This year, I’m particularly excited about my adult leadership team because it includes a combination of returning and new leaders. Last week, we discussed five contributions veteran leaders make to your team. But the truth is, new leaders contribute valuably to your team, too. Here are five contributions new leaders make to your team.

A new perspective: New leaders come to your ministry with a different perspective. Perhaps they have a different church background than others on your team. Or maybe they’re in a different life stage. Perhaps they just moved to the area. Or maybe they’ve been at your church their entire lives. My new leaders are recent college graduates. They bring with them experience from college ministries (both positive and negative) and are eager to share that experience with our team. When we listen to them, we enlarge our sphere of influence, allowing other ideas to shape our ministry.

A new lens: New leaders see your ministry with new eyes, in part because of the new perspective they bring. This enables them to see your ministry differently than you do and to unashamedly ask questions about it. Those questions can help you reexamine and evaluate your ministry, rethinking why you do what you do.

Excitement: What every veteran leader knows is that ministry is tiring. Even when ministry is going well, it’s exhausting. As a result, sometimes veteran leaders are left feeling drained. In contrast, new leaders bring fresh excitement to the team. They are eager to serve and are excited about what lies ahead in your ministry! For that reason, they breathe fresh life into your veteran leaders and your ministry as a whole.

Teachability: Most new leaders are slightly apprehensive about serving in youth ministry. They have no idea what they’re actually supposed to do as leaders. Even if they understand their role a bit, they’re often unsure they can do what you’re asking them to do. This makes new leaders particularly teachable. They’re eager to learn how to lead well in your ministry and they’re not yet set in their ways.

An unbiased viewpoint: As leaders get to know the students in your ministry, they form opinions about them. They know who’s sassy, who won’t sit still, who goofs off, and who’s there because their parents force them to be. In contrast, new leaders bring an unbiased viewpoint to the students they meet. Students get to start fresh with new leaders, who may, therefore, love working with students you don’t. That enables your team to better minister to each and every teen who walks through your ministry’s door.

What other contributions do new leaders make to your leadership team?