Last month FCA-MKC hosted what I think was one of our best Campus Leadership Training sessions yet.  Believe me, it was lights out!  Coaches and athletes got training on everything from Campus 101 to How to Lead a Bible Study.

One of the most common questions we hear as FCA staff is “How do we build a leadership team?”  Or “How do we get students to lead?”  Student leaders grow weary and want to share the load with more of their peers, and coaches want to see their Huddles be strong and dynamic.  Everyone is wondering how to get the right people in place – how do you know if they are strong in their faith?  How do you know they will be reliable?  Well, here is our best guess – a guess based on many years of combined experience with dozens of different Huddles – broken down into 4 principles for success.

Principle #1: Scout

Be on the lookout year round for great potential leaders – both students and coaches who would make a great addition to your Leadership Team.  What are you looking for?  Well, first you are looking for Christ-like character.  Take notice of the Christian coaches and athletes in your school and begin praying for and about them.  Watch how they work and how they play, how they lead and how they handle challenges.  Do they represent Christ well?  Do they share their faith with others?  Second, look for chemistry.  Will they work well with your existing leadership team?  Do they meet the needs you have on the team?  Do they compliment your existing leaders’ leadership style?  Third, consider calling.  When push comes to shove, the Lord has to lead both them and you to FCA, so make sure to always be in prayer about your leaders!

Timeline – February/March: Coaches and leadership teams make a list of potential leaders for your Huddle.  Consider what type of leaders you will need next year – vocal, up front leaders?  Hardworking leaders?  Organizers?  Who attends your Huddle regularly and with enthusiasm?  Perhaps there is an athlete who doesn’t come to the Huddle but who would add a lot to the team.  Maybe there is a coach who needs to join the team.  Who have you been mentoring this year to become a leader?  Do you have leaders from every graduating class?  And, most importantly, who is God calling to leadership?

Principle # 2: Tryout

So, you want to see your favorite potential leaders in action?  Give them opportunites to serve!  Although your current Leadership Team is responsible for the bulk of the organizing for your Huddle, consider ways to get other coaches and athletes involved.  Sharing testimonies, making posters, leading small groups, leading games, picking up breakfast…aren’t there lots of ways to share the load?  All you need to do is make sure your expectations are clear, then let some of your potential leaders learn the ropes so you can see how they do!

Timeline – Year Round!: Make sure you are letting Huddle members serve so you can see who steps up and does a great job.  Ask Christian coaches and athletes to attend the Huddle and to share their testimonies or lead groups.  When you have events, include your potential leaders on the planning team so that they can learn leadership and you can watch them lead.

Principle #3: Draft

Every team needs a process for selecting leaders.  At FCA, we recommend using the Student Leadership Application.  This allows you to gain a lot of background on potential leaders and determine if they are the right fit.  Many Huddles allow anyone to apply to be a leader; great Huddles also have their coaches and leaders invite their top “draft picks” to apply.  When inviting someone to apply, remember to let them know what leadership involves and why you think they’d do a great job.  Cast a vision for the impact they can have as part of the FCA Leadership Team, and give them plenty of time to pray and fill out their application.

Timeline – March/April:  Start handing out leadership applications and choosing your leaders.  Interview anyone that you need to interview, and try to make your final decision by early April!  Make sure to let people know IN PERSON – it’s the right thing to do.

Principle #4: Train

Pre-season training is one of the fondest memories of any athlete.  Not only is lots of work done on the field, but lots of bonding is done off of it.  Leading FCA is no different!  The ways your leadership team trains together in late spring and throughout the summer will set your trajectory for the school year.  Study the word together, pray together, have a retreat, go bowling, GO TO CAMP!  Become stronger in the faith and stronger as a team – this will make you more effective and make your leadership experience more enjoyable in the long run.

Timeline – April/May: Let your leaders join your Leadership Team in the spring so that they can see how it works for a month or two.  In their first months, really seek to serve your rookie leaders by building them up and making sure they are ready to lead.  Decide when your team is going to Leadership Camp and get signed up early!

Timeline – June/July/August: Meet together in the summer to study and pray together.  We recommend the FCA study on Daniel (for coaches) or the Fields of Faith Manual study on King Josiah.  Attend camp together and have a blast!  Get to know each others’ families and take time to pray for your campus.

As you can see, there are a lot of similarities between a sports team and an FCA Leadership Team.  Sometimes I think we take the tryout process for our sports more seriously than the process of choosing spiritual leaders.  Our hope is the these four principles help you create and gain confidence in your Leadership Team selection process, so that ultimately God can be glorified by they ways we serve Him!