Hello Friend! If you're reading this (and hopefully you are...), it's because you're considering joining us as a student leader in HighSight. I truly believe this will be a formative and transformational experience and I'm excited that you are considering it!  

Please read through the following information and give prayerful consideration to whether or not this might be something God is calling you to do for this season.  

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, PLEASE feel free to contact me at (530) 949-5115, or via email at rick@lccredding.org.

Our mission in student leadership is threefold:
1) Discipleship – Teaching students to live more and more like Jesus.
2) Ownership – Challenging students to take ownership of their relationships, giftings and influence in their communities.
3) Leadership – Showing students what it means to lead and providing them opportunities to do so.

The program will consist primarily of two elements:

1. Weekly Student Leadership roles during HighSight services: 
- Students will be required to fulfill a number of roles during HighSight services (Sundays and Wednesdays). Responsibilities will include set-up and teardown, planning and running games/activities, running ProPresenter/media during services, greeting and welcoming students, and helping to shape the ministry in HighSight to accomplish our mission and vision, etc.  

2. Weekly Meetings:
- We’ll meet for 1.5hours each Sunday after 2nd service (1:00-2:30) to debrief the services that week, discuss our reading, dream and plan HighSight events/activities, minister to one another, etc.  

As with anything in life, you get out what you put in...you reap what you sow. In order for this to be effective, it's going to take some work and time. On top of the weekly meetings and weekly commitments to serve in HighSight during service, you should anticipate an extra 1-2 hours a week of additional time to do the required reading, activities, and communication. 

All said, it is anticipated that this will require approximately 6-8 hours of time investment per week. 
 
Days/Times: 

Wednesdays: Arrive at 5:30pm to set-up for and prepare for service, activities, etc. Accommodations should be made to stay 30 minutes after service to help with tear down and debrief the service.
 

Sundays: Attend one service either in HighSight (Arriving at 8:30 or 10:30 am to set up and prepare for HighSight service), or in the Worship Center with your family. Student Leadership meetings will be every Sunday after 2nd service from 1:00-2:30.

There will be various other events and activities throughout the year (inductives, retreats, camps, etc) that you will be expected to attend and assist with where possible.

Student Leadership will run through the school year (September-June.)

Commitment is crucial in any form of leadership. In order for us to grow together and be effective in leading together, we must have a strong commitment to each other and to our responsibilities in leading. Thus, except for family vacations, emergencies, sickness, etc., it is expected that you attend all meeting days and times. "I got a better offer" or "I didn't feel like it" are acceptable and understandble feelings, but not excuses to break this commitment. See FAQs below for questions regarding sports, performances, and work.   

If, at some point, you can no longer commit to being a student leader, it is expected that you communicate with Pastor Rick in advance. If meetings are often missed or the reading/activities not accomplished, it will be addressed by adult leadership and hopefully remedied. If not, you will be asked to step down from student leadership until you can demonstrate that you are ready and capable of commiting. 

As this is a position of leadership, it is important that you demonstrate a life of integrity and godliness so as to not undermine your witness or authority. Obviously, this does not mean you must be perfect, but that your life demonstrates a genuine pursuit of God and openness to what He is wanting to do in you.

DEVOTIONS:
- It is expected that each student leader commit to and practice 15 minutes of personal devotion time each day. What this looks like can be flexible in terms of scripture reading, prayer, meditation, etc., but it needs to be a consistent, intentional time each day. We'll regularly check-in on and discuss this in our meetings.  

FAQs:
What if I'm playing a sport or am in the school play or something?  Can I still be in Student Leadership? 
First, I think it is important to evaluate whether or not you actually have time and space for this even though you desire it.  We can't do everything. That's not failure, it's REALITY! :) Sometimes there are seasons God allows in our lives. That being said, I don't want to exclude athletes or performers. Attendance at Sunday meetings and doing the readings/acitivities are MANDATORY aside from the occasional exceptions of sickness, family matters, etc., as indicated above. If you need to miss Wednesdays or Sundays due to practice/rehearsal for a season (6-10 weeks), that will be permissible so long as it's discussed in advance and communicated about. If you have specific questions, talk with Pastor Rick prior to committing. If, during a particular season, you are only able to lead on a Sunday or a Wednesday for a few weeks, communication will be key in these seasons.
 
What if I have a job and sometimes get scheduled on Sundays or Wednesdays? 
If you can't commit to our Sunday and Wednesday times, then Student Leadership isn't for you right now. It wouldn't be valuable for you or the team to be a part of Student Leadership. Again, there is no judgment, punishment, or disapointment, it's just necessary to be able to lead with us and grow together effectively.

Communication is critical to leadership, both to those we're leading, and those we're leading with. Thus, it is expected that regular communication be maintained amongst the team for scheduling and planning. We'll plan to primarily use the FREE GroupMe messaging app for this purpose. A computer with an internet connection or a smartphone will be required. 

It is expected that you communicate with the team in advance if you are not able to attend a meeting or service. 

The cost of involvement in student leadership will be $35.  This will cover the reading resources, materials, personality tests/resources, etc. 

Reading will be required! If reading "isn't your thing"...no judgment, but this isn't for you. :)

We'll work through the following books/resources throughout the course of the year:

Help! Im a Student Leader: Practical Ideas and Guidance on Leadership (Youth Specialties) – Doug Fields

Spiritual Leadership - 
J. Oswald Sanders.

In addition, you’ll have an opportunity to shape some of the content for events as well as weekly discipleship opportunities this year as we progress and identify areas where we need growth or focus. 

We'll have a kickoff informational meeting for student leaders on Sunday, September 11th, from 12:30-2pm. Lunch will be provided. We'll meet at LCC in Room C6.

A student leader retreat will be held Friday, September 16 to Sunday, September 18th. This will officially kick off your student leader commitment.

As this is a significant commitment in terms of time and transportation requirements, it is important that your parents are on board and in agreement with your participation. This is part of honoring and respecting your parents. It is your responsibility to discuss this with your parents and make sure they are in agreement. They will have good and more objective insight into whether or not this will work for the family and be what is best for you. A copy of the expectations and syllabus will be provided to your parents upon completion of this application. Acceptance into the student leadership program will depend on their approval via that email. If you don't live with your parents or they are not in agreement with your participation, I'd be happy to discuss the situation with you personally.