Melodie Penland
YOUT 350: Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry Strategy Paper
The youth group also participates in VBS and mission trips in our state to offer disaster
relief. Many students went to California this summer to partner with a struggling church to
A student ministry should include worship, discipleship, fellowship, prayer, ministering,
and serving others. The early church in Acts 2:42-47 demonstrated this. By having the gospel
at the foundation, even through fun events, Jesus will always be the focal point. Partner with
parents (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)—come alongside what they are already doing at home. Offer
prayer and resources and show up at important events. That shows you care, and it provides
support and encouragement. There should be a focus on building Christ-centered relationships
within the student ministry. As the students grow in their relationship with Jesus, pray they get
closer together. It is vital for students to feel a sense of belonging and community (Hebrews
10:24-25). We all have spiritual gifts, and a student ministry must give serving opportunities.
The student ministry should provide ways to serve at church and within the community, such as
service projects and mission trips. The Student Pastor and church should encourage students
to use their spiritual gifts to serve God and others. (Ephesians 4:12-13)
There should be a time to fellowship and connect with each other. This could include a
meal and fun activities. In my church format, including youth and children, Wednesday nights
are more relaxed and inviting for unsaved people. Sunday mornings are primarily used for
discipleship and growth. My church youth group includes these biblical points through
Contemporary worship that the youth connect with, interactive Bible studies, and service
projects such as helping widows and the elderly and serving in our church's soup kitchen. Fun
activities such as lake days and game nights help to connect while offering a fun place to invite
friends. Relating their faith to events and activities helps to foster a lasting impact in their
spiritual life.
provide a VBS and sports camp to the community surrounding their property. The youth are
strongly encouraged to participate and receive financial assistance. By integrating service and
outreach, the students realize their God-given gifts and use them to serve others while glorifying
God. This also instills the importance of service and outreach at an early age. This helps to foster
compassion for those in need. The youth are encouraged to live out their faith while actively
impacting the community.
I live in a town of 100,000 people with several small communities surrounding it. My
family lives in San Angelo, where three large public middle schools and two large public high
schools exist. Most of our families attend these schools, which I estimate as 18 kids. Some towns
around us are Wall, Christoval, Veribest, Grape Creek, and Miles. The youth groups consist of
six from Wall, seven from Christoval, three from Veribest, two from Grape Creek, and two from
Miles. Our youth group is interesting because the core attends Sundays, Wednesdays, and
various events. On Wednesdays, some of the regulars invite their friends, and they become
regulars on Wednesdays. Other kids only attend on Sundays. Some students that attend on
Sundays do not try connecting with other kids. They are there because they have grown up in the
church but have found their community elsewhere. Making this one cohesive group has been
challenging because there are kids from so many different schools. Half of the students live in a
house with two parents that are average, middle-class, or upper-middle-class. The other half are
raised by grandparents, an older sibling, and may be lower middle class. We have a decent split,
about half white, and half Hispanic students. Our town is roughly the same.
Our church desires to see young people and their families come to our church and know Jesus.
For many years my church has declined; one reason is that the church members just expected
young people to show up. My new pastor is more proactive in reaching young people and the
community. He actively gets out in the community and encourages the staff and church body to
do the same. A campus ministry is key to being a supportive church in our school system. “In
effect, Jesus is telling us that when it comes to the emerging generations, we are to “get out of
our offices and onto the sidewalks1.” We support the school staff by providing meals, snacks, and
prayer throughout the year. By having a campus ministry, we can show students that someone
cares about them.
The purpose of a campus ministry is to help meet the needs of students and the school,
including spiritually. Hopefully, the campus ministry can make a positive impact on the campus.
Establishing a ministry in a public school can provide support, care, and spiritual guidance to
students, teachers, and parents. Connecting with students on campus provides an opportunity to
minister to students, staff, and their families. Many students attend a campus ministry because
they need help or love. They may be going through something challenging and need support but
don't know where to go. The campus ministry can provide a safe place and welcome students.
A campus ministry can show students how to follow the Bible in real-life situations. The campus
leader can teach how to show love, honesty, and compassion while organizing activities and
examples to develop these attributes.
Another purpose would be to have a sense of belonging. Having a safe place for students to
meet will give them a positive space to learn and grow while growing closer in friendship or
meeting new people. These clubs stress being inclusive to all and encourage teamwork and
respect. While connecting with students, you can also be a bright spot with the parents and the
1 Walt Mueller, Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews and Christian Truth (Downers
Grove, IL: IVP Books: An imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2006), 171.
3.While our current program is decent, it may be better on the school's campus. Our church
can be seen from the school's campus, but it is out of the way regarding kids being
dismissed. More people would attend if the afterschool program were on their campus. It
would require some compromise with the school and with our church members. Some of
the things offered need to be changed. For example, they offer half a semester of sewing,
teachers. When the teachers and staff see the campus leaders' dedication, they will likely seek
them out when their team needs something.
1.My church already has an afterschool program on our campus and partners with an
elementary school. We have something going on every single day of the week. More
volunteers to lead would be necessary. The staff can't lead all the ministry opportunities
when so many are already in place.
2. I would speak to the pastor and mention the need for a campus ministry. We would bring it to
the church body and share the needs and how to partner. We would pray for someone to be led to
be in charge where the staff could be more of a support role. Our afterschool ministry entitled
"The Zone" is led by one church member and supported by 20 other volunteers and the Youth
Ministry Director. Because the Youth Ministry Director is more of a support role, she can lead
the different ministries. To get someone willing to lead, we would have to present what is needed
and how to be successful while providing support, tools, and resources for this person. The Zone
has stood firm for about ten years through many Youth Pastor changes, Covid, principal changes,
school rule changes, and the schools changed their release schedule, which produced a challenge
because it conflicted with the start time of our afterschool program.
which the students do, but it is so labor-intensive that the volunteers do most of the work.
That defeats the purpose. The volunteers are offering things they can help with, but they
should seek out what the youth want to learn and try their best to learn it so they can
teach it to students. Many volunteers will lead an activity, but they need to work at
talking to students. Most of them have difficulty connecting, which can be awkward. We
have not had anyone come to our church in over seven years from this program. In the
past, we had students attend my church because the volunteers were intentional and
involved in the students' lives.
4.The first school we are already involved in is the Central Freshman campus. Our schools
are overcrowded, so all freshmen are funneled into this one school from several middle
schools. We already have a relationship with them. My second choice would be to target
the middle schools because the schools in San Angelo are easier to access than the small
schools and the communities surrounding us. It is tough even to be allowed on the other
school campuses, and they have their community and leaders they trust. It would be
challenging to cross that and be fruitful. It would have to be a long-term plan.
Before you start on a campus
A team would pray, connect with God, and join in what He is already doing.
The second thing needed is to research what is needed on the campus and how to help
students and the school.
Some things to consider are what days and times work best. There are many afterschool
programs, extracurriculars, and sports already available.
Before meeting with the school, a solid plan includes the costs, activities, volunteers, and
location.
After that, I would meet with the school's administrators to discuss the project and how to
pilot the program.
Once approval was given, I would advertise using the Remind app and other digital
formats within the school.
While training the volunteers, we would also schedule the activities for the year. This will
help to know what supplies are needed, plan the lesson, and organize volunteers for each
day.
1st year
There are new students and parents, so I would advertise again. I would get on campus
during orientation to meet students, staff, and parents.
Hosting a launch event would be helpful so students and parents could see what is
offered, and it could help pilot the program to see what works.
Provide a program that fills the gap between what is already provided and what is still
needed. Provide a strutted program and offer free time or electives set up in stations.
Conduct regular evaluations of the program by gathering feedback from students and
volunteers. Modify the program and adapt by setting new goals.
2nd year
Evaluate the program from the first year. Connect with the school and get their feedback.
Recruit more people to help.
If some activities went better- adjust and make room for new activities to cater to the
student's interests.
Involve the students by asking for opinions on what to offer and what they are looking
for.
We would need help from all staff, but maybe not every week if we could get enough volunteers-
Would this be every day or just once a week- every day would be a big-time commitment. Our
Communications Director could make graphics and send information to the church body. The
ministerial staff could provide support by attending and leading an activity.
Bibliography
Partner with church members that have specialized skills that can lead an activity.
Provide ongoing training for the volunteers while appreciating them for their dedication.
Organize community events that could involve the program participants and their
families. My church hosted a Christian couple who were illusionists, which was open to
the community.
3rd year
Fine-tune each activity and adapt as needed. Develop ways to keep going long-term. Seek
out more funding because of the growth of the program. Look for opportunities to do the
same thing at another school.
Add in more elements so it's more than just fun and games. For example, homework help
is already offered, so build on that by providing how to make and keep a budget, sign up
for FAFSA, and apply to colleges.
Share stories with the church body about the impact this program has made.
Recognize the efforts of volunteers, students, and community partners who contributed to
the program's success.
Reflect on lessons learned and identify areas for continuous improvement.
Walt Mueller, Engaging the Soul of Youth Culture: Bridging Teen Worldviews and Christian Truth (Downers Grove, IL:
IVP Books: An imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2006), 171.
