Impact 2009

For me, going to Impact in Des Moines, IA has always been a highlight. Since I was a High School student, I enjoyed going to downtown Des Moines, spending a couple days recalibrating my relationship with God and then coming home ready to hit the hard the running hard after Christ thing. I am excited that I now have the opportunity and privilege to take High School students to Impact this year. I'm excited to see what God will do in and through their lives as they are asked to think deeply about where they are with God and with each other. I have been taking Student Leadership teams for a few years now and it has always been something that helps us grow together in our relationship with each other and unify us as a group.

I am completely convinced that student leadership is imperative for student ministry to occur well. The dangers of having student leadership being invovled scare me for sure. Having students lead breeds a concept of exclusivity and I have to work very hard to fight against that. I have seen great student leaders leave our student ministry and do some great things for God in the contexts that they find themselves in. When I came to West E. Free, there was someone doing what I had always thought was a way to breed and develop leaders. She was working with a team to build team concept and leadership qualities and principles. Becky Lutes was finding ways to creatively build leaders.

One of my big rocks this year in student ministry is to develop leaders, both male and female, throughout student ministry. And I believe that as we continue to offer programs such as "basic training" (a beginning conceptual course on leadership) and "Servant Team" (A group of High School students that are committed to serving their youth group) we will have accomplished or at least moved more toward the goal of developing leaders throughout student ministries.

Man. I love what God is allowing me to do as I work with students. I met with a student leader this morning and to see what God is doing in his life is incredibly exciting. I pray for our students daily, that they would seek God first and that they would fall more and more in love with him all the time.

Anyway, I am looking forward to Impact 2009 in Des Moines, IA. God is working now as we prepare for this event!