For the past several years, my favorite part of the summer has been the opportunity to help out with Minnesota Family Council’s summer program, LEAD. LEAD encourages and equips teens to become thoughtful leaders through a rigorous week-long program, and it is always such a joy to see them rise to the occasion! Teens deserve to be challenged, and we do them a disservice when we set the bar low. Today’s teenagers are tomorrow’s leaders, and setting low expectations for teenagers fails to prepare them for that task. That’s why LEAD is focused on training and challenging teenagers to take up the responsibility of citizenship.
We are first and foremost citizens of the kingdom of God, but we are also citizens of the nation in which we live. As the people of God, we are called to live out our earthly citizenship in a manner that reflects our heavenly citizenship. This means that, in all areas of our lives, we ought to engage with our culture in such a way that we seek the good of those around us as we proclaim God’s truth. One aspect of this is training and mentoring young people so that they can be ready to engage with the world around them.
Coming alongside teens and preparing them to become citizens and leaders is a vital task. Teenagers are pelted with lies from our culture on a daily basis, all while navigating the difficulty of growing up. Students need to hear and know the hope of the gospel and be equipped to communicate biblical truth to their peers.
Our goal at LEAD is to prepare and empower tomorrow’s leaders to live out their earthly citizenship in a manner that reflects their heavenly citizenship through a camp that is fun, engaging, and challenging. LEAD helps teens to grow into a practical understanding of Christian citizenship by providing them with a context in which they can wrestle with tough ideas, gain hands-on knowledge of the legislative process, receive mentorship from caring adults, and experience fellowship with like-minded young people.
Not every student who comes to LEAD will go into politics, and that’s a good thing! We need men and women who live out Christian citizenship in all areas of life, which is why LEAD isn’t “just a political camp.” Christian citizenship is so more than just knowing how the government works and showing up to vote. It involves learning to wrestle through big issues from a biblical viewpoint, seeing and acknowledging that Christ is Lord of all, and letting that shape the way that we interact with our culture.
LEAD is a unique, multifaceted program that combines hands-on experience with worldview discussions, times of worship and fellowship, and opportunities to hear from evening speakers from a variety of backgrounds. Learning how the legislative process works at the state level while working with bills that have been proposed in the Minnesota legislature equips students to engage at the local level and empowers them to become leaders and invested members of their communities. The four tracks that run simultaneously throughout the week give students an opportunity to see citizenship played out in multiple areas of life. Students get to experience the rubber meeting the road as they apply biblical principles to the bills they are studying, consider what ethical journalism looks like, how to pursue justice, and how to govern well, all while growing in skills such as communication, teamwork, public speaking, and critical thinking.
Know a teen who might benefit from LEAD? Register by March 31 to get our early registration discount!
