Joe Zimmerly
Serving as a Thriving Leadership Formation Cohort Leader for leaders in Youth Ministry has been an incredibly life-giving and spiritually filling journey. This role has not only allowed me to witness the growth and transformation of those who work with youth in our various ministries, but has also profoundly impacted my own spiritual walk.
Ministry is life giving work. Those who work or are involved in ministry often give their lives and valuable time so others can be fed. Leaders give their evenings and weekends to the kids they serve with loving hearts and open minds. They might miss the Sunday sermon or the Bible Study because they are teaching Sunday School, busy helping the youth with a fundraiser, etc. So when do they get to “fill their spiritual cup?”. The answer is, when or where they can and oftentimes it gets put to the side. I didn’t realize how important it was to prioritize this until I experienced a Thriving Leadership Formation cohort, TLF for short, myself.
Quoted from the TLF website, “Cohorts come together with the intent of creating nurturing and empowering times, spaces, and relationships” and I can confidently say this is true. Thriving Leadership Formation was the first organization I had heard of in my seven years of ministry offering this type of opportunity. TLF gave me the ability to realize that in order to fill others cups, we have to fill ours otherwise we will have nothing to give. So after having a wonderful experience with other youth leaders like myself as a participant, I promised that if I was ever given the opportunity, I would gladly lead a group. Fast forward a few years to now and that opportunity became a reality. In fact, I would say that every person involved in ministry needs to be part of a cohort. The spiritual practices we learn and teach can ground individuals in the toughest of times.
As a leader, I was interested to see how the makeup of my group would connect for the next 12 sessions. Between two Youth Pastor’s, two Youth Director’s, a college student Campus Ministry Leader, and a congregational Lay Leader, I wasn’t too sure if there would be many commonalities amongst the group. It only took a few minutes during the first session where I found that there were many things in common between each other and many things we could learn from each other. I am sure others would agree that too often did we find wisdom from what cohort members would say. In fact many things shared during our session I would carry with me until the next session because I related to it or it helped bring forth a new meaning.
Reflecting on my time as a Thriving Leadership Formation Cohort Leader, I am grateful for the life-giving relationships and spiritually enriching experiences that have shaped my journey. This season of growth has left a lasting impact on my approach to ministry and leadership. Truly, this role has been a testament to the transformative power of God’s love and the incredible ways in which God works through us. I encourage you to consider experiencing this first hand or recommending TLF to a leader you think would benefit from such an experience. TLF is giving life to those who give their lives.
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Joe Zimmerly serves as the Director of Children, Youth and Family Ministries at Mount Cross Lutheran Church in Camarillo, CA. He has participated in Thriving Leadership Formation both as a participant and as a Cohort Leader.
