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Laying the Groundwork, Preliminaries to Campus Ministry

By Barry St. Clair and Keith Naylor

Getting on a high school campus—and staying on—involves much more than showing up with a box of Bibles and demanding your rights. It calls for systematic observation, hanging out, and note taking--before you make any offers of help.

Schools sure have changed. As I walked on campus, a student I knew met me and began telling me about a man who had arrived that morning on campus with a box of Bibles, handing them out at the front door to anyone who'd take one. I went over to watch. There was quite a stir. The principal told the man he would have to leave.

School Survey Form

"These students have a right to the Word of God," the man declared. He refused to move. The principal called security, who escorted him off campus.

Getting on a high school campus--and staying on--involves much more than showing up with a box of Bibles and demanding your rights. In fact, it calls for just the opposite.

Even if the administration has a closed mind to religious people coming on campus, you still can have an effective campus ministry. If you carefully follow biblical principles, you can get on any campus in the United States--and stay on. Here's how.

1. Know the school.

The more you prepare by knowing the school, the greater the possibility of conducting a successful ministry on that campus.

The situation we face in the public-school system parallels Paul's situation (Acts 17:16-34). Paul had arrived only recently in Athens, where he was waiting for Timothy and Silas to come at any moment from Berea. While he waited, he looked around. What he saw burdened him: "He was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols" (v. 16). That same distress may grip us when we look around on the public-school campus. So what did Paul do?

Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you." (Acts 17:22-23)

At one time the Areopagus served as an authoritative council that ruled the Greek city-state. By the time of Paul's visit, however, it had lost most of its authority to make decisions and instruct the people. Sounds like modern American high schools.

2. Detail the school.

Philosophical and religious fervor dominated Athens. Motivated by the discovery of new religions and philosophies, people sat for hours talking and making up new philosophies. Paul observed that environment as he walked around.

In the same way you can walk around and observe your school. That puts you in a position to know your school. Put yourself in situations that give you exposure to the school. Each school has a different personality. Get a sense of the heart of that school, its basic personality.

3. Attend school events.

Practically all school events are open to the public. Several steps can expedite the process of getting in to these events.

• Decide what events to attend. There are competitive, athletic events, and there are performance events. (Debate and forensic competition are among the few competitive events that are nonathletic.)
  
  
• Obtain the events schedule. Call the school office for a comprehensive events schedule or calendar. If the event you're interested in isn't included, ask for the specific schedule of the team, organization, or club that you want. If you need to, talk to the teacher in charge of the particular organization whose schedule you want. If a school official asks you why you want a schedule, tell him or her the truth: You live in the community and want to support the school.
  
  
• Fill in your calendar. In two months you can get to know a school well if you focus on attending events. Attend at least one event a week. While you're at it, take one of your sponsors or volunteers with you.
  
  
• Observe the school. As a part of your walking tour of the school, attend an event that draws the majority of the school population. At a single football game, for example, you'll find in one stadium the football team, the band, the cheerleaders, the drill team, a huge boosters club of parents, most of the faculty, and a few referees.
  
  Arrive early at events and leave late. This way you'll have opportunities to talk to student participants. As the event begins, step back, look, and listen. Take in all you can. Ask yourself these questions:
  • What different groups are represented here?
  • What motivates these kids?
  • What do they wear?
  • What is cool?
  • What is not cool? (probably what you're wearing)
  • Do the black, white, Hispanic, and Asian kids sit together?
  • Are kids drunk?
  • What kids sit by themselves?
  • Do kids pay attention?
  • Do they cut each other down?
  • What characterizes the largest group?
  • What attitudes are detectable?
  • What is the faculty like?
  • What motivates the faculty?
  • Whose parents attend?
  • Do moms and dads sit together?
  • How do people respond when someone messes up?
  • Was a public or team prayer offered before the event?
  Although there are hundreds of questions you can ask, you'll get a pretty good feel for the school if you can answer these.
  
  
• Keep a journal about what you see. Write down your impressions as soon as you can see some worth noting. Jot down the names of the people you met and what you learned about them. Review and add to this list frequently. After keeping a journal of several events, you can look back over your notes and get a feel for the school.

4. Study the school yearbook.

To know a school quickly and easily, study the school yearbook. To obtain a copy, call the school office to see if they have extra yearbooks from the previous year. Since yearbooks depreciate quickly, especially if someone else's name has been written in it, you can usually pick up a yearbook very reasonably. If no yearbooks are available, ask your students if you can borrow one. (A side benefit to borrowing a student's book is that you can see what this kid is up to by reading what classmates wrote about him or her!)

Leaf through the yearbook, asking yourself the same questions that you did at the events. Look for the people or events that take up most of the pages. Since students prepare the yearbook, they emphasize who or what they consider most important. The yearbook can be a handy reference book for what goes on at the school.

5. Subscribe to the school newspaper.

Student newspapers are filled with students' opinions about hot issues. They usually like to push the limits of their First Amendment rights. In the newspaper you can learn what students think about a wide range of issues--from abortion to school lunches to the best places to hang out.

6. Interview students.

By this time you probably know at least a few students. So set up appointments with four to eight of them to ask them questions about their school. Try these questions for starters:

• What is your favorite aspect of school (besides the final bell)?
• What is your least favorite part of school life (besides the cafeteria's mystery meat)?
• What's "in"? What's not "in"?
• What different groups make up the student body of your school?
• Where do most of the student hang out?
• What do they do?
• Who are the popular students? Who makes up the "in" group?
• Who are the unpopular students?
• What is your principal like?
• What are your teachers like?
• Who are the popular teachers?
• How do teachers exercise discipline?
• Who are the Christian teachers?
• What Christian groups meet on campus?
• What activities do you participate in?

7. Interview teachers.

Now for the teachers, who can give you great insight about their students as well as provide you with their opinion of the administration. Set up interviews with two or three teachers you know, and ask them questions like these:

• What is the most positive aspect about teaching here?
• Do you like teaching at this school?
• What significant problems do teachers face here?
• What do teachers like doing least at the school?
• What major problems do students face here?
• For what problems have you counseled students?
• What is your principal like?
• Do you think he or she objects to me coming on the campus? Why or why not?
• How many Christian groups are active on this campus (teachers' prayer groups, moms' prayer groups, student Bible studies or clubs, Christian organizations, etc.)?
• Where can volunteers fit in on this campus--people to answer the phone, ushers at ball games, sponsors, coaches, etc.?
• What are the greatest needs of the school?

Effective campus ministry involves teachers--who can become your greatest allies--as well as students.

8. Visit the hangouts.

This may be intimidating, but it can give you loads of insight into what goes on in students' lives. You see a different side of kids when they meet at their hangouts. That doesn't mean you'll see who they are, because they'll still put on masks to impress their friends. But when they hang out, you can see them interact with one another beyond the boundaries of authority. You can observe their fears, insecurities, and values.

Some guidelines:

• Don't go places where you're not wanted. You don't want to wander in to a party just for kids, for instance. Even if you could get in (which you probably couldn't), you wouldn't be welcomed.
  
  
• Go to public places. Fast-food restaurants, game rooms, malls, K Mart parking lots, and other places in your town where students hang out provide ideal places to observe students.
  
  
• Go to the weekend hangouts after football games. The hub of information for my school is the Burger King parking lot. If students need to find each other, they first try Burger King. If the friend isn't there, someone is who knows his or her whereabouts. So here's where I walk in and order a Whopper, fries, and Coke (with free refills). And I sit there watching the students. Anyone can eat at Burger King and not appear too obvious.

Once you know where the students hang out, stick to that place. Act as inconspicuous as a fly on the wall and observe. By the time you finish this two-month process, you will have received an education in youth ministry for free (almost).

9. Define their basic motivations.

Now organize the information you collected from observing the school and its students. Like the Athenians whom Paul studied, everyone has a god (unknown or otherwise)--something that controls our lives, consumes our minds, carries a very high value to us. In effect, Paul told them, "You have an intense focus on something that you are seriously pursuing and that you put high value on, but you don't know what it is." Sounds like today's teenage culture? What gods control your campus?

Each school has a few basic motivations that give the school its reputation, its feel, its flavor. What does the school value highly? Scholarship? Drugs? Parties? Athletics? In what sports do they excel? What activities dominate the school? In what areas have they succeeded? What is the school known for? In what do they take pride?

Organize your observations in writing; you can use the accompanying School Survey for this purpose.

10. Serve a need.

To get on the campus, find a need that the school does not have the staffing to fill but that still needs to be done. When you know the school, you'll know what needs exist.

Paul didn't burst into the Areopagus passing out copies of the Equal Access Act, telling these people they were going to hell for believing in idols. He knew that truth shared with closed ears doesn't receive a hearing. He had to find a way to get these philosophers to listen to him. He looked for an opening.

While Paul walked around Athens, he looked carefully at their objects of worship. He hunted for an opening, for a need that he could fill, something to get him on the inside. Then he saw that they had an altar TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Athenians liked talking about philosophies, religions, wisdom--and Paul knew that he could present the gospel through this channel.

If we want to give these kids hope in Christ, we must lay aside some legal rights for the sake of these students. It does us no good to demand our rights to come on campus if in the process we alienate the faculty and administration. That only removes us from the campus and away from hurting students. Lay down those rights; let the lawyers fight those battles.

Our goal is to infiltrate the campus with Spirit-filled leaders who can move among the lives of hurting students. We can position ourselves to develop relationships that allow us to introduce Christ. That happens when we discern a need and then fill that need--not when we fight for our rights.

One of my adult sponsors observed two parents lugging heavy band equipment to and from football games, the same two men week after week. He offered to help them carry the equipment every week. "Get out of here," they quipped. "We like having hernia operations." The sponsor immediately became a much-appreciated band helper. Some time later, the band director invited him to come to all the practices and school functions.

11. Look for ways to meet the need.

• Evaluate your strengths. Think back to your high school years. Before CDs, before cassette players, maybe even before eight-track tapes, what did you enjoy doing in high school? What would you enjoy doing now? You don't have to excel at it--just make yourself available. If you need to, get the yearbook out again and refresh your memory of what's available by flipping through the section on clubs and activities. Write down five activities where you believe you can help. Remember your major role on the campus is serving, not impressing people with your abilities. As the saying goes, they couldn't care less about how much you know until they know how much you care.
  
  
• Prioritize your list of needs. Number the top five needs in order of priority. If you numbered any items that you also circled as strengths, make those the first ones you pursue. If you don't have any that match, make the area where you have the most contacts your first priority.
  
  
• Determine your availability. Decide what time you can commit. Can you help at school every day or every other day? Can you attend practice, or only games? What time can you arrive, and when do you have to leave? Commit yourself only to what you know you can realistically do.
  
  
• Contact the appropriate person. God has a place for you to serve. He'll open the door, but you need to knock on it. So find out who's in charge of the group you'll serve....make an appointment to see that person....tell him you have some time available to serve the school....emphasize serving. If that person says no, go to the next contact person. Keep pressing on until you get an opening.

With a specific knowledge of your campus and a specific reason for going there, you will probably have already established an "in" at the school. Because you're not coming in cold, the principal is more likely to receive you and open the door to long-term ministry among the students and teachers at your school.

This article was adapted from Penetrating the Campus by Barry St. Clair and Keith Naylor, with permission from Victor Books (1993).

As founder and director of the Atlanta-based Reach Out Ministries, Barry St. Clair speaks to young people and adult youth leaders across the country. He is author of the Moving toward Maturity series. Keith Naylor is youth pastor for Christ Community Church in Atlanta and also speaks for Reach Out Ministries.