This is not an attempt to prove the scriptural soundness of Lads-to-Leaders. Lads-to-Leaders is a tool through which the church (Titus 2:4, 6) and the home (Eph. 6:4) train and raise children in the sight of the Lord. Those who quibble over Lads-to-Leaders from a Biblical standpoint must also take the same stand against any organization that carries out various aspects of the Lord’s work.
Our elders have decided to support the work that is done in the lives of our young people through Lads-to-Leaders. Therefore, we follow their lead in supporting this effort.
Both Amanda and I are Lads-to-Leaders Alumni. We have been instilled with irreplaceable attitudes, skills, and knowledge because our home church and our parents encouraged us in its spiritual involvement. We know first-hand about the doors that Lads-to-Leaders opens. If you will, notice some specific reasons why I’m a fan of Lads-to-Leaders:
Lads-to-Leaders allows for diverse spiritual growth. Over the past three decades, Lads-to-Leaders has grown in countless ways. One of the ways this benefits our young people is by offering them many different opportunities for growth. Lads-to-Leaders encourages young people by giving them an opportunity to display their strengths and build experience in new areas. Each young person is important; therefore, there is something for each of them.
Lads-to-Leaders allows for growth in the home. While the program is organized on the congregational level, the bulk of the work is intended to be done within each child’s home. The best place to practice speeches and song 
leading is at home. Parents can assist their children with their puppet lines each night at home. Parents who read the Bible and memorize scripture along with their children set a powerful example of spiritual maturity.
Young people spend time together. This is the most important aspect of the “youth group” in any church. Our children need to spend time together. Granted, what they’re doing when they’re together is important, but being together is the first step. Lads-to-Leaders provides a framework for different relationships to be built within our church family. This opportunity is priceless.
Young people acquire the single-most important attribute for spiritual growth: confidence. Of all the possible attributes to build through Lads-to-Leaders, I think spiritual confidence is the greatest. We must make sure we are not prideful and haughty (1 Cor. 10:12). However, many of today’s young people are going through life without any confidence in either themselves or the ones they love. Most importantly, Lads-to-Leaders helps young people get to know their Lord better. Having confidence and trust in Him is at the core of our spiritual existence (Heb. 11:6). Additionally, we should have personal confidence and security in ourselves as God’s creation (Ps. 139:13-16). Lads-to-Leaders can open our children’s eyes to the wonderful purpose they serve in the Kingdom.
For those households who do not participate in Lads-to-Leaders in some way, how confident are you about the spiritual growth and maturation of your children? Are you able to give them the opportunities they need (and deserve) to grow in the sight of the Lord? We all know that is a difficult task. That is why Lads-to-Leaders exists: to help train young people toward spiritual growth. As parents, they want to help you! If you have any interest in participating whatsoever, we would love to have you stay after the PM Service so that we can answer any questions you have. We love our young people; we know you do too. Let’s make sure we’re doing all we can to help them.
2 comments:
I am not a fan of Lads-to-Leaders/Leaderettes for the following reasons:
-As you say in your article, “Young people acquire the single-most important attribute for spiritual growth: confidence.” This is wrong. The single most important attribute for spiritual growth is studying the Bible and truly understanding what God wants you to do according to his Word. Shouldn't that be the main goal? L/L sounds like Toast Masters with a little religion sprinkled in. The emphasis of Lads is centered on how well you present the message, not the message.
-It has too much emphasis on competition. Again, it is all about how well someone speaks/sings. What about those kids who don’t have this talent? Someone doesn’t necessarily have to possess these skills proficiently to lead individuals to Christ. Besides, there are plenty of false teachers who speak well (i.e. Joel Osteen and the like). There is nothing wrong with training young men* how to be good speakers or singers in the worship assembly, however it doesn’t have to be done through the Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes program that is flawed. Why can’t the local Church do this?
-The conventions appear to be a huge pep rally. The conventions intermingle with all sorts of churches. This includes churches that a flaming liberal and do not teach the truth (women ministers, etc.)
-The Leaderettes portion is wrong. This is feminism spreading through the Church. Why are we teaching young women to lead a worship assembly? Why not teach them how to conduct the Lord’s Supper? This will cause young women to question their roles. You already see women’s roles changing in the Church. Some Churches have women ministers for the youth. Also, there are fathers questioning why they cannot sit in when their daughters and teaching or singing. Again, there is nothing inherently wrong with women knowing how to communicate in public or to have craft hobbies, but this can be done in programs outside of L/L (like school). Why not teach young women what is instructed in Titus 2:5?
-L/L is a program to fill in for parents who don’t do their job. It is the parent’s responsibility to train up their children. Since many parents don’t do this, some Churches use L/L to substitute. Maybe the Church should focus on training the parents?
I have personally been around L/L long enough to see its flaws. It has its good qualities, but overall it is flawed; and if some of it is flawed, the entire program needs to be reconsidered. Remember, this is a man-made program. Churches seem to be jumping into this program feet first all because other congregations are doing it. It probably is an attempt to retain the youth that seem to leave the church in droves. This is a parent problem that is a result of spiritual weakness. Attack the spiritual weakness problem and this will help retain the youth.
Anon,
Thanks for the comment. It is unfortunate you did not have the courage to identify yourself. It's a lot easier to be negative under the shroud of anonymity (and you can't be held to your words as easily, either). But that aside, I appreciate your concerns.
I'm not going to take the time to argue every little nitpick thing you mentioned (just like you didn't take the time to name yourself).
On your first point of contention, I still think confidence is the single most important ATTRIBUTE today's young people need for spiritual growth. Many young people grow up thinking they can't be good enough for their parents, the church, and even God. In my opinion--when used correctly--L/L helps to enstill within young people the attitude that "they are needed" in the church and their talents, abilities, concerns, etc. are important to God and to His people. Just to clarify, I would argue that Bible study/prayer is the most important HABIT for spiritual growth. I think there is a clear difference. Bible study is not an attribute/attitude. It's something we do that affects who we are.
I would encourage you to prayerfully do some more research about how things currently are with L/L. In my opinion, it has never been better. I may be wrong, but I think there are now more non-competitive events than there are competitive. Just like the program itself, the Leaderettes portion is optional. If there continues to be Ladies' Days, Retreats, etc., then our young ladies need to be trained in some of these areas. Additionally, there is far more to L/L than just giving a speech or leading a song. I'm sorry you have the impression that these are the only events. In my opinion, the Bible Bowl portion is extremely impressive. What locally organized Bible Bowl forces young people to be responsible for an entire book (Joshua this year) all at one time? It is very thorough and helpful.
Finally, just because I'm a fan of L/L doesn't mean I agree with how everyone else does it. For some, it might replace the job of the parents, but that's a problem that can (and does) happen with youth programs, Timothy classes, Sunday morning/Wed PM classes, etc. That's a problem that local elders need to address. It's their job to make sure their members participate in L/L in the best ways possible. I think L/L has done an excellent job at encouraging things to be done right over the past 3-5 years.
Since you have such grave concerns, I hope you have voiced these to the L/L administration. Dr. Johnson is a well-qualified individual and I'm sure he'd love to discuss these things with you in the spirit of Matt. 18.
Also, I would love to hear how you train young people through tools other than L/L. The church as a whole is not raising young men and women to be leaders in the church, so I'd love to hear how you're doing your part. How are you "fixing parents" and therefore "fixing youth?"
Thanks again for the input...
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