One of the Greatest Act of Teen Leadership I Have Witnessed

The following is from my friend Tim Eldred's newsletter for Christian Endeavor. It is a powerful story of getting out of the way and letting students :

And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12)

Sunday night, I was schooled by a teen who showed great, great humility. To top it off, his peers responded with immense grace. It was a beautiful display of Christian leadership.

The Back Story: A few weeks ago, the Vice-President of our church's Endeavor got into some trouble (to put it mildly). Now, he's a great 17-year-old kid with a lot of potential. Over the last few years, I've been excited to see him discover more about who he is and what God can do through him. Nonetheless, he's still learning. This time the lesson was costly; he was expelled from school.

As a result of his actions, his peers were hurt and deeply disappointed. Although his behavior was out of character, it would still earn him consequences, even in the context of his Christian community.

At Endeavor, we function with one crucial principle:"Never do anything for young people that they can learn to do themselves." Translation - these teens would have to police their own and determine what consequences were appropriate.

Now, I got to play the role that all adult leaders should learn to play - I got to be the COACH. I sat down with the President and Vice-President in a private meeting and laid out the situation for them. We talked about the options, alternatives, and potential problems in light of each scenario. I asked a lot of questions, but I didn't give any answers. And, I didn't make the decision. That's not my job. No. I sent them and the rest of the leadership team into the conference room to grapple with the situation and find their own solution.

Without any coercing, the Vice-President asked for forgiveness and resigned from his position. He humbly requested greater accountability from his peers and a way to regain their trust. The leadership team responded with amazing skill and incredible grace. Clearly, they had been listening to past lessons; they had been learning from past situations. They had the skills to navigate through a delicate and potentially painful situation without an adult in the driver's seat. Together, THEY reached resolution.

After some prayer, tears, and hugs, they emerged. Stronger. More experienced. Empowered. And even more in love with each other than before. In the end, they grew because we got out of their way and trusted in their abilities. That's what happens when adults learn their place and let youth learn by doing. 

Humility is the greatest virtue a leader can possess. I must admit, it's not at the top of my list of strengths. But, I'm working on it. I'm still learning...from teens. There's probably a lesson in this for many of us.

To find out more about Timothy Eldred and Christian Endeavor, please visit: http://www.christianendeavor.com & http://timothyeldred.wordpress.com