Keychain Leadership
Mike’s name flashed across my (Shannon’s) cell phone screen at eleven o’clock at night, only a few minutes after I had turned out the light. After a year of leading youth ministry together, Mike and I had become close friends, but the lateness of the hour was rare for a phone call
Mike began the call by apologizing, “I’m so sorry to bother you, Shannon, but I wanted to let you know that the youth band was rehearsing in the Ministry Center and stayed past the timer on the building alarm. They called me and I called the alarm company before the police came, but we’ll probably have to answer questions about it in the morning.”
Yes, we gave a 16-year-old a key to the church building.
The youth band was started a few months before by Jack, one of our most active and charismatic teens who was a talented musician and natural leader. When Jack asked if he could launch a worship team, we got the blessing of our pastor, set up a schedule for when the band would play at meetings, and gave him a key to the building.
Yes, we gave a 16-year-old a key to the church building.
Keychain Leadership
Empowering Jack was what Brad Griffin, Jake Mulder, and I (Kara) describe as “keychain leadership” in Growing Young: Six Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love the Church (Baker Books, Powell, et al., 2016).
In simplest terms, keychain leadership is about who holds the keys.
In simplest terms, keychain leadership is about who holds the keys. As described in Growing Young, “When we refer to keys, we mean the capabilities, power, and access of leaders who carry the potential to empower young people.
By keychain leaders, we mean pastoral and congregational leaders who are:
- Acutely aware of the keys on their keychain; and
- Intentional about entrusting and empowering all generations, including teenagers and emerging adults, with their own set of keys.
Beyond simply launching a student leadership team, keychain leadership is a spirit and commitment demonstrated by both paid and volunteer leaders that permeates every area of the church.”
Empowering and Equipping Young People
Keychain leaders are not hoarders of information and power. Nor are they lackadaisical about who they empower and designate as responsible. They find the often-elusive balance between the two. A community which practices keychain leadership is a community willing to empower young people to lead in significant ways, help equip them for the roles and walk alongside them in support as they learn.
There will be bumps and bruises along the way. And alarms may be activated. In my (Shannon’s) case, literally.
Sometimes important information doesn’t get relayed by adults (like alarm codes). Sometimes young people will make their own mistakes. Or good ministry experiments simply don’t work.
In all those circumstances, keychain leadership requires adults who are committed to building relationships with young people and letting them lead…even when it takes more of our time and energy to set them up to succeed. But the faith communities that are most effective in reaching and retaining young people have keychain leaders at every level of responsibility, from the parking team to the church board.
Attracting and Retaining Gen Z Leaders
Keychain leadership offers another advantage: It helps us attract and retain Gen Z leaders. According to the Young Life study Relate: Knowing and Believing in the Next Generation (2024), eight out of ten young people believe they can make a difference in others’ lives. Furthermore, data from The Barna Group’s study The Open Generation (2022) confirms that 13-to-25 year-olds believe institutions should play a major role in the work of justice, but are skeptical that leaders are committed to that work. Despite that skepticism, Gen Z expresses a deep desire for support from adults in their work for justice, both to encourage them in their advocacy and to provide guidance in their work (The Barna Group, 2022).
What young people are telling us is that they want to actively co-create, not passively watch. That means keychain leaders are the mentors who will likely be most successful with this generation.
Keychain leadership follows the example of Jesus.
More importantly for Christian leaders, keychain leadership follows the example of Jesus. When beginning his public ministry, the Lord called twelve young men to accompany him and empowered them to take on leadership (Matt.10:1-42). He poured into them for three years and guided them as they succeeded or failed (see Luke 9:46-48 or Matt. 13:1-23). He did so with compassion (John 21:15-19), warmth (John 1:43-51), and a clear, consistent vision for their growth (Matt.16:13-28). Data may help convince us that keychain leadership is important, but ultimately it is our desire to imitate Jesus that motivates us to put it into practice.
Three Initial Steps to Keychain Leadership
Organizationally, implementing keychain leadership is relatively straightforward, but it requires intentionality and time.
- The first and most foundational step is that leaders need to identify who is ready for which keys. We need to get to know young people, especially their skills and passions, to discern where and how they can best make an impact. We won’t give them the right keys at the right time if we don’t take the time to know who they are and how God has gifted them.
- The second step is to train young people how to use their newly received keys. Put yourself back in the moment when you received your first set of keys. What helped you step into leadership? What do you wish someone had told you when they handed you a key? As mentors, we can’t just throw keys in the general direction of young people and hope for the best. Start with the basics and help teenagers and young adults understand what it means to exercise leadership.
- The third and final step for mentors is to continue to coach young people in how to use their keys. None of us turned into leaders overnight. Young people will find themselves in unknown situations and make mistakes. They need our help to learn new skills and, eventually, to add to their key ring, too. That means we need to be willing to devote the hours, days, and years of accompanying young leaders as they discover who they are and their God-given purpose.
Bearing Fruit
The investment is worth it. Jack, the young man who led the worship band, is now an ordained pastor serving the church. God used the energy and investment of adults in Jack’s life to bring about something greater than anyone could have imagined.
When we give young people keys, we give the Holy Spirit room to bear abundant fruit in their lives. The only caveat we’ll add is this: As you share the keys, please also share the alarm code.
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Kara Powell, PhD, is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute (FYI), the founder of the TENx10 Collaboration, and the Chief of Leadership Formation at Fuller Theological Seminary. Named by Christianity Today as one of “50 Women to Watch”, Kara speaks regularly at national parenting and leadership conferences, and is the author of Growing With, Growing Young, Sticky Faith and numerous other books and curriculum. Shannon Wimp Schmidt, M.A., is the Content Director for TENx10 Youth Ministry Collaboration. An award-winning author, Shannon also contributes as a freelance writer to various national Christian publications, specializing in ministry, leadership, and Christian parenting.
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