Equip Your WyldLife Leaders
We are incredibly grateful for the hundreds of staff and volunteers who serve as WyldLife team leaders; this ministry does not happen without them.
In the United States, 75 percent of WyldLife ministries have team leaders who are part-time staff or volunteers. These leaders get to build relationships and share the gospel with middle schoolers – a unique group of kids who don’t see, feel or experience things in the same ways as high school students. So it is important that WyldLife team leaders understand how to meet middle school kids where they are.
During this stay-at-home season, we offered a series of online classes just for WyldLife leaders. More than 400 leaders from 42 states and 3 countries participated in the classes which focused on how specific ministry tools must be used differently when working with middle school kids.
Leaders learned about club talks, Campaigners, contact work, and sharing the gospel in a WyldLife setting. They also learned how to create a parent communication plan and how to connect with parents who are not as available – both important when working with kids whose parents manage their schedules, transportation and finances. In the final class, leaders learned how to build a discipleship program for high school students that gives them the opportunity to serve as WyldLife leaders.
The classes received a great response. One team leader said, “You did such a great job of packing in material about why middle school kids are unique. I can't believe how much I learned in 55 minutes.” She added that she can’t wait to share what she learned with the leaders on her team.
Another WyldLife leader said, “I loved hearing from the panel who have diverse and difficult experiences but have overcome and stayed so faithful.”
It’s not too late to train your WyldLife team leaders – or your entire WyldLife leadership team. The recordings of the Zoom classes and additional materials are available in the WyldLife Toolbox on Staff Resources.
Tell us if there are additional middle-school-specific topics that would be helpful for your team. Send your ideas to wyldlife@sc.younglife.org.
Written by: Julie Clapp