Youth Ministry Resources: Being real means that you practice what you preach, that you walk the talk. If young people hear you say one thing, but see something else entirely in your daily life, they will stop listening to you.

How real are you?

You lead by example, it’s as simple as that. Yet as youth leaders, we often fail to realize what that means. We think it means we need to become a good example, to show the right behavior to our youth. We think it means we need to be perfect in every way, that we need to work hard at maintaining a good Christian ‘look’.

We don’t realize we already are an example because from the moment we serve in youth ministry, young people are watching us. We already are an example, the question is just how good of an example we are.

Just think about it: what do students see when they watch you?

What do they see you read?

What do they see you watch?

What do they see you listen to?

What do they hear you say?

What do they see you do?

The most important things young people are looking for in a youth leader is authenticity. They don’t need you to be perfect, they don’t need you to have all the answers and know everything, they need you to be real.

Being real means that you practice what you preach, that you walk the talk. If young people hear you say one thing, but see something else entirely in your daily life, they will stop listening to you.

So the question is: how real are you? How good an example are you?

Answering this question can be quite confrontational, because not a single one of us is perfect. We all have our faults and shortcomings and we all make mistakes, including ones in youth ministry. But that’s okay. Being a good example isn’t about making zero mistakes, it’s about admitting you’ve made them and then handling these mistakes the right way. Saying your sorry and correcting the wrong you’ve done, it will have such an impact…

Young people will learn more form authentic leaders willing to share their lives, including their mistakes and failures, than they will ever learn from sermons and Bible studies. Jesus didn’t just teach either, He practiced what He preached and it was His actions as much as His words that made people want to follow Him.

How real are you? What will you do to be a leader worth following?