The following is part of the on the go training that I’ve begun to give our adult leaders in our youth ministry. The principles should be transferrable to other youth ministries with small group programs.
Don’t Cut Yourself
One of my greatest joys as a boy was learning to “whittle” with a knife. On one particular day, my dad took me out to the front porch and pulled out two single-blade locking Buck knives. One was kid sized, while the other was clearly for those with full-grown hands. That afternoon, my dad taught me how to use a knife.
As I learned, there’s one particular danger when you use a dull knife. Knives are meant to cut things, and when they are dull, they don’t do their job well. People will compensate for a dull knife by applying additional force. Because of this tendency to add force and the fact that dull knives just don’t make clean cuts, using them often leads to injuries. So it’s very important to keep your knives sharp.
Don’t Get Settled. Get Sharpened.
As a leader, you’re using your skills, talents, and competencies to lead teenagers in their discipleship with Christ. You encourage, challenge, train, and guide them as they grow in grace. But there is a danger in leadership, the danger of getting dull.
Now, we’re not talking about becoming stupid (although youth ministry does sometimes lend itself toward voluntary foolishness, especially where games and ice breakers are concerned). What a leader must be concerned with is that he doesn’t settle. Whether it’s in his own personal walk with God, or the ministry itself, a leader should always seek to go deeper with God, to hone his skills, and to continue to grow. When I settle with who I am here and now, I begin to presume upon God, along with the gifts and calling He has given me.
So don’t get dull. Get sharp.