“All you people: Trust in him at all times! Pour out your hearts before him! God is our refuge! Selah.” Psalm 62:8

Although it may seem like a simple scripture, Psalm 62:8 gives me so much courage for the future church. This scripture has been a key component in energizing me as a young leader, and I feel it can speak to younger members of the church who are reluctant to step into leadership for one primary reason: the fear of not being qualified to lead.

Qualified By Christ

The belief I feel my generation (and many others) have accepted is that you should possess certain attributes to be a leader, and if you don’t have them, you can’t lead. This is a bold-faced lie. Christ does not call the equipped; He equips the called. Believing anything else will keep you from stepping into the blessing of leadership Christ is holding for you. Sadly, I have to say there was a long period of time where I struggled to accept this truth for myself.

Being only 20 years old, and working as a worship leader in a sizable church, I receive a lot of questions about whether I’m truly qualified to be in the position that I’m in. I get how it might not make sense to see some young, naive, crazy Gen Z kid jumping around on a stage singing about Jesus. Even though I try not to give attention to discouraging comments, to be truly honest, I often find myself asking the same question. This is because for as long as I can remember, I was always the kid in church that would try and leave before worship started. I even grew a reputation in my friend group as the kid who hated worship. This all started to change around at age 16, when my friend asked me to audition for the worship team. I had only been playing piano for less than a year, so I didn’t believe I was capable of playing with the team. I reluctantly agreed. I thought I was mainly trying out for the piano, but when I got into the room, I learned that they actually wanted me to sing. 

I remember thinking, “I am already uncomfortable with playing piano, and now they want me to sing!” I kept telling myself they had the wrong guy: “I’m not a singer, I barely play piano, and I don’t even like worship music.” Oddly, from the time of my audition to my first time on stage, the Lord had confirmed in my heart that it was what I was going to do with my life. Before I knew it, I was leading on stage and my hate was growing into passion and love.

Willing to Say “Yes”

In a conversation with worship leader John Wilds, he said “I believe we are all called to be worship leaders because we are all called to worship. Anyone can be the first one to lay everything before the Lord.” These words struck me at my core because they forced me to realize, as a leader it’s not about who you are, but what you have to lay before God. I started to realize it wasn’t about qualities I possess, but just my willingness to say “yes.” 

Maybe like me, you also struggle with thoughts like, “I’m not fit to be a leader,” or “What if I mess it up?” Both of these doubts have some real weight to them because they’re probably true. I know I’ve messed up, and you probably will too, but that should not discourage you from saying “yes” to the Lord and taking that first step. Don’t ask yourself, “What if I mess up?” Ask yourself, “If Christ has called me, who am I to say no?” The moment you give the Lord your “yes,” and you step into those uncomfortable opportunities, you will grow closer to Him. 

I am so confident in my generation continuing the work of the kingdom because they are naturally inclined to step into serving. Research recently displayed that Gen Z, who is anyone born between 1997 and 2012, is most likely to donate their time to charity. Leadership is simply making yourself available. It’s saying, “I’m going to be the first to be uncomfortable.” Whether they know it or not, my generation is leading. And I’m confident that they are more than qualified by Christ to take up their cross and lead the church into the future.