We have been a ‘leader-centered’ ministry since 1941. It is one of the marks of the mission and one of the elements that sets us apart from other organizations. Now, in a culture where identifying faithful volunteer leadership is increasingly more difficult, we are seeing a desire to elevate the role so that we are able to recruit, train, and retain the next Young Life LEADER and not just find another volunteer.
(Peter to Porthos)“This is absurd. It's just a dog.”
(J.M. Barrie )“Just a dog, Just? Porthos, don't listen!
Porthos dreams of being a bear, and you want to shatter those dreams by saying he's JUST a dog? What a horrible candle-snuffing word. That's like saying, "He can't climb that mountain, he's just a man", or "That's not a diamond, it's just a rock." JUST.”
(Peter) “Fine then, turn him into a bear, if you can”
(J.M. Barrie) ”With those eyes, my bonny lad, I’m afraid you’d never see it”.
FINDING NEVERLAND- J.M. Barrie, Creator of Peter Pan
I hear the statement often. “Well, you know, I am JUST a volunteer.” Ouch! Nothing hurts quite like that. I sometimes wonder if it reveals the deterioration in status of a critical community of individuals in the mission of Young Life. If the statement is true, we are acknowledging some shifts in volunteerism that will be challenging to reverse.
That volunteer’s JUST...
HELP achieve someone else’s vision.
ATTEND events and that is appreciated but not critical.
CONTRIBUTE, but feel the mission of YL could be done without them.
SUPPORT the work, but are expendable.
What a horrible candle-snuffing word ‘JUST!’ Maybe we have incompletely labeled the thousands of individuals who serve as the owners, backbone, and lifeblood of the Young Life ministry. Some current mislabels are:
YL VOLUNTEER - (noun) A person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or help undertake a task.
YL COUNSELOR -(noun) A person trained to give guidance on personal, social, or spiritual problems.
YL CHAPERONE - (noun) A person who accompanies and looks after another person or group of people.
Volunteer, counselor, chaperone are partially true descriptions, but we don’t just take part - we lead. We don’t just give guidance, we speak truth. We don’t just accompany, we share life. These titles identify an element of the role but not the heart. What if we shifted from ‘JUST’ to ‘MORE THAN.’ The person in your community that owns the ministry without being compensated is significantly ‘more than’ a volunteer; they are invested, passionate, and irreplaceable because they are LEADERS! What would happen if we aligned our rhetoric with our actions and gave them the care, development, and voice that they deserve? I believe the result would be more, well-trained leaders then we have had in our 80 year history.
Young Life LEADER - (noun) the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or ministry.
In my experience, here are the two key questions and answers we need to acknowledge regarding volunteer leadership:
Question 1. WHY DO YL LEADERS LEAD ?
They have a heart for Christ and adolescents.
They want to give back because someone was there to lead them to Jesus.
They have a desire to be stretched and challenged in faith.
Question 2. WHY DO LEADERS STAY?
They found a niche where their gifting is being utilized and they are experiencing community.
They see transformation in themselves and the adolescents they serve.
They grow in their faith.
It takes a community to reach a community and when that happens, everyone is changed! When done correctly, we all LEAD. We LEAD in relationship, authenticity, guidance, and by example. Ultimately, we LEAD toward an encounter with a living and loving God, and that is not ‘just’ something we do, it is ‘more than’ our eyes could ever imagine witnessing.
FINAL THOUGHT: I have noticed when volunteer leaders’ sense of ownership grows their description of their role changes as well. They shift from saying phrases like:
“I HELP run a YL Club.” - to -
“This School is where I choose to MINISTER.”
Which phrase describes your team? We will always be grateful for more volunteers, but we really need leaders engaged in ministry!
A CHALLENGE: Take some time with your team to discuss the difference between volunteer and leader. What is the current state of things in your mission community and what could be done to change it this year?
Written by Ken Tankersley (kenbtank@gmail.com)