Help Im A Student Leader : Practical Ideas and Guidance on Leadership

by Doug Fields

• ISBN13: 9780310259619
• ISBN10: 0310259614
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-08-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

You know that being a student leader is no small task nor is it something to lose sleep over. If you have student leaders or at least students who are willing to lead use this book to pair their willingness with tools and techniques to creative effective leaders who lighten your load.

Table of Contents

Introduction Read This First!

Student Leaders Serve

Student Leaders Serve...in Big Ways

Student Leaders Deepen Their Faith

Student Leaders Support Their Ministries and Other Leaders

Student Leaders Solve Problems

Student Leaders Have a Ministry

Student Leaders Focus on Their Own Families

Student Leaders Care about Their Schools

Student Leaders Develop Other Student Leaders

Conclusion

The Last Page(s)

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Help! I’m a student leader!: practical ideas and guidance on leadership
Copyright © 2005 by Youth Specialties
Youth Specialties Products, 300 South Pierce Street, El Cajon, CA 92020, are published
by Zondervan, 5300 Patterson Avenue SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49530
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Fields, Doug, 1962-
Help! I’m a student leader! : practical ideas and guidance on leadership / by Doug
Fields.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-310-25961-4 (pbk.)
1. Church work with teenagers. 2. Church youth workers. 3. Christian leadership. I.
Title.
BV4447.F54 2005
259’.23--dc22
2004030559
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible: New
International Version (North American Edition). Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International
Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan.
Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the
permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations,
and any resemblance to people living or dead is coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy,
recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior
permission of the publisher.
Web site addresses listed in this book were current at the time of publication. Please contact
Youth Specialties via e-mail ([e-mail]) to report URLs that are no
longer operational and replacement URLs if available.
Editorial direction by Dave Urbanski
Editing by Ivy Beckwith
Proofreading by Kristi Robison and Janie Wilkerson
Interior Design by SharpSeven Design
Cover Design by Holly Sharp
Printed in the United States of America
05 06 07 08 09 10 / DCI / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Radical leadership
If you asked the president of a large company for a oneword
definition of leadership, she might describe it as
enthusiasm, drive, power, presence, or competence. These
words are often associated with the world’s view of
leadership.
But if you investigate Jesus’ leadership requirements
for his closest followers, you’ll see that only one word
makes it to the top of his list. It’s not an attractive word
that will make you want race to the end of this book.
Ready? Drum roll, please…Jesus asked his leaders to…
serve. Serve! (Go ahead and reread it—I’ll wait.)
Is it safe to assume that right now you’re not too
sure you want to be a leader if that’s what leaders do? I
understand—it’s quite shocking at first. But if you want to
follow the lead of Jesus, you’ll fi nd the primary objective
of a biblical leader is to serve. Carefully read this verse to
understand how Jesus wants his closest followers to act:
You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and
officials lord it over the people beneath them. But
Chapter One
Student Leaders Serve
among you it should be quite different. Whoever
wants to be a leader among you must be your
servant… (Matthew 20:25-26, NLT)
Jesus’ selection of leaders could be considered either insane
or ingenious. But since he was God in the flesh, let’s
assume his leadership judgment fits in the latter category.
The first 12 men he chose to lead with him included five
fishermen, a tax collector, and six others whose occupations
are a complete mystery. Sometimes we wonder why Jesus
chose these men instead of those who were already seen as
leaders. Whatever the reason, the greatest leader ever to
live chose ordinary guys to lead with him.
Clearly, Jesus connected serving to leading. He
deepened the definition of leadership when he described
himself as a servant rather than a king:
“For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be
served but to serve others, and to give my life as a
ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28, NLT).
Jesus didn’t just speak about serving; he modeled it. He
put the needs of others first and placed himself in positions
where serving was necessary. Ultimately, this posture of
servanthood led him to the cross—to serve the needs of
humanity. He served without reservation, and the greatest
act of servanthood was also the greatest act of leadership
our world has ever seen.
Think about that for a moment. Jesus. God in
the flesh. All-powerful, all-knowing, all God, and yet, all
servant—to everyone! He served the down and out, the
sinner, the outcast, the lonely, and the poor. Leader? Yes.
Servant? Absolutely!
As Jesus served, he created and led a movement
with the potential to influence others! Given Jesus’ actions,
my definition of leadership would include two key words:
serve and influence. Jesus did both. That’s leadership!
If you want to be a leader—not just a student
leader, but a Christian leader—you must learn to lead like
Jesus. How? By serving others. When you serve others,
you’ll have the opportunity not only to lead, but also to
change the image of leadership in your church, in your
youth group, in your family, and in your school.
So instead of viewing your leadership role as a
chance to exert power and voice your opinions, view it as
an opportunity to serve. When you do, you’ll succeed at
leadership, and you’ll grow to be more like Jesus.
Serve…like Jesus
The apostle Paul emphasized Jesus’ servanthood and
humility when he challenged Christians with the following
words:
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ
Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not
consider equality with God something to be
grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the
very nature of a servant, being made in human
likeness. (Philippians 2:5-7)
Paul told early Christians to be like Jesus (except for the
perfection part—which is too bad since walking on water
and casting out demons could be scary and fun). What
does it mean to be like Jesus? It’s more than wearing a
WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) logo…it means taking
on his character—being a servant.
As you read this book carefully, you’ll see that
leadership and service go hand in hand. (I desperately
want you to understand this concept before you move on
to the next chapter.) As a student leader, if you want to be
effective, you’ll need to serve others.
Many church-based student leadership programs
are populated by the cute, fun, and outgoing kids who
win popularity contests within the youth group. That’s
the wrong way to choose student leaders. Leadership is not
about popularity; it’s about…guess what? Serving. If you
don’t serve others, you’re not a Christian leader. I don’t
care how popular, charismatic, and wonderful you are…if
you want to be a leader, you must be a servant. Get it?
(Got it!) Good!
Several students were immediately interested when
I began to float the idea of creating a student leadership
group at our church. But

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Excerpted from Help Im A Student Leader: Practical Ideas and Guidance on Leadership by Doug Fields
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