By the way, here is cool site that I found on student leadership if you would like to check it out: http://www.intervarsity.org/slj/
Southeast Christian Church Louisville, KY
High School Student Leadership “History Makers”
Definition: Student leadership is a place where students no matter what their background, talents or personality can use their gifts to encourage and extend the kingdom of God. It is being passionate about Jesus and others, always encouraging, being faithful, growing spiritually, being a role model, humble and always being ready to share Christ.
There are three tears to history makers: participation, leading a project, and planning a project.
There are also three opportunities for students to serve in the high school ministry. The first is the meet and greet team, their job is to help others get connected. The second is attending history makers meetings and service projects, where they have a monthly meeting and learn what it means to be a student leader. And the third is Saturday Night Revolution, an all student lead worship experience. In these three areas, students are expected to be a part of the worship, teaching, fellowship, and the service aspects. To be a part of history makers, students must fill out an extensive application that defines the student leaders commitment, expectations, and helps to place students in gifted areas of service.
Crossings Community Church Oklahoma City, OK
“360 Student Revolution”
They believe that anyone can be a student leader. They teach the 360 revolution concept. Target three friends, pray for them 6 times a week, and miss 0 opportunities to share Christ with them. They also have accountability, mentoring, and meetings. There accountability is monthly and internet based.
Saddleback Valley Community Church Saddleback, CA
“Core Students – Student Leaders”
“Students aren’t the future church; they are the present church”. This is the difference between active participation and passive observation. Doug Fields sees his role as preparing God’s people (students), for works of service. He seeks to help student s use their spiritual gifts, hearts, abilities, personality, and experiences for ministry. There must also be a deeper level of commitment and accountability for student leadership. Core students must also be committed to a lifestyle that pursues godliness, honors God, and is above question, as well as the youth ministry and friendship evangelism.
Student Leadership University
“Training Tomorrow’s Leaders Today”
They encourage young leaders to commit themselves to excellence, which they define as the ability to rise above self, circumstances, obstacles, change and the crowd. Each student is exposed to programs focusing on leadership skills such as time and life management, goal setting, dealing with conflict and difficult people, and developing a Christian worldview. There are four programs that are base on the belief that the greatest catalyst for personal development occurs through the people you meet; the places you go; and the books you read.
The four programs are
101 Orlando – gaining vision to soar and not settle
201 Washington D.C. – impact the country through influential leadership
301 Europe – global strategies for leadership, and
401 Mediterranean -living your legacy of inspired faith.
North Point Community Church Georgia
“Max Q” -Maximum Dynamic Pressure
They share six key components that are critical to your teenagers becoming spiritually influential: setting standards, establishing priorities, maintaining accountability, unconditional acceptance, sustaining influence, and leverage. The purpose is to help develop students who can withstand the pressure, who can be light in dark places, who will not waver from their faith while pursuing relationship with their peers, and who can be influential without being negatively influenced themselves. The ultimate goal is for them to develop students of influence, who influence their peers for Christ.
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My Operational Definition:
Leadership is influence. Any person can be an influencer, but it is a conscious decision. They must first decide to be a leader and then act upon that decision. So student leadership is acting on a conscious decision to influence others that they come in contact with for the cause of Jesus Christ.
Students should use three ways to do this, pray for others and opportunities to influence, connect to others personally, and help people get connected to others who are influencing for the cause of Christ. Student leaders also need mentor relationships, accountability, and purpose. Students should be teamed up with an adult role model who is living out the expectations we are asking of the students. The accountability can be set up first with an adult overseeing the student on student interaction while over time the adult gracefully leaves the interaction between the students. And finally, helping students discover their purpose in life and for the cause of Christ is crucial and essential in their development as a leader. Each student is gifted and capable of service, they need to be given opportunities to discover the area, or niche, they were designed for to become a person of significance and influence.
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