As a parent one of the things I pray most for is that God will keep my children safe. I can remember going to the extreme with this and when our first child was born literally praying on a regular basis that no one would drop my son. If you are a parent you can probably relate. When our children are sick or hurt we take them to the doctor and expect the best. Imagine one day finding out that your child has a major heart problem that requires immediate attention. Would you go to the hospital and ask for the intern or guy that just got out of school and has never worked on a heart? No way, you would want the best doctor available to take care of your most prized possesion. Unfortunatly within church world youth and children's ministry is sometimes looked at as second string. It is for the people that aren't yet qualified to work with adults but have energy and potential. Why would we settle for a second string team when dealing with a students soul? As you look at your ministry/organization, are the people working with children and students second stringers? If so why and how can you change this culture? Here are a couple thoughts. 

• Recruit the Best! Instead of looking for the coolest person in your church to work with youth, look for leaders. These are people with a track record of excellence in other areas of life. If they love God, young people, and have a teachable spirit you can train them to do the rest. Who are the 5 best leaders in your church and have you ever approached them about working with youth?

• Don't be a second string leader! If you are going to lead a team of growing leaders then the assumption is that you must be a growing leader. Have you noticed that it is hard for you to attract quality people to serve in the youth ministry? If so take a look in the mirror. If you were a growing leader looking for a place to invest your time and gifts would you follow you? If not, start with some basic disciplines like daily time in God's Word, reading good leadership books, and excercising on a regular basis. 

Over the next weeks and months my prayer is that through this blog we can diolog on topics that will assist us all in being Godly Leaders in our organizations. Lets not settle for second string!