tohu va bohu

In the continuing saga of unfinished series here at tohu va bohu, here is the second mark of a healthy student ministry:

A healthy student ministry has people who are godly leaders.

We cannot bypass the principle of godly leadership and still expect to see God’s blessing. Personal holiness is the primary ingredient for leaders in the church.

It is staggering how many churches — and youth ministries in particular — select their leadership. But a man (or woman) is not to be a leader in the church because he is the best businessman, has innate leadership ability, or has a large bank account. And in student ministries specifically, good leaders are not good because they can snowboard or play Halo or whatever. Just because a person is cool does not mean they should be followed. Those with worldly gifts and talents are not God’s best tools; God wants and uses righteous instruments.

Godly leaders are those with deacon qualified character. When Timothy stayed in Ephesus, he had the responsibility of bringing the church to spiritual maturity. The apostle Paul knew Timothy couldn’t do it alone and that he needed godly leaders beside him.

Titus faced the same challenge in Crete, and Paul gave him similar advice. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9 Paul gives a profile of the kind of people that are to be leading the church. They are to be:

1. above reproach
2. devoted to their wives
3. temperate
4. prudent
5. respectable
6. hospitable
7. able to teach
8. self-controlled
9. not self-willed
10. not quick-tempered
11. not pugnacious (not a fighter)
12. not contentious
13. gentle
14. not materialistic
15. managing their household well
16. having a good reputation among unbelievers
17. lovers of good
18. just
19. devout
20. and not new converts

Those are the qualifications given in Scripture for leaders in the church. They indicate the kind of people God calls to lead His church. A church should not accept just any warm-bodied volunteer; it must wait for a godly one. And while not everyone on the youth staff will be an elder or deacon/deaconness, these are the spiritual characteristics that must be promoted and pursued.

Godly leaders are also those committed to sacrificial service. This involves their:

• time
• talents
• and treasure

The sacrificial service of a leader is ABOVE and beyond the sacrificial service of a non-leading Christian. That is why a leader is called a leader. And since every Christian follower is called to lose their life for Christ (cf. Mark 8:34-38), how much more the leaders.

This above-and-beyond commitment is alongside of responsibilities to family and work. The family is not equivalent to the church, so serving one’s family is not synonymous with one’s “ministry.” Neither is a person’s vocation equivalent to the serving the body, regardless of the spiritual opportunities provided by the position itself.

There are other ministries in the church that someone can serve in, even “deacon” in, using their spiritual giftedness, discipling, while following Christ that will cost a person less than serving in a leadership position to students. Young adults need much prayer, time, teaching, admonishing and love. But we should stop making apologies for how much is asked of leaders. We ultimately answer to God (as well as the elders, as well as to the parents, as well as to the students themselves), and it is not a responsibility to take lightly. We show how valuable we think the ministry is by how much it costs us to serve. So ministry that doesn’t cost anything isn’t very precious.

The consequences of our work are eternal. This is a spiritual fight. It demands commitment. If a church, and if a youth ministry, doesn’t have people who measure up to God’s standards, there will be problems at the foundation. So we must labor to make sure that our leaders (staff and students) are biblically qualified and clearly identified. Leaders don’t just appear with the push of a button.