Youth workers ask me all the time:
“What’s the best way to pick student leaders?”
My answer usually surprises them:
You shouldn’t pick student leaders.
If we’re serious about building a leadership culture in youth ministry, we have to move away from the idea that some students are leaders—and others are not.
The Problem with “Picking” Student Leaders
Most youth ministries start leadership development by choosing students who seem “ready.”
But here’s the question:
Who decides what “ready” looks like?
Typically, we choose students who:
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Behave well
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Show up consistently
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Already demonstrate leadership traits
Then we place them into leadership roles and call it success.
But let’s be honest—that’s not leadership development.
That’s leadership recognition.
It’s like picking winning lottery numbers after they’ve already been drawn.
The Students You’re Overlooking Are Already Leading
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Some of the strongest leaders in your ministry may not look like leaders at all.
You know the students:
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Their attitude shapes the room
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Their engagement (or lack of it) influences others
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Their sarcasm spreads quickly
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Their energy drives group culture—for better or worse
They are already leading.
The problem isn’t their ability to lead—it’s their direction.
Their leadership motor is running. You just need to grab the rudder.
When we ignore these students because they’re “not ready,” we miss one of the greatest leadership development opportunities in our ministry.
A Better Model: Teach Leadership to Every Student
Instead of asking, “Who should we pick?”
Start asking, “How do we train everyone?”
Leadership isn’t a title—it’s a skill set.
And every student will lead at some point in life:
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In friendships
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On teams
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In school
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In their future careers
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In the Kingdom of God
So why limit leadership development to a small group?
Teach leadership to everyone.
Why This Approach Changes Your Ministry
When you stop picking leaders and start developing them:
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You create a culture where leadership is expected, not exclusive
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You multiply influence instead of concentrating it
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You turn passive students into active contributors
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You prepare students for real-life leadership beyond youth group
And here’s the result:
You’ll never have a shortage of leaders again.
Leadership Development Starts with You
If you want to develop leaders, you have to grow as a leader.
You can’t disciple students if you’re not being discipled.
And you can’t develop leaders if you’re not developing yourself.
Find a mentor.
Invest in your leadership growth.
Learn how to coach, not just manage.
As you grow, you’ll naturally begin to develop others.
Final Challenge for Youth Workers
Stop treating leadership like fruit at the grocery store:
“Is this student ripe enough yet?”
Instead, start cultivating leaders.
Invest in students who are overlooked.
Redirect students who are leading in the wrong direction.
Equip every student with leadership principles.
Because the goal of youth ministry isn’t to identify leaders—
It’s to develop them.
Note: This post was updated in March 2026 to give you the most current information.
