I watched some students take on the world

And this is what I learned

Just last night I got to witness something that really inspired me. I attended my first ever school board meeting. I was in attendance as a representative to receive thanks for what a lot of organizations were able to do for Carmichael's Back to School Bash. It was really humbling, and a great honor to be asked to do this. Now, I've got to be honest; the rest of the board meeting was pretty boring. I sat through so many discussions that didn't interest me and certainly weren't designed for entertainment purposes. Discussions on topics such as budgets, resignations, and a riveting economic and environmental detail on the high school's proposed HVAC system. Suffice it to say, I'm not itching to attend another one.

There was something I saw at the meeting that inspired me, and it was something that I think the church has missed. One major point of discussion was budget cuts. A word that every public school in America is extremely familiar with, and a word that feels so daunting. Whenever I hear of budget cuts from anywhere, I just get the immediate sense of defeat. I think, "Well, they know the budget best, and they can't make money just magically appear to fund all this stuff so something had to go and I can't argue for or against it." I have never once even had the motivation to attack budget cuts because, well... why would I?

When I was in high school, our budget cuts affected the fine arts, just like in almost any high school. We didn't fight against it. We rolled our sleeves up and made theater and band happen with less funding. It was still a great experience. This is the same situation that was being discussed last night. Apparently, music was the target for the worst of the budget cuts. Some adults got up and half argued against this particular department losing funding, but never offered a solution. They were hard to listen to and believe; it felt like they just wanted to stand against the board no matter what decision was made. Then, the inspiring happened.

Students, juniors and seniors in high school, got up and presented to the school board, and gave pretty convincing reasons why funding should be restored to the fine arts department. It was amazing. They had the bravery, and the determination to stand up and fight for what they believe. They were inspirational, emotionally charged, charismatic, and articulate. It was clear that their presence and their speeches were going to make the difference. I'm glad that they had that outlet to lead, because so often (and I've even said this myself), the church says to students, "You're the church of tomorrow"

No! Students are not the church of tomorrow, they are only the church of tomorrow when we silence them and tell them to wait their turn. What I learned last night, is that given the opportunity, students can step up to the plate and do amazing things. The church should be inspired by students. They will lead with a fervor and courage that is built off of naivete. They're bold, and rash and the church could use some more of that on a very large scale. We as the church should be inspiring our students to lead where they are now, and to lead in areas of the church now.

If any of the students at Thunder Mountain have read to this point, I want you specifically to know something. You can change the world. If there's a problem that you see, go and start fixing it. You don't have to be an adult to lead courageously and without fear. It's your time now.

As the church moves forward, one thing is for sure: we need students to be leaders. We need students who are ready and willing to take on the world. For the students that spoke at the school board meeting, I'm not sure if they changed the board's mind about the budget cuts. I don't think their speeches will change the high school much at all. Those speeches didn't necessarily impact the school, but I know without a doubt that it changed the lives of the students who presented. They went home that night feeling empowered, and like they were fighting the good fight. They woke up this morning feeling like they could take on the world.

Here's the thing that hurts me the worst. They were fighting for music in a high school. In the grand scheme of things, that's pretty insignificant. These same students could potentially be fighting for the souls of people who are far from Jesus, and we haven't begun to tap into that potential. The mission that we have is far too important to spare any resource.

How can you inspire a student to lead in the church today?

Do you think that students should lead today?