A Youth Pastor’s Back To School Challenge

As the summer sun begins to set and the excitement of another school year begins, it’s time for youth pastors to take advantage of the reality that school is back! Take a second and close your eyes to picture a new school year through the lens of a student. You’ve got many who are hoping for a fresh start, some who are brand new to that school, and many who are simply hoping to make it through another year of school.

As students head back to school, let me encourage you with a back-to-school challenge of your own. I know you’ve got a bunch of things piling up on your plate as you kick off the new school year, but let’s not forget local schools. My hope is that this personal back-to-school challenge will ignite a passion and purpose for your local schools.

Challenge Number 1: Pray For a Local School

I’m sure many of you have multiple schools that pour into your church, and that’s awesome. Some of you might only have one local school that pours into your church, and that’s great too! No matter what the surrounding school context is for you, pick a local school to pray for. Commit to intercede on behalf of that school all year long. Pray as you drive past it, pray as you think about it, pray in your office, park in the parking lot, and pray once a week on campus, or invite others to pray with you. Simply pray. There are tons of things to pray for as you think about the school. Things like students, staff, safety, God’s light to shine, open doors for ministry, friendship, unity, etc. Charles Spurgeon, the famous prince of preachers, once said, “No man can do me a truer kindness in this world than to pray for me.” Challenge number 1 is to pray for a local school.

Challenge Number 2: Serve a Local School

There are many ways to serve a local school. In the past, I’ve had leaders at church who provided a free meal to teachers and staff. I’ve gathered a crew to do landscaping and beautification of the property. And I’ve had a team go in and help decorate classrooms and set up offices before students return to school. I’d encourage you to reach out to a local principal or teacher and find out how you can serve a local school. The catch here is to do it with no strings attached. You’re not looking for anything out of it other than simply blessing them and serving them. Over time, if you continue to serve a local school with no strings attached, you will find a strong partnership built that will open the door to exciting ministry opportunities. A simple way you can do this is to pick a weekday morning and take up bagels, coffee, and a fruit tray. Teachers love free food. Challenge number 2 is to serve a local school.

Challenge Number 3: Participate In a Local School

I love this one. As your relationship begins to grow with a local school, find ways to participate there. Find ways where you become a “regular” there, and people know you because you’re always around. If they have a local FCA, YCI, or Bible club, find a way to plug into that. Look for ways to partner with coaches and school teams. Buy a school all-sports pass and show up to as many games as you can. I know of some youth workers who have even been given permission from the church to be a substitute teacher. These are great ways to participate in a local school. The goal would be for you to be there and to be known by those at the school so that you can have new ministry opportunities. Challenge number 3 is to participate in a local school.

So, as your students are all headed back to school, in some way, it’s kind of like you are too. Now, some of you might have a hard time with challenge number 2 or 3 because your local schools don’t allow church staff to do things on campus. If that’s your case, you can still do challenge number 1, and your prayer points will get really specific so that God might open a door.

Lastly, the goal of a back-to-school challenge isn’t to see it automatically grow your youth group overnight. It’s to be a steadfast presence in a local school for long-term ministry opportunities! So don’t lose heart if your school ministry doesn’t have a direct impact on your youth group. School ministry IS Kingdom-building ministry. Hang your hat on that truth! I hope that this year, you are able to be part of some incredible and new school ministry opportunities!

Share your thoughts with others in our YM360 community:

1. What are some simple ways you could begin to pray for a local school?
2. Who do you know in administration at a local school that could help you find ways to serve and participate in a local school?