8. How to choose your YHC leader
Today is a pretty exciting day for youth students because they get to choose their new youth shepherds. Since we started this small group system called “flock” 4 years ago, we didn’t change any groups. Leaders changed mainly through graduation and new students came through their graduation in children’s ministry but group itself stayed the same. But not anymore.
Thankfully, 4 university students have volunteered to serve as YS (Youth Shepherd). They will be leading YHC (Youth House Church) for next 3 years. The reason we asked for such big commitment is to minimize leadership change. That means group won’t have to see a new leader they did not choose simply because the leader they chose graduated. We believe this can help students feel more secure knowing that they will have a leader who will stay with them at least for 3 years.
To clarify one thing, the goal of intergenerational ministry is not having both adults and youth do “everything” together. That is not only ineffective but impossible. We clearly recognize differences in needs of youth and adults. That’s why we have separate house church meetings, different bible study tracts, and adult or youth only events. To be precise, Intergenerational ministry is really about adults becoming more "intentional" about the faith formation of the next generation by getting deeply “involved” in their lives. It is because we concluded that youth need to have an “adult” role model (person) and a community they feel belong (place) to grow and mature. YHC is where youth will get the “person” and the “place” for their faith formation.
Since the new YHC will be the spiritual home for next 3 years, I encourage all youth students to make careful selection, hopefully through prayer. For youth students, my advice is this: “Choose your LEADER not your members.” What I mean by this is that try not to choose your leader simply because your best friend is choosing her. It is for your best interest to choose the leader that “you” like and want to follow after because ultimately the leader will have the most influence in your growth as a person. This will ensure that you actually enjoy your church life.
For youth students, you will be given three choices. Most of younger students and VIPs will get their first choice and the rest will be distributed based on your choices but I will try my best to honor your preference as much as possible. I will be the only one who will know about your selections. It would be important to realize that it will take some time and even effort to make your group experience the best one. That means your group experience will ultimately dependant on how “you” decide to treat your leader and other members of your group. I hope all students would find the group they feel belong and grow in their love for God as a result.
