“The Day I Stepped Back and Let Them Lead”

Breanne on the 2012 L.I.T. Mission Trip in Texas.

“Brother Clint, you need to back off and let us do this. We are ready to lead the trip.” Breane was about 14 years old when she approached me during our mission trip in Granbury, Texas. We had approximately 180 preteens and leaders from ten churches on this six-day mission trip. This was the first day.

When she said this to me, I was taken aback. The first thing I thought was, “Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father” (1 Timothy 5:1). Just as I was about to rebuke her, the Lord spoke to my heart and said, “This is what you have been preparing them for.”

I looked at her and said, “Okay, you guys take over.” I stepped back and let them take the lead. And they did just that. They really shone. I had been training and mentoring them since they were preteens. As I stepped back, their creativity accelerated. They made great changes and improvements to the trip. It was their mission trip now. They looked over at me at times to make sure I was still there.

You may think I am a little crazy for letting a group of very young teens run a mission trip with adults and preteens. The adults naturally recognized them as leaders and did what they asked. The goal was to pass the baton to the next generation. They took it and ran with it.

One of my mentors, Jim Wideman, once said, “If you leave your ministry today and it falls apart, you were a lousy minister. You did not do what you were called to do.” For some of us, it is hard to hand off what we love doing so much. We may think, “This is my ministry, not theirs.” But it is not our ministry; it is HIS ministry. When we do ministry the Lord’s way, we will bless many kids, students, and adult leaders in our churches and ministries.

After 35 years in ministry, my ministry continues—not because of me, but because it is now in the hands of others. That is discipleship: when the mentee becomes the mentor, the player becomes the coach, and you reproduce yourself in others. There is great joy in this because the very thing you love to do in ministry continues through someone you took the time to disciple, train, and release.

Here are some steps to take:

1.  Understand that this is every minister's calling: to equip the saints for works of ministry (Ephesians 4:11–13; Matthew 28:19–20).

2.  Create an environment where kids can serve. Look for meaningful places for them to serve in your ministry.

3.  Offer clear job descriptions and training, just as you do for adult leaders. They need to know what is expected of them.

4.  Be okay when it is not perfect. Allow them to make mistakes, just as you did when you started out.

5.  When they are faithful in small things, release them to do the next big thing.

6.  Make a list of the things you least enjoy doing in your ministry, then train and release kids to do them.