OPEN YOUR EYES TO THE CAMPUS

 

Lance’s youth group had grown from six students to a hundred—a point he proudly emphasized in a meeting with his pastor. The pastor commended Lance for his good work, but he also detected a hint of ego behind those numbers. “I’d like to show you something,” he told Lance. They got in the pastor’s car, drove to the local high school, and parked near the front entrance.

           

 “Let’s just sit here, watch, and listen,” the pastor said. All Lance could hear or see was the wind in the trees and birds chirping in the distance. Then the bell rang, and hundreds of students rushed through the school doors—some laughing, one crying, some talking with friends, some yelling across the parking lot, and many walking alone. 

 

“Think about it, Lance,” the pastor said. “Every one of them is a unique, made-in-the-image-of-God person with their own set of life issues and problems, and like everyone else they are trying to find their identity and purpose.” The scene, similar to what Jesus observed in a crowd of people, made a powerful point.

 

See What Jesus Saw

When Jesus saw the crowds who came to see Him, He was moved with compassion. They were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). That’s a pretty good description of teenagers today. Students are “harassed”—depleted, exhausted, distressed; they are “helpless”—vulnerable, incapacitated, disheartened; and they are “like sheep without a shepherd”—wandering, directionless, purposeless, looking for someone to follow. 

           

 Lance’s pastor wanted him to see beyond himself. As positive as the growth of his youth group was, this young leader needed to see the deeper, bigger picture—to view that mass of unreached students through the eyes of Jesus. So many students fit Jesus’ description above—hurting, helpless, and hopeless. Almost all of them have dreams for their lives, yet most of those dreams don’t include Jesus because they don’t think He is relevant to their lives. 

 

The Harvest Is Plentiful

The good news is that the harvest is “plentiful” on school campuses today, just as it was when Jesus saw the crowds. Students are ripe to experience God’s love, hope, peace, and fulfillment. They may not know that Jesus is the answer—many are sure that He isn’t—but they are searching for something worth living for. Even more, they are longing for something worth dying for. 

 

So far, most students have come up empty in their search. That’s why so many are drawn to premarital sex, get involved in peer groups with a negative influence, and align themselves with causes and issues so they can feel like they “belong.” They long for anything that resembles love and acceptance. 

 

Deep down, even if they don’t realize it, they also wonder if God really exists and can love them just the way they are. Yet I have never seen a time when so many students are so open to the gospel of Christ. 

 

My friend Keith met a girl on campus who handed him a note one day. “Lately, my life has been crazy,” it said. “Everything seems to be going wrong. I wish I had someone to talk to. That’s mostly why I was hoping we could find a way to connect.” This young girl’s family had never gone to church. Her parents had divorced, and each had been through a second divorce. She had never heard that God loved her and wanted a relationship with her. Keith talked to her several times and connected her with some Christian students who would encourage her and follow up with her. Three weeks after she handed him that note, a student involved in our ministry led her to Christ.

 

Students like her are desperately, frantically searching. They want to know if anyone can be trusted, if anyone cares, if anyone is real. We have a great opportunity to be the “yes” to those questions.

 

The Campus Is Your Mission Field

This mission field that is ripe for harvest is in desperate need of compassionate people who will make themselves available to share God’s unconditional love. Throughout years of youth ministry, my colleagues and I have encountered very few youth workers on campuses. Yet meeting students where they are—on and around the campuses where they spend so much of their lives—is the only way to reach those who will not come to a church. Youth workers can’t afford to wait for students to come to their church. It is vital to go where students are. 

            

This is not a matter for youth workers alone, of course. In fact, one of the greatest mission forces on the planet is already embedded on campuses across the country—students! They just need to be mobilized. Christian students already know the language and culture, already have a network of relationships on campus, and simply need to be inspired and equipped to reach their peers. 

            

And to this harvest labor force we can add teachers, church leaders, parents, and the entire church community. When the church envisions school campuses as a mission field and begins to pray, plan, train, and send, lives will be changed. 

 

Map the Campus and Adopt Your School

Just as Jesus strategically planned where He would go, in our own environments, we can too! How, then, can we take strategic steps to "pray, plan, train, and send" toward the campus? These two excellent tools will give you specific direction. They provide you with the ability to map your campus, to adopt your school, and to lead your students to see their campus as their own mission field. Use these two links to create your own strategic and specific campus ministry plan:

 

• Map Your Campus

 

• Adopt Your School

 

Your Next Steps

We encourage you to keep a notebook or journal of ideas, action steps, and resources that will help you advance your youth ministry. You can use the following questions and suggestions for brainstorming and developing your goals and plans. 

 

• What support and connections do you need in order for you to significantly influence the campuses around you?

 

• What support do you think Christian students need from the adults and church community around them? As you continue to read, identify some practical steps you can take to create this kind of support-centered ministry.

 

• Who can participate in your harvest labor force? List some parents, educators, leaders, and community leaders who might join you to reach the campuses around you. Determine your best approach to connect with these groups of people for a “listen and learn” time, hear their ideas, and develop an action plan with their help. 

 

• Imagine your committed students becoming “campus missionaries”. As you read on, develop a plan to train, equip, and send them to their schools as missionaries to their schools.

 

Resources

• Every Student Every School, sponsored by the Campus Alliance, helps students and youth leaders pray for their campus and reach out to students: www.everyschool.com/resources/.  These excellent tools will give you what you need to map your campus and all of the campuses in your area, and to adopt your school with a "Prayer/Care/Share" strategy.

- Map Your Campus

- Adopt Your School

 

• “9 Month Mission Trip” will help you train and mobilize your students to see their school as a mission field and give them ideas and strategies for their ministry on campus: www.9monthmissiontrip.com.