This is part two of a two-part series on inspiring, challenging, and equipping kids to lead. If you haven’t already read it, check out part one here.

Allowing kids organic opportunities to serve is important to the life of your church and the spiritual growth of all ages. If you’ve got a crew of older kids that are ready to take that next step into more official servant leadership roles, I have some ideas on how you might move forward, in the form of a new project we’ve been working on.

Preteens, especially, get caught in the middle of things. They’re not really kids, but they’re not really teenagers. They’re ready to take on more responsibility, but not quite ready for the freedom afforded to many adolescents. I wrote about preteens and all their weirdness in a previous blog. You can check it out here.

Recognizing this weird, stuck-in-the-middle preteen status, we set out to help them establish some identity and begin to take ownership of natural gifts they’ve been honing.

From the desire to help encourage and inspire young leaders, Lead Team was created. Lead Team adds structure to already existing opportunities to serve, giving preteens confidence and laying out clear expectations of their leadership!

We have taken the ideas from years of preteen leadership ministries, at several different churches, and combined them into one easy-to-use program.

Lead Team helps to encourage preteens in 4 ways:

1. It gives them identity. As preteens begin to view themselves differently, Lead Team gives adults the opportunity to begin recognizing the maturity and leadership found in the age group.

2. It gives them new purpose. Everyone wants to feel like they have a place and purpose in a church. Lead Team was created to make space for preteens to find their place.

3. It gives them opportunities to lead. Developing leaders at a young age, encourages continued leadership as they grow and mature.

4. It gives them opportunities to train. Lead Team provides preteens the opportunity to experience the concepts and importance of mentorship.

We want your preteens to be successful and feel a deep connection to the church. We want them to learn what it means to serve the church community and begin to foster a culture of servanthood that could carry them forward as teenagers and eventually adults!

Taking the opportunity to put them in important leadership positions in your children’s ministry can do just this.