Updated 4/4/12

In a recent post I talked about some good ministry ideas for the month of April.

April has the potential to be  a wasted month as students often shift into survival mode in regards to their classes, responsibilities… and really anything that doesn’t involve them being outside, enjoying the great spring weather.  It can be tempting, for those of us who serve these students, to follow suit… especially if we’re not sure where to go next.

One of the suggestions I made for making good use of the month of April was to use it as a time to recruit for, and begin to train towards, leadership positions for next year.

But how do you do this when we’re not sure where you’re headed?

Is it possible, or even wise, to recruit leaders for specific positions when we know big changes are likely coming?

As hard as it might be to conceive, I think the answer is YES.

Here’s why… if the alternative to recruiting now — in the unknown — is waiting until we have everything figured out, it may mean waiting to recruit our leaders until we’re well into the summer, or even next fall when classes resume — and our ministry is set to launch.

Future leaders are accessible now — even thinking about leadership next year right now — and will be much harder to track down over the summer… let alone the beginning of the fall term.

No, for most of us, waiting just isn’t an option.

We all know that you only get one start to the new academic year… one chance to make a first impression on new students, and a small window to draw in returning students who are trying to decide what their year will include.

In order to start the new school year with a swell of momentum, having leaders in place is essential.

In order to have leaders in place for the start of the school year we must take advantage of the closing weeks of the spring term… even if we don’t know exactly where we’re going — how our ministries will look — and what, exactly, will be needed of student leaders.

So how do we do this?  How do we get students to commit to something they aren’t able to fully conceptualize (because we aren’t able to yet either)?

I think there are a few keys to doing this:

1. Help students to catch the larger mission and vision for our ministry on campus. If they can see that, and understand how they will help to fulfill that mission and vision, they’ll be more willing to wait on us for some of the specifics for their particular position.
2. Help students to see how their gifts, talents and passions can further the work God has called us to on campus. Students love to know that they have something unique and important to add to our ministry efforts.
3. Be honest with them.  If we can effectively communicate with students some of the transitions our ministry is in the midst of, and why, they’ll hopefully feel more confident in signing on as a future leader with us.
4. Ask them to join us in praying for the upcoming year and the unfolding of all of the details that still need to take shape.

The way I see it, using the month of April as a time to build our leadership team for the upcoming year is crucial.

While waiting a month or two could bring more clarity to our specific leadership needs, trying to recruit leaders over the summer months could prove to be incredibly challenging… and ultimately, could end up leaving us under-staffed and overwhelmed as the new school year begins.

What do you think?

Is it better to wait and recruit leaders when we’ve got a full description of the position,

OR

Is it better to get leaders while they’re still on campus… regardless of whether we know exactly what we’re looking for?

I’d love to hear what you think!

Please take a moment to share your thoughts in the comment section below!