How to Develop a Servant's Heart in Teenagers

Leadership is a 'buzzword' in today's world.

Everybody wants to develop leadership traits and there are countless books written on the subject of leadership.

While I believe leadership is vital, (I'm working toward earning a doctorate in Leadership studies), I believe that we can push leadership too fast and too hard onto people. What we need to be doing is developing workers first and out of the workers to equip people for leadership roles.

Listen to what Jesus said:

Luke 10:1-2

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Here are two important observations:
1. Jesus believed in developing workers and servant leaders and he did this by sending people out on short term mission trips! (He sent seventy two people out two by two)
2. Jesus prayed that the people sent out would be workers in his harvest field, not leaders. We need to focus on developing a hard working spirit within teenagers and a servant's heart first before we put teenagers into positions of leadership!

Here are some ways in which you can develop a hard working kingdom attitude in the lives of teenagers

 

 

1. Send them out on mission trip experiences! Get them to be doer's of their faith. (This summer we sent over 100 teenagers on some type of mission trip experience).
2. Look out for teenagers that stay late to clean up after an event without being asked or who go the extra mile in setting up. Those are the teenagers worth investing extra time and effort into!
3. When giving teenagers upfront roles give those roles to the hardest working teenagers, even if they are not as good or as comfortable in front of people. Their servant's heart will be reflected back onto the group and at the minimum your teenagers will get the hint that if they desire an upfront leadership role they must work and serve first before getting an opportunity to lead.

"One of the worst things a pastor can do is give someone a leadership role before they are ready for it."

4. Give small groups of teenagers different roles to carry out during youth group. For example, greeters, clean-up crew, etc. (At my previous church I had a small group simply go around and make sure every student had a Bible during small group time. This gave the group something to work hard at doing and was also beneficial to the spiritual climate of our group).
5. You and your youth workers MODEL what a servant's heart looks like! Things are caught way more than taught. If you want your teenagers to be hard working and servant leaders than YOU must lead the way! Are you?!?

Students working hard during a mission trip in KY!

 

Students working hard edging a flower bed at Wicker Park during a Saturday mission experience/outreach in Chicago during Momentum!