Amidst all the excitement, celebration, and busyness that accompanies the end of the school year, I find that I cannot stop thinking about a conversation that I had with a Junior High dGroup leader a few weeks ago.
For context, I co-teach a class called Becoming Like Christ with Brian Gehr and it is one of the best parts about my job. Upperclassmen have the opportunity to apply to be a part of this class which focuses on leadership development, mentorship, spiritual formation, and discipleship. The ultimate goal of the course is to provide our juniors and seniors with opportunities to become more like Christ and to equip them to effectively lead and disciple junior high students in dGroups (discipleship groups).
A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with one of our dGroup leaders and out of the blue, they said something to the extent of “Honestly Funk, I can’t believe that I was able to lead a dGroup all year. I definitely thought you guys would kick me out of the class at some point.” They then listed off a few comical moments and mishaps that, in their mind, should have deemed them unfit to be a leader and role model for our younger students.
The conversation was brief, light-hearted, and silly—I’m not sure this student even remembers it. But I can’t stop thinking about what they said for a couple of reasons. First of all, despite the fact that this student was joking about their ability to effectively lead a Junior High dGroup, I wondered if deep down, they really believed they were not “good enough” for a role like this—that all their mistakes and failures made them unworthy or unable to impact other students here. And yet, I have witnessed this student develop incredibly meaningful and impactful relationships with junior high students in their dGroup over the course of the year. I have watched this leader develop into someone who has grown to be so authentic, honest, thoughtful and unashamedly themselves that they were able to create spaces where junior high students felt safe enough to do the same. It is not uncommon to see these 7th and 8th graders seek out their leader during passing periods or want to sit with them at chapel, simply because they know that they will be welcomed, seen, and given a space to belong. That’s just cool.
The second reason this conversation stood out to me was the phrase “I can’t believe I was able to…” I have heard many different students complete this thought in many different ways during my three years as a teacher here. If there is anything I have learned from my time teaching at FRCS, it’s that we are a place committed to giving students opportunities.
When students are given opportunities to learn, grow, lead, and become more of the person that God created them to be, while surrounded by people who support, trust, and believe in them, they are able to accomplish really beautiful things. I see the beauty and goodness of God’s Kingdom when our students are given the space to dialogue about difficult topics in the classroom, to share their testimonies in Chapel, to build relationships with teachers, to disciple younger students, to impact our school culture through SLC, or to pursue their passions through Capstone. And more often than not, students surprise themselves with what they are capable of accomplishing when given the opportunity and the support to try something new.
At the end of the day, we cannot force our students to become leaders and culture-makers, to think deeply about the world and their faith, to lean into their gifting, to develop virtues, etc. However, I know that at Front Range Christian School, we are committed to creating opportunities and experiences in which students may practice virtue, become leaders and culture-makers, contribute to the flourishing of the Kingdom of God, and grow more into the likeness of Christ if they are courageous enough to choose to do so.
