Youth Lessons

Note to the Teacher

This lesson explores leadership as something shaped by identity, courage, and the use of power. The icebreaker is a fast, playful relay race that gets students moving, laughing, and working together without any deep conversation. After engaging the passages from Exodus and Matthew, students discuss how fear-based power contrasts with leadership rooted in trust, purpose, and community. In the activity, students work collaboratively with printed photos to build a visual model of leadership, discovering that faithful leadership is less about control and more about how people choose to shape and support one another.

Icebreaker: Relay Reset (10 Min.)

Divide students into two or more teams. Each team lines up at one end of the room. At the other end of the room, place a small pile of simple objects for each team. The objects should be in positions or a pattern.

When the leader says “go,” the first person in each line runs to the pile, picks up one object, runs it back, tags the next person, and goes to the back of the line. Continue until all objects have been moved. Then, the team begins running to place the objects back in their original pattern or placement.

Add a twist for the second part: students must move in a silly but safe way, such as hopping, walking backward, or tiptoeing.

Scripture (5 Min.)

Read Exodus 1:8–2:10 and Matthew 16:13–20.

Discussion (15 Min.)

What moments or characters from these stories stood out the most?
How does Pharaoh use power in the Exodus story?
How do the midwives and women in the story respond differently to power?
In Matthew, why do you think Jesus asks the disciples who they say he is?
What seems to matter more in these passages: fear or identity?
What patterns do you notice about how power is used for harm versus for life?
What is a reason to think Jesus could be connecting leadership in the church to being a foundation rather than being in charge?
How does knowing who you are shape how you lead or act?
What kind of leadership do you trust most, and why?
If leadership is about showing before telling, what might that look like in everyday life?

Activity and Discussion: Build the Leadership Model (20 Min.)

Before the lesson, print or download a variety of photos showing people in different situations. These can include community work, protests, caregiving, teamwork, teaching, listening, helping, and everyday acts of responsibility.

Divide students into small groups. Ask each group to select photos that resonate with them. Give them materials (tape, paper, popsicle sticks, and other elements) to create a sculpture with the attached pictures.

Explain the task: each group will build a sculpture that incorporates the pictures.

After they have built their structures, invite the groups to briefly explain what they created and why certain photos or design choices mattered.

Total time: 50 minutes

Needed Resources:

Printed photos (people, communities, everyday leadership moments)
Building materials such as cardboard pieces, wooden blocks, cups, or LEGO bricks
Tape
Simple relay objects (cones, balls, or similar items)
Open space for movement