I just read an interesting tip for recruiting new leaders for youth group. It was in an old book I picked up from the free table at college.
The idea is this: once you've found someone who you think is suitable to lead, have the kids from the youth group do a job interview with them. The kids then decide on whether they think this person would be suitable.
There are at least two advantages to this approach.
1. You have to prepare the kids to think about what they should look for in a christian leader snd what they should ask and expect of that leader. We are about to do a study on Pauls leadership in 1 Thess, and I might get the kids to write some interview questions from that.
2. If the new recruit passes muster, they know from the very beginning that the kids want them there. They haven't been imposed. They dont have to worry about whether they are cool enough. The kids have asked them to be there, and asked them to lead them in faith in jesus christ.
Has anyone ever done this before?
Does anyone see any downside?
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5 comments:
Youngsters tend to blindly vote for Hope and Change. Seriously, it depends on how mature your youth are already; ie. how good the previous youth pastor was or church parenting actually is. I guess you already have a shortlist.
Thats true mike.
This wouldn't be, here are some options , which one do you want, but, we think this guy might be ok, we want you to check him out yourselves. It certainly does require some maturity, and also preparation. This is key, you need to spend a bunch of time talking as a group about what makes a good christian leader and what it is they are meant to do.
If you can get the kids on a good track with this, this reinforces it for the leader (who hopefully would reinforce it back to the kids).
Would you be present at the interview?
@byron I probably will be, but lurkiing in the background. i'd want to be facilitating the conversation afterward too. Of course, this requires me to actually beleive that the kids thoughts are worthwhile.
Hahaha - yeah.
I missed an opportunity last night. We had our new youth director (just started 2 months ago) over for dinner and I should have run this suggestion past him to see what he thought.
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