TOO MUCH or TOO LITTLE of the Leader in a College Ministry?

Every well functioning organization has a clear leader.  The personality and style of the leader will shape the organization or the ministry.  Some college ministries are built totally around the personality and style of the leader.  Other leaders are much more in the background and work at staying there.  God uses people with a wide variety of gifts and personalities.

If there is too much of the leader in the ministry, it likely will shrink dramatically or disappear when that leader is gone.  Also, the response to the ministry depends almost solely on students' personal response to that personality.  Too little of a leader in a ministry usually means the ministry is a bit directionless.  It is difficult for decisions to be made or for there to be a clear direction and plan.  There is a balance between too much and too little of the leader's presence.

FINDING THE BALANCE BETWEEN TOO MUCH AND TOO LITTLE

1.  The personality and spiritual gifts of the leader will obviously be a significant factor in how much the leader is front and center.  A college ministry leader does not have to be up front all the time to be the leader.  Not all strong and large college ministries are led by "big personality" leaders.

2.  Accept the responsibility that being the leader of the ministry means....being the leader.  It does not mean you are smarter and that God only speaks through you.  But, someone must have the final say, develop the plan and cast the vision continually.

3.  The leader must look for ways to build up and develop student leaders and other volunteers.  This avoids "too much" of the leader.

4.  Listen to the students.  Create opportunities and times for students to to talk about what they see as the needs, strengths, and weaknesses of the ministry.  This will help avoid it being too much in the image of one person.

5.  Seek the input of wise people outside the ministry as to their observations.  Outsiders will often see things we cannot see or at least be objective about in terms of our leadership and direction of the ministry.

6.  Expose students to other strong leaders or speakers who will help them see there is not just one style of leadership or one view of things.

7.  Look for ways to involve non-student adult volunteers in leadership or up front roles that bring variety and greater stability to the ministry during and after your tenure as the leader.

This is adapted from Arliss' book, FIXING A BROKEN COLLEGE MINISTRY, which is available on Amazon.com in eBook format and paperback.  All of Arliss' college ministry books are available in eBook format for 99 cents each.