Faith, Freedom, Failure, and Flourishing
“Growing Young Leaders” is the beginning of the title of my book—born out of decades of experience with Leadership, the BB Queensland leadership Development Program for young men aged 15+. What began as a resource for Leadership staff has now become a valuable tool for all BB leaders and anyone involved in youth ministry.
The subtitle—Faith, Freedom, Failure, and Flourishing—captures four themes that sit at the heart of the Leadership experience. Each one is deeply connected to the key ingredient that makes Leadership so transformative: acceptance. These themes also offer insight into how we can strengthen our BB ministry in Companies, Battalions, and State events, and how we can contribute meaningfully to contemporary youth ministry as we seek to place‑share with young people.
So what do these four words mean to the young men in the photograph—Leadership 25, Stage 3, standing together on a cold winter dawn at Camp Somerset? Let’s explore.
Faith
Faith is woven into the very fabric of Leadership. It emerges through the spiritual hunger we see in participants—young men who are far more eager to ask deep questions than we often give them credit for. Leadership creates space for those questions, and the boys respond.
Faith is experienced through:
- Personal spiritual challenge and the expectation of transformation
- Enthusiastic worship that is young‑man appropriate and shared with mates
- Servant leadership, modelled by staff and encouraged in participants
- Communitas—a shared journey of advancing Christ’s Kingdom together
Faith is not simply taught at Leadership; it is lived. It is the anchor that helps shape sure and stedfast Christian men.
Freedom
Freedom begins the moment participants arrive. Leadership offers a clean slate—a rare gift for young men who may feel boxed in by expectations at home, school, or church.
This freedom includes:
- The freedom to ask any spiritual or life question without embarrassment
- The freedom of liminal space, where uncertainty becomes possibility
- The freedom of solitude in the wilderness
- The freedom to exercise leadership now, not “one day”
Leadership gives young men the freedom not just to know, but to be and to do. It is a freedom that empowers.
Failure
Failure may seem like an odd theme for a leadership program, but at Leadership it is one of the most distinctive and transformative elements.
Failure is embraced as:
- A shared human reality
- A doorway to authenticity
- A chance to be accepted even when commitments aren’t kept
- A reminder that imperfection is not disqualifying
When participants disclose their imperfections, they are met with acceptance—not judgement. They learn that they can return the next year, still welcomed, still valued. This is a powerful expression of grace and a key part of Christian authenticity.
Flourishing
Flourishing happens in an atmosphere of acceptance—in the group, in the community, in the family‑like brotherhood that Leadership creates.
Flourishing is seen in:
- Rites of passage—moments of becoming
- Evidence of disciples making disciples
- Young men discovering their mission and identity
- A staff culture that is multigenerational, non‑hierarchical, and servant‑led
Leadership staff model a community where status doesn’t matter, where young leaders are welcomed seamlessly into the team, and where everyone is encouraged to grow.
Flourishing is epitomised in that iconic moment when a young man, sword held high, declares his faith and mission to the world.
A Global Impact
Growing Young Leaders: Faith, Freedom, Failure, and Flourishing has now been adopted as the key text for the new US Leadership Course. Their website describes it as:
- 40+ years of Leadership experience
- Field‑tested insights behind a decades‑long youth leadership program that shaped our DNA
- The research backbone behind a long‑running boys/young men leadership program (Boys’ Brigade)
- A guide to what forms durable character: worship, acceptance, freedom with responsibility, intergenerational teams, and servant‑led structure
Our work here in Queensland is influencing youth ministry internationally.
Why not here too?
More than 250 copies of the book have already been distributed, and leaders across BB and beyond are discovering its value. The book can be purchased directly from me or through the BB Queensland Office.
Don Smith has served in BB roles at all levels from company to international. He founded and remains on the staff of Leadership and is the author of Growing Young Leaders.