How do you develop young leaders? How much is too much responsibility? How do you foster growth and create opportunities for them to step into?

I was 21 when I walked into my first staff meeting at a brand new church. Fresh out of college armed with excitement and fear, I was ready to change the world. I observed the mannerisms of the people around the table, looking for clues as to the role they expected me to play. My seat grew more uncomfortable as I let opportunity after opportunity pass to share my ideas. Nobody had affirmed me that I had a voice worth hearing or a presence that added value. I had book knowledge but also enough self-awareness to know that I was unrefined in most of my skills. I was eager and confused and harboring secret doubt that I was qualified to be a pastor. 

It wasn’t until years later that I realized my thoughts and feelings fell among the norm of young leaders. While potential abounds, there is a unique challenge to being young and in leadership. Often with the help of wiser, more experienced guidance, young leaders in your church can blossom to be some of the most effective, high capacity people on your staff. 

So, how do you empower young leaders? Here are three types of questions you can ask to unlock the potential of even the youngest people around your table. 

What is God teaching you about yourself and ministry?

While young leaders are in the development stage of their career, they are also still developing as a whole person. As much as we all hope that those who graduate high school or college are at the peak of their maturity, that is not reality. The prefrontal cortex of the brain is the center of several executive human functions including the capacity to exercise good judgment, abstract thought, and correct behavior in social situations. This is the last region of the brain to reach full maturation at an estimated 25 years of age. Young leaders are still developing as humans, not just workers in God’s Kingdom. Remember that as they are refining their skills as a pastor, God is continuing to refine them as disciples, missionaries, friends, husbands, and wives outside of work. On a foundation of trust and genuine care, prompt conversation surrounding all aspects of a young leader’s life and development, not just who they are in your church. 

Will you own and complete this project for us? Do you have any ideas? 

Studies have shown that younger generations are no longer concerned with being consumers of culture. They are given a new title, producers. Everything from their lives on social media to the way they interact with others presents opportunities to produce content and release it into the world. Young leaders are often experiential learners that feel productive when given the opportunity to own projects, share ideas, and sit on the ground-level of decisions being made. They feel valued when given projects that offer them the opportunity to add value. I think you’ll be surprised at how young leaders at your table challenge you to look at things with a new perspective. As they learn, their methods might seem unconventional or unproductive. But, if you’re willing for things to be less than perfect for a short period of time, the church will reap the benefits of experiential learning being used to empower young leaders to be producers. 

How do you think it went? Would you like some feedback? 

Producers also benefit from being asked questions that help debrief scenarios and get to the root cause of feelings and fears. You can help young leaders build self-awareness by asking about their thoughts on the outcome before you offer feedback. I think you’ll be surprised to find that they often notice what went poorly or was done incorrectly the same as you do. Feedback is welcomed and accepted and necessary. However, incorporating good questions can help young leaders process for themselves the outcomes and what can be improved. Try asking questions like: What went well? What did not go well? What would you change next time? What did you learn through completing this project/task? What fruit did you see as a result of your efforts in this? 

While each of these questions can aid in better empowering the young leaders on your staff - one thing is more true than all of these combined. Ask them how they want to be developed. We can map the general trends and commonalities between people in a same age demographic, but nothing beats engaging in an honest conversation about how they learn and receive best. You can show how much you respect and want to honor them by giving them a voice in their own development. Chances are they will reveal something to you that you never would have guessed on your own. Then, together, you can achieve maximum impact for the health and well-being of your church. 

References: 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621648/

https://youth.ag.org/Resources/Articles/The-Next-Generation-is-Now-and-the-Rules-Have-Changed-Drastically