give you enough of their time to make it worth your while. If their attention is too divided they’ll just be another warm body at your leadership meetings (if they come at all).
Teachable – This can make the biggest difference of all. I always keep an eye out for people who have a desire to learn and are willing to submit to authority. A student who is always questioning your lead can detract from what God wants to do. One who wants to learn everything possible will help your ministry thrive.
Matching DNA – Your leadership style contributes to the culture of your group. I sometimes call this DNA. You don’t want students who will agree with you every time, but you do want ones who recognize the DNA of your group and can get on board in driving the same vision God has given you.
Set Apart – Good leaders stand out from the crowd. Not only are they usually charismatic, but they also carry themselves and act differently. Students should know that being in leadership will require them to be held to a higher standard than everyone else. You have to decide what requirements make the most sense, but usually I ask leaders to refrain from drinking alcohol due to how big an issue it has become on college campuses. A good indicator of what course to follow here is 1 Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
Whether you’re hurting for leaders or you have them coming out of your ears, it’s best to have a system in place for determining leaders and putting them into positions. All of these expectations can be announced as the time comes for selecting leaders. One of our BASIC groups has even gone so far as to have interested students fill out an application and go through an interview process. Most of all, you should be spending time in prayer to determine what God is saying regarding students being considered.
You may determine that the application and interview process isn’t necessary for you or it might be a welcomed change to how you’ve selected leaders in the past. Either way, I can guarantee that your next school year will be much more successful if you get the right leaders in place. Making this a priority will reap significant rewards!