Governance: Elected Youth Officers

Fortunately “officers” are rare now (they were standard when I was growing up). There are a lot of down sides to officers or other elected leadership. But some people are stuck with them.

• Pros:
  • We've always done it and everyone knows how it works
  • sometimes you get really good leadership
  • sometimes a person is elected whom the adult leadership would not choose
• Cons:
  • If they are elected, then it turns into a popularity contest which is divisive and sometimes you get hard feelings
  • Often you get the wrong people elected: popular but not faithful or interested
  • Sometimes you get people who simply lack the skills being called upon
  • It encourages a hierarchical in-group/out-group mentality which doesn't need to be encouraged.
• Working with an elected council:
  • structure the meetings where each officer is to come in with comments and suggestions from others in the youth group
  • Use open sub-committees so that each officer will have to meet with people they might not choose to work with to accomplish their tasks
  • Give them “feet-washing” jobs that remind them that they are servants of the other youth: work a food serving line, be responsible for cleanup after events, etc