You likely have a group of students whom you’re trying to develop in their faith and leadership skills. They may even be involved in other ministries in your church or volunteering in the community. But how do they piece all those parts together?

Here are some suggestions for helping that student make sense of all they’re experiencing.

  • Do they have someone (or group of people) who they can bring all those pieces to? This could be a parent, a family friend, maybe even you. They may have a cluster of individuals to share all these experiences with and attempt to discern God’s direction through them. (Even better!) The point is, do they at least have one person. Check to see who that might be. (For the rest of this article, let’s assume it’s you.)
  • What are they drawing from those experiences? Do they match what their original expectations were? Essentially, it’s debriefing and discerning what is God teaching and shaping through those opportunities.
  • How does one experience influence another? While it’s relatively easy to look at each one individually, the learning deepens when they integrate how all those experiences into a coherent plan based on God’s guidance. Sometimes, it takes another set of eyes to see the “pattern” that emerges when it all pieces together.
  • Expand beyond their comfort zone. There are some areas where we feel comfortable in serving. However, what happens when you step into something unknown. That’s partially why we run the Slingshot program (in the process of being revamped). It’s a short-term experience that hones into 1-2 key areas of development. Like a slingshot, that person is in an high energy, intensive situation and hopefully will be propelled with more energy and intention in the direction God has set. (If you know of anyone at least 16 years old or older, have them check out cboqyouth.ca/slingshot).

Who is walking with the emerging leaders within your ministry? Helping them piece together what God’s intending is part of our mission to serve the upcoming generation.