by
Nathan
Landheer
YOUT 350-D01
Campus
Ministry
“Campus Ministry Strategy”
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Submitted to Dr. Vandegriff
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
Why would a church with limited resources use its youth minister, who has limited
energy and time, to spend time away from the church building? In other words, what’s the point
of campus ministry? This discussion is a deeper discussion around what it means to have a
missional strategy in the realm of student ministry. Walt Mueller says, “It’s time to view the
calling to reach the young as missional in nature. We must develop a deep and detailed
understanding of our mission field, the values, attitudes and behaviors of our youth. This
understanding is a necessary prerequisite to effective communication and contextualization of the
gospel message.”1 Campus ministry is a central part of the mission field for students, thus
requiring a specific strategy.
Philosophy of Youth Ministry
At its core, youth ministry is ministry for the youth. It is encouraging, empowering, and
equipping youth to live a Christ-centered life in a “me”-centered world. What it is not is a sub-
ministry of the church to benefit the church; to bring more families through the door so that
numbers, engagement, and giving will increase.
To encourage the youth is to model how the early church valued the next generation.
Jesus chose young men as disciples. Paul chose young men to travel with him. John writes, “I
write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you” (1 John
2:14, NIV). In most facets of their life, young people are trying to prove themselves by what they
do. Youth ministry should be a place where they are encouraged for who they are, not what they
do.
To empower the next generation is to place responsibility and opportunities in their
hands. More than this, it is letting students drive the ministry toward what they are passionate
about. The youth minister should be there to guide students’ passions and make sure they are
1 Walt Mueller, Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture (Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2006), accessed April 30,
2021, http://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3317085.
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gospel-centered passions carried out through compassion. The youth minister should not be
making all decisions about where the ministry is heading and then inviting students, who have no
cards to play in this situation, to be fully bought into that vision. Paul charges young Timothy by
saying, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the
believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12, NIV). If a youth
minister is failing to give students in their flock opportunities to set the example in these things,
they are failing to empower them.
Lastly, youth ministry cannot and should not be a “come and see” experience that a
church provides. It must be a “go and do” relationship. I have heard it said before that a church
should not be a cruise ship, but a battleship. The same applies to youth ministry. Students
shouldn’t see youth ministry as a place where they just come once a week to relax, soak in all of
their Christian friendships, and leave feeling rested until the next week. Youth ministry should be
a place where they are refueled each week, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and equipped to be
the mouthpiece of the Good News in their families, friend groups, and in their schools.
Equipping the youth with clear tools of how to pray for their friends, how to share their faith, and
how to have faith conversations is a central part to my student ministry philosophy.
Incorporating Campus Ministry
As a part of this philosophy of encouraging, empowering, and equipping the youth is the
central belief that success is not necessarily marked by a growing youth group at the church. It
could be a biproduct, but it must not be the ruler used to measure success. Campus ministry must
play a vital role in a youth ministry, but if the root motivation is to grow your church’s youth
group, pride can easily sneak into the “why” behind campus ministry. Campus ministry, at its
core, is meeting students where they’re at. The motivation behind this is to introduce them to the
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person and friend of Jesus, not to introduce them to a youth group. Obviously, community is a
necessity for a growing faith which can be found in a youth group, but to point a student toward
any biblical community will combat the sin of pride that many youth ministers struggle with.
My Church, Youth Ministry, and Area
I currently serve as the Student Ministry Director at All Shores Wesleyan Church. We have
three campuses (Spring Lake, Coopersville, and Muskegon) in the western side of Michigan. Our
mission is to be radically loving, growing together in Christ. So, this makes us ask the regular
question of “am I loving in a comfortable way or a radical way?” The same question applies to
how I run the youth ministry.
To make a complicated organizational chart simple, I oversee the spiritual growth of middle
school and high school students in 3 different communities. Currently, a year after COVID-19
hit, we have a student ministry presence in two of the three campuses with a total of around 75-
80 regular students. 75% of the students who attend the Spring Lake campus go to Spring Lake
Public. The other 25% attend a splattering of other public and private schools in the area. 100%
of the students at the Coopersville campus attend Coopersville Public. We rent our space from
the school, so we are right on the school grounds. This tight-knit community heavily committed
to the idea of the “old fashioned” youth ministry style of high-invite, low commitment. Our
Muskegon campus (where we have not launched our student ministry yet) is located right
between the two major school systems in Muskegon: Muskegon Public and Mona Shores. Using
the school’s enrollment information, the number of Middle and High Schoolers in the area of
impact for my ministry is 7,547.
Pre-COVID, we were somewhat involved in some of these schools, but calling what we were
doing in these schools a ministry would be a far stretch. There was no strategy behind it. No
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intentionality behind what we were doing, where we were doing it, or who we were doing it
with. We knew that being in the schools resulted in more students, so that’s what I was taught to
do. The positive side about this is that I won’t have to change any programs. The negative side is
that I will have to start all of the programs from nothing. I have already been sensing that God
wants to lead his ministry to a less-programed ministry in the coming year. So the programs that
I see in the future (both in campus ministry and weekly ministry) are intentional, relationship-
based programs.
Choosing one school from each of the three communities, I would choose Spring Lake
Public, Coopersville Public, and Muskegon Public. For Spring Lake and Coopersville, the
decision is mostly a “bang for your buck” decision. We will be able to connect with the largest
majority of the students in our community by targeting these schools. In Muskegon, I chose
Muskegon Public over Mona Shores because of the socioeconomic diversity found in Muskegon
Public. I believe that there is a great need for mentors and healthy adult relationships.
Three Year Strategy
Before even starting a strategy toward campus ministry, some ground will need to be laid
in each of the three school systems. Staff relationships will need to made. If the staff is not on
board with a campus ministry, it will be very difficult for that ministry to gain traction. It will
also be necessary to gain buy-in from parents. If the parents are not bought into the mission of
campus ministry, it will also be hard to gain traction. So, the summer before year 1 will be spent
building relationships with staff and parents, discussing what can be done, what they see needs
for, and what a partnership looks like.
Year 1
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The main goal of Year 1 is to build as many relationships as possible with students, staff,
and parents. This will be accomplished by meeting needs as they are presented to our ministry,
seeking out ways to become more involved in the school, and being seen in as many settings as
possible. I want to be seen and for my name to be heard as much as possible. Some primary steps
taken during Year 1 are as follows:
Have a conversation with school staff to discover where they feel most under-supported
during the school week. Offer my team as a part of the solution to the problem presented.
Have a conversation with parents (PTA) to discover where needs are yet to be met. Offer
my team as a part of the solution to the problem presented.
Have a conversation with sports/arts boosters to seek out possible serving opportunities.
Get a list of all sporting/arts events that I have students already participating in and
prioritize attending these events.
Organize and implement a year-end celebration at each partnering school.
Identify possible student leaders.
Year 2
While Year 1 was primarily focused on being seen, Year 2’s focus will be on being known
and understood. I am a firm believer of “living it before you lead it,” so much of Year 1 would
have been lead and implemented by the youth ministry staff. However, as we move into Year 2,
Year 1’s actions would now move to being lead and implemented by youth ministry volunteers.
This would then free me up to move into Year 2’s objective of using the trust built during Year 1
to form a small group of student leaders in the schools. On the surface, it may seem
counterproductive to focus on a small group of students when you’re trying to have an impact on
as many as possible. However, as Jesus modeled, having an inner circle of close disciples can
change the world around you. Some primary steps taken during Year 2 are as follows:
Recruit a team of volunteers who will be representatives in the three school systems to
continue to be seen for our ministry.
Identify student leaders and begin meeting outside of school to discuss their calling to
lead others.
Empower student leaders to begin meeting in some sort of after school campus club that
aligns with their passions.
Equip student leaders to have organic faith conversations while meeting in their campus
clubs.
Facilitate discussions about faith with students who are curious about what it means to
follow Jesus.
Continue to have ongoing conversations with staff and parents to identify current needs
of the school and the families.
Year 3
This may be a controversial point of my strategy, but my hope is that Year 3 of campus
ministry would be lead primarily by student and volunteers. If I truly believe in students as the
leader of their peers, I want to “put my money where my mouth is.” I want this to be something
that pray into and have influence over, but not be dependent on me. I would see that my primary
role would be to disciple and mentor the student leaders as they are the ones who are doing
campus ministry. They are the ones seeking to be seen, heard, and understood. With help, they
are the ones leading their friends and peers to Christ. During Year 3, some specific steps will be
as follows:
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Bibliography
Teach and train student leaders about what it means to lead out of a dependence for the
Holy Spirit.
Teach and train student leaders to know when to press into hard situations themselves and
when to ask for more help.
Continue to have ongoing conversations with staff and parents to identify current needs
of the school and the families.
Conclusion
I recently hear someone speak about how each of the several currently available iPhones
on the market each serve a specific purpose. If you like a smaller phone, there’s an iPhone for
that. If you like a simpler version, there’s an iPhone for that. If you like an incredible camera,
there’s an iPhone for that. None of these are the “right” or “perfect” phone for everyone. In the
same way, my strategy for campus ministry is not right or perfect for everyone. I know where
God has gifted me and skilled me. I know that my best strategy is to build a ministry that is to be
given to others. My focus, both in my philosophy and strategy, is not centered around how I
make sure this lasts for as long as I’m here. Rather, it’s centered on building something that will
continue to point students toward a life centered on following Jesus, no matter if I’m present or
not.
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Mueller, Walt. Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2006.
Accessed April 30, 2021.
http://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3317085.
