Why We Kick Off Lads to Leaders So Early
When this post will be released, we will be just a few days from kicking off Lads to Leaders at Central for the 2022-2023 year with a meeting, meal, and our first event sign-ups. Last year, when we did this so early, I literally got messages from preachers and youth ministers telling me we were nuts.
They may have been right, but here we are again. Why?
It is because of what we saw at the national convention in Nashville just a few weeks ago. Central is not a large congregation. We are not one of those churches that brings triple-digits in attendees to convention (this year was our largest group ever, and we had about 50). But…our young people brought home well over 100 awards (117 to be exact, but who’s counting?).
I do not say that to brag. I say that because those awards were the direct result of a lot of hard work by them, encouragement from many, … and a plan!
And that is why we kick off so early. We lay out events that are “year-round” events and truly make them year-round. Events such as Centurion of Scripture, Good Samaritan, Year-Round Bulletin Board, and Read the Word will begin almost immediately (this year, on June 5). Other events such as Keepers, Providers, GIFTS, and Headed to the Office will get underway in late summer. [NOTE: If you have no idea what these events are, click HERE to get to the Lads to Leaders rulebook, which explains them all.]
By doing things this way, more young people are more likely to be willing to sign up for these types of events because they know they are working on a little at a time. Too many places “kick off” in the fall and then try to jam in dozens of events in just a handful of months (or even weeks). That’s fine to a degree, but young people will be discouraged from working on some of these things that take a long time because they are pressured by the calendar.
Instead, we try to encourage our young people and families to work on several of the year-round events throughout the year and, then, when it’s “crunch time” to finish and get ready for convention, there is no real “crunch!”
Further, doing this can help encourage families with family devotionals. After all, their kids may really want to Know the Books or memorize 100 verses for Centurion of Scripture. What better thing could you do for a family devo than those sorts of things!
I am not saying that every congregation has to do it this way. I am simply suggesting that it works very well for us and has greatly increased our participation in Lads to Leaders. Plus, if these year-round events are completed, the young people are guaranteed those awards for doing the work. There really is no reason why any student should not get some award at L2L!
So, for us, it’s about time to kick off, and then, to God’s glory, see these young people grow in so many areas over the next few months.
[If you would like to know more about our plan, use the Facebook Messenger button in the lower right-hand corner to send me a note, or reach out another way.]
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AUTHOR: Adam Faughn
