My family has a friend who is good at everything he does.  Not only that, but he’s done a lot.  He’s been a hunting guide, and currently heads up an ER in South Dakota.  He farms, ranches, and does relief work among the Native American Reservations around his hometown.

The key to this man’s life, in my opinion, is that he’s never been afraid to try new things.  Our students could learn something from this.  New experiences are often scary, and it takes a fair amount of courage to do them.  But, the payoff is huge.

Experience is an amazing thing.  Even if we’re never meant to do something full-time, or even part-time, the experience gained by trying something new can bleed over to other parts of our lives, and will often come to mind as we continue on our life’s journey.  A wealth of experiences makes us better at what we do.  It gives us a broader picture of the world.  It gets us out of our comfort zone and lets us see the world as other people see it.

A while back, I took my leadership team on a bus ride.  We live in a small country town, and none of the leadership team had ever ridden mass transportation before.  So, on a Saturday morning, we took a bus through a nearby metropolitan area just for the experience.  It was definitely an experience.  We had a cracked-out guy badmouthing Jesus on the bus, got to meet some new people, and got a great tour of the city on top of that.  Afterward we talked about people who had to ride the bus everyday and how they could be ministered to.  All in all, it was a good day, if even a little scary at times.

Experiencing new and different things also gives us more clarity in our own calling.  Many times I’ve tried something new and remarked afterward “I know for sure that I’m not supposed to be doing that”.  New things help us focus and realize what we’re good at.

So how do we incorporate this knowledge into our leadership teams?  Well…

1. Help students face their fears by trying things they never have.  Public speaking, song leading, and other duties around the church are a good way to start.  Keep it up by taking them places they’ve never been, and seeking out activities that your students have never done.
2. Cross-Train.  Have students share what they are good at with the other members of the team.  Have your students participate in the activities of the other team members.  This draws your leadership team closer and lets everyone have some new experiences.
3. Send your students through as much training as you can.  Make sure it’s varied.  Twenty conferences on preaching are just going to bore your students (except those called to preach).  Your students might be bored at one or two training sessions, but they’ll have some information to call upon in the future as they work with people who are called in that field.
4. Thoroughly debrief each experience your students have.  Help them to assimilate their new knowledge or experience into a broader network of information and experiences.  Contrast, compare, and synthesize this new experience to help them remember its lessons.

You’ll have to work hard to expose your students to new experiences, but it’s worth the strain.  You’ll probably learn a few things as well.  Don’t be afraid to get out there and show your students the world.  They’ll need that knowledge to be effective leaders.