What does LTL offer?

Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes offers a program to give young men and women the opportunity, encouragement, and training to become better Christians, better citizens, and outstanding leaders. The purpose of the program is to awaken leadership ability early in life, to ignite within young people the desire to lead and provide them with the training and experience to assure their maximum development in leadership roles at home, church, school, the community, and the business world.

Background

Since the Lads to Leaders foundation in 1969, its main mission has been to develop youth into Christian leaders. From those early years, membership has grown to 14,515 (currently increasing at 20% annually).

Methodology:

Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes has a proven methodology for developing young people into leaders. Programs include peer leadership training, mentoring programs, annual leadership camps, national workshops, college scholarships, special awards and honors, a national leadership team, and the annual convention. Each program is well documented, providing comprehensive written guidance and quantitative progress measurement tools to both mentors and students.

Why?: An Abilene Christian University Survey found that only half of the youths in Churches of Christ remain faithful after high school graduation! Good News: congregations with Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes have a 92 - 100% youth retention rate!

FOUR STEPS START LEADERS.

The four principles of leadership development that form the basis of instruction are:

(1) Volunteer Spirit: Students lead by stepping out first

(2) 100% Cooperation: Students lead by learning how to work with others.

(3) Worthy Goals: Students lead by knowing what their purpose is and what steps are necessary to fulfill them.

(4) Self-Starter: Students lead by being internally motivated.

Character Development.

At the heart of the Lads to Leaders/Leaderettes program are the ten pledges worded and refined through the years by Dr. Zorn. each pledge speaks to a character trait needed by a leader -- accountability, attitude, responsibility, integrity, respect for authority, self-respect, and servant hood. The Ten Leader Pledges are:

(1) I am answerable to God and to society.

(2) I will overcome pessimism and line a life of faith in God.

(3) I am fully responsible for my behavior.

(4) I am responsible for my agreements and obligations.

(5) I pursue honest work to meet my responsibilities.

(6) I honor and obey my parents and respect persons in authority.

(7) I respect my body as the creation of God and use it for His glory.

(8) I choose for my friends those who enjoy doing good,.

(9) I lead in building character and in demonstrating integrity.

(10) I lead in second-mile service to others.

Summary

In the Bible, a phenomenally greater amount of information is given in the bible on character development than is given on our Sunday worship. This is with just cause -- for if our character is poor, our worship will also be poor. If our character is worthy, then our worship will also be worthy. This is not to mean that we must try to "earn our way to heaven," but that our constant aim must be to become more Christ-like. And as we do so, we will by the virtue of our character lead others to Christ also.

Latest Activity

In March 2008, an annual convention for LTL was held in Indianapolis, Indiana. Below is a gallery of pictures from that event of our Lads with their families participating and a listing of how they placed in the competition.