Leadership is an ongoing process of becoming a “lifelong learner.” Unless a leader continues to grow and stretch their understanding of leadership, they will eventually run out of steam. It is no longer a process of allowing a few people at the “top” of the leadership ladder to be in charge of everything, but it is moving people along in their own abilities on the team. The only way to improve an organization is to challenge the habits or processes that make it function. It takes humility and a teachable spirit for a person to improve and take constructive criticism. At the heart of any successful leader is a willingness to always be willing to improve. Without a good review of the process, there will be no improvement throughout the organization. With that being said, encouragement goes hand in hand with challenging the process. The motive of leadership is to help people come to a clearer understanding of themselves and become confident in their abilities. I have learned that there are negative and positive ways to lead. When I began in student ministry I sometimes viewed parents as an obstacle. For some reason I believed that I could help the students and thought that most parents did not know how to help their students. Through conversations with numerous parents, I learned that parents are my one of the most powerful aspects of student ministry. Instead of thinking that I had the answers, I would gather around me parents who were wise and we joined in the discussion together on how to lead students to be fully devoted followers of Christ.

I have learned in the past four years that leadership is a shared vision and not a “one man show.” Like earlier, when I began student ministry I focused upon the students mostly. Now I realize the powerful change that can happen when the parents are encouraged to be the spiritual influencers in the home. My passion is to build relationships with students and parents. My goal is to encourage and equip parents to lead in the home and reinforce God’s Word into the lives of the students. One of the challenges of leadership is to be willing to admit faults and through these past years, I have learned that parents need encouragement and ministry just as much as the students.