The High School Campus: The Last Tribal Stop?
In one of our classes today at North Central University, we began a discussion about the presence of the church on public school campuses. The lecture challenged all the youth leaders and church leadership students to see the school campus as a primary mission field. Many people have called the campus 'the last tribal stop' of our young people. The place where we can find this group gathered together in sub-groups for the last time before adulthood. Maybe the final place the church can reach these students with the gospel.
Too often I have heard youth leaders say that their high school is closed to the gospel and the youth ministry is not allowed on campus. I have yet to see a closed campus in my 27 years of youth ministry. What I have heard are youth leaders begging students to come to their church, while at the same time the youth ministry is unwilling to go to the public school. So, I offer 30+ ways to reach the campus as a youth ministry and walk into public school life.
- The best way a youth ministry gets on campus is with campus missionaries (students)
- Make yourself available to the school for crisis counseling
- Run for school board or other educational positions in government and local elections
- Look to get involved in the myriad of extra-curricular activities at school
- Find the Christian para-church organizations that are recognized clubs on campus and have a presence or leadership in those ventures
- Send birthday cards to your students friends and faculty with youth ministry name on it
- Use seasonal and holiday themes to attend concerts and plays
- Have students wear youth ministry themed clothing and gear to familiarize the school with your youth ministry at events or daily at school
- Attending the funerals of youth, school staff, or faculty can build relationships in the school at important times
- Monitor current events and headlines and be ready to offer lecture, counsel, or intervention
- Pray publicly at community events where school officials are present (elections or banquets)
- Involvement in FCA can help access you to many students and staff
- Use your skill-sets in many different areas:
- Coaching athletics
- Choir
- Band
- Theatre
- Officiating
- Teaching
- Use school facilities for a Christian concert or seminar
- Have your students promote youth group activities or events
- Encourage youth ministry students to invite the youth pastor to classroom as a guest speaker for a religious or non-religious subject
- Organize a Super Bowl party and use the school facilities to host it
- Promote your youth group website on clothing, gear, locker, or book stickers/covers
- Attend the Young Life, Youth Alive, or other campus student led organizations
- Organize a 7 Project or Youth Speaker at your school
- Organize a clean up crew for after football games to sweep the grounds
- Ask to sing the National Anthem (or youth choir) sing the National Anthem at a game
- Attend or promote the weekly bible study at your school
- Offer a place for a class at school to build the Home-Coming float
- Purchase school t-shirts for a pep rally before an important game (place the youth ministry logo on the shirt)
- Chaplaincy and Prayer before or after a game
- Attend See You At The Pole every September