It's Tuesday which means blog day!  I was recently talking to a younger friend about his future and he felt like his not-to-distant future will involve upfront church leadership.  He cited the fact that people talk about his leadership abilities often.  I asked him the same question that I ask anybody that tells me they are made for leadership.  "Look behind you, is anyone following you?"  I'm not sure where I got that question, probably retained it from a John C. Maxwell video that a senior pastor made the staff watch or perhaps I came across it during a mandatory read of some Bill Hybels book, regardless of where I get the question, it's a good one.  
    The childhood game, Follow the Leader, is not very fun by yourself.  What's the point in putting yourself in awkward, even dangerous positions, if no one will follow?  (Ok, so the analogy isn't perfect, but you get the point.)  You may consider yourself a gifted and effective leader, but if there's no one lining up behind you, you may just be a loner.
    If you are a youth pastor or volunteer reading this I'm going to go ahead and assume that you have some leadership abilities.  That those leadership abilities have been affirmed by your church/youth leadership, that people are following you and that someone is investing in that gift to help you become a better leader.  (Yes, I know, that is an incredibly bold assumption, but if the leaders above you are effective leaders they are pouring into you as a leader so that you, as an effective leader, can pour into those coming after you.)
    Now that we've established that you have some level of leadership, the most important question is, "Where are you leading them?"  Have you ever had a free afternoon in an unfamiliar city and you had no agenda?  Perhaps you are in Toronto and you want to get to the CN Tower.  You have no timeline, no pressing schedule, you just want to get there eventually and enjoy the company while you do it.  It can be fun getting lost, driving in circles, recognizing streets you've already driven, taking in the sites, sounds and smells of your host city, stopping at interesting shops along the way and keeping your eye out for famous people (as a side note, I did run into Ed Robertson of the Bare Naked Ladies last time I was in Toronto).  When you are on vacation it can be so fun to get lost.  When you are a leader, especially a youth pastor/leader, you need to know where you are going.  It is no fun to be in the car with a leader who has some idea of an eventual nice-to-get-there-if-we-can goal but no discernable plan to get there.
    As youth pastors, we are often very laid back and our methods may not be "conventional" but we do need to have a clear vision of where we want to go.  Do you know where you are going?  Do you have a clear vision of where you want your students to be one year from now?  Do you have any idea how to get them there?  Are you able to communicate your vision to your volunteers and church leadership?  Several months ago I wanted to evaluate my communication so I asked our small groups a number of diagnostic questions.  One of them was, "Based on my teaching, your small groups and youth events, what do you think are the 5 most important things I want you to take out of youth ministry?"  I have to admit I was pleased that they were getting it.  
    As I candidate for my next youth pastor position I will ask different team members, both staff and volunteer, what is the church's main vision?  What would cause someone to drive past other churches to get to yours?  What would attract a non-church-going person to your church?  Can the people in your church and ministry answer that question?