Inviting Young People to the Table
What do you picture when you think of a church board?
It's unlikely that you're imagining a group that includes 18-25 year olds. And in many ways, there is a good reason for that. Boards, however your church or denomination has approached them, call for wisdom, character, experience, and skills that take time to nurture and build. When we think of young adults serving in our churches, we rarely envision them sitting in positions that relate to vision, doctrine, governance or finances. Young people are often encouraged to serve in areas like youth ministry, worship ministry, or in outreach roles as these ministries often provide opportunities for leadership development and give space for young volunteers to grow in the competence and confidence necessary to effectively serve others.
But where does someone get trained to sit on a church board? This is the challenge that Soul Sanctuary is working to solve.
Soul Sanctuary is a vibrant church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, planted in 2004 by pastors Gerry and Sharon Michalski. In 2019 they launched the Steering Committee Leaders in Training ministry, an opportunity for younger adults to learn and experience servant leadership and decision making in the context of the local church. Soul Sanctuary’s board, known as a Steering Committee, is a group of men and women who oversee the staff and general direction of their community. When talking with Jordan, the Executive Pastor, about why they would include young people on their board, his response was simple: “Why wouldn’t we?”
“Why wouldn’t we?”
For a church like Soul Sanctuary, investing in and developing the next generation of leaders is a part of their DNA. It’s commonplace for young people throughout their church to be regularly tasked with significant positions of leadership and challenge. So though there were (of course) unique caveats to thoughtfully consider, inviting young people into the highest level of church decision-making made sense.
“It’s about bringing young people into a healthy environment, to form and develop them,”
So what does it look like?
Well to clarify right off the bat, it doesn’t look like 18-year-olds voting on the Lead Pastor, discerning doctrinal decisions, or approving budgets. But it does look like those young adults being given a voice in the discussion and a seat at the table.
Here is the general idea:
For a term of two years, four individuals ages 18-25, who are nominated by others in the church, and approved by the Steering Committee, can serve as non-legal and non-voting advisors to the committee. This ministry is designed to encourage these young people to be a voice of representation for the young people of Soul Sanctuary while also participating in committee discussions and meetings. Each of the young adults is paired with another committee member who acts as a mentor, reviewing the agenda prior to meetings and discussing the minutes afterward.
“We want to develop the next generation of church leaders, today.”
“It’s about bringing young people into a healthy environment, to form and develop them,” says Jordan. “The key is to give them a seat at the table, to allow them into the decision making processes and for them to offer their insights and experiences as they seek to serve the church.” It’s not just a form of tokenism or a chance to listen in, but an invitation to serve, invest and learn what it means to lead with integrity from a position of ecclesial authority.
The vision of the Leader in Training ministry is simple: “We want to develop the next generation of church leaders, today.”
As many of us know, it can be easy to put off choices that matter for the future, especially if those choices present us with difficulties or challenges in the present. We can end up looking back, wishing we had done something yesterday so that we could have the leaders we need today. As you think about developing the next generation in your church, we hope this story of what Soul Sanctuary is doing can inspire you to think about the whole spectrum of gifts and skills that young people can employ in your church; that God would give you imagination for how you can prepare a seat at the table for young people in your community, whether it’s a board table or a different table altogether.
And ultimately, we are praying that the Lord would give each of you reading this the wisdom, creativity and thoughtfulness needed to begin cultivating the leaders of tomorrow, today.
Thank you to Jordan Michalski (Winnipeg, Manitoba) for sharing this story with us!