Make a commitment and stick to it. Some perceive our generation as flaky––not committing to anything. I encourage you to break this perception. As we rise up in leadership, let us take risks. Let us see a where we can add value, find ways to bring that value, and actually follow through. Our leaders will respect us for our tenacity and be more inclined to give us more responsibility in the future when we prove worthy and reliable.

Make Jesus famous in our generation. This means we live out what the Bible teaches in every part of life, without fear of what our friends might say. As leaders, our peers will be looking to see how we handle gossip at work. Our peers will be looking at us and will follow our lead when the church has a tithing and stewardship campaign. They will check to see if we are legitimate followers of Christ or just surface-level believers. We have an opportunity to guide our friends and family toward living with Christ at the center. As we rise up as leaders, we must not exclude any part of our life from the command of Jesus. The church needs us to live authentically now more than ever.

We are not alone in our quest to rise up as leaders. If you take a moment to search them out, I am positive you will find some grand cheerleaders within your own church leadership. We can't sit back, though, and wait for them to call upon us to rise up. Prayerfully take the initiative to start conversations with church leaders to discuss how you can play your part. Be a Daniel. Be ready for the hard work. Be prepared for the wild ride of leadership and the rich blessings that come when we rise up and make Jesus famous in our generation.

Sarah Martin loves doing life and ministry with young adult women. Read more from Sarah in her book Stress Point: Thriving through Your Twenties in a Decade of Drama and on her blog.