Developing A Campus Presence
At the start of another school year we need to have the discussion about youth ministry and the school campus.
I have a missionary friend who I was talking to one time. In the course of the discussion I had mentioned that there if you use leaders having presents on the high school campus. He was more than bothered by this.
After all, in the mind of a missionary, ministry is contextual. Missionaries are present in the land they are called to.
My missionary friend said to me, “How could a youth Pastor not be involved in the middle school or high school campus? That doesn’t make sense to me.”
I’m not sure what the statistics say. We haven’t seen that research. But I can tell you anecdotally that in my travels it is a rare for a quarter of the crowd in a youth pastors session to be involved on the school campus. There isn’t a plan and probably because there isn’t a passion or burden for the campus.
And I’m sure there are many reasons for this. So I want to do what I can in these few minutes to see more movement toward youth leaders on campus!
With the 2022 school year starting up again, the discussion about the presence of the church on public school campuses will begin. And because not every teenager will go off to college, many people have called the middle and high school 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. And because of this, I have challenged Youth Leaders to see the school campus as a primary mission field and not a secondary one.
Too often I have heard Youth Leaders say that their middle school or high school is closed to the gospel and the youth ministry is not allowed on campus. However, I have yet to see a closed campus in my 38 years of youth ministry.
Sure, on some campuses (because of the administration, or, because of the issues of former Youth Workers) Youth Leaders may not be able to have a Bible study or prayer meeting at lunch in the cafeteria. But, there are so many other ways to get on campus.
Unfortunately, what I have heard are Youth Leaders so focused on the office or the coffee shop, their version of outreach is hoping that students show up on Wednesday night at the church. While at the same time young people are asking the church to show up at the public school.
Practical Campus Theology
God with us. Emmanuel. Incarnate Christ. Solving the problem of the church in culture is really very easy. It doesn't take much creativity. It does, however, take more desire.
We have to stop with excuses. And start with solutions.
So, I offer 25 ways to reach the campus as a Youth Ministry and create a presence in the middle and high school.
1. The best way a Youth Ministry gets on campus is with campus missionaries (training the students who have access daily)
2. Social Media strategies involving school activities
3. Make yourself available to the school for crisis counseling
4. Run for school board or other educational positions in government and local elections
5. Look to get involved in the myriad of extra-curricular activities at school (purchase a season athletic pass, attend plays, concerts, and performances)
6. Find the Christian para-church organizations that are recognized clubs on campus and have a presence or leadership in those ventures
7. Send birthday cards to your students friends and faculty with youth ministry name on it
8. Use seasonal and holiday themes to attend concerts and plays
9. Have students wear youth ministry themed clothing and gear to familiarize the school with your youth ministry at events or daily at school
10. Attending the funerals of youth, school staff, or faculty can build relationships in the school at important times
11. Monitor current events and headlines and be ready to offer lecture, counsel, or intervention - do you have a suicide resource or a gun violence resource to offer your local schools?
12. Pray publicly at community events where school officials are present (elections or banquets)
13. Involvement in FCA or other PARA’s can help access you to many students and staff
14. Use your skill-sets in many different areas:
Coaching athletics
Choir
Band
Theatre
Officiating
Teaching
15. Use school facilities for a Christian concert or seminar
16. Have your students promote youth group activities or events
17. Organize a Super Bowl or March Madness party and use the school facilities to host it
18. Promote your youth group website on clothing, gear, locker, or book stickers/covers
19. Attend the Young Life, Youth Alive, or other campus student led organizations
20. Organize a clean up crew for after football games to sweep the grounds
21. Ask to sing the National Anthem (or youth choir) sing the National Anthem at a game
22. Attend or promote the weekly bible study at your school
23. Purchase school t-shirts for a pep rally before an important game (place the youth ministry logo on the shirt)
24. Chaplaincy and Prayer before or after an athletic game
25. Attend See You At The Pole every September
Tests And Prayer
In 1962-1964, as a result of pressure from Madilyn Murray-O'hare and others, prayer and bible reading were removed from U.S. schools.
But we know prayer really was never removed from school. Because our students are there. Because as long as there are tests in school, there will be prayer in school. students are praying and reading their bibles every day on the school campus.
However, instead of contributing to the absence of prayer and bible reading on campus, Youth Ministries should be intentional in training campus missionaries to be strategic in relationship to the campus.
To be honest, our campus presents as a youth leaders gets down to this.
If there's a will, there's a way.