As a youth worker, I try to spend a regular amount of time eating lunch on school campuses. Youth workers either do this, or they don’t do this, and there are a number of reasons why.
I know a few guys who won’t step foot on a school campus and they have their reasons, most of them weak, some of them forced. (For example, when I lived in St. Louis not many schools would even allow me to come).
I know other guys who will eat on campus with students, but that can look very different:
- You might see the youth worker that brings a volunteer with him and both are dressed in the same “our youth ministry” t-shirt with a stack of invite cards to their next event
- You might see the youth worker that sits on the stage or stands at the door and as his kids notice him they’ll move towards him and soon the gathering is very noticeable
- You might the youth worker at one table, and then another, and then another, and then…
Campus lunch can viewed a lot of different ways, and most views are well-intentioned. For me, I go to a school each week for one reason: to communicate to my kids that I care about their world, too. If I expect them to come to the church (my world) and hear what I have to say, it makes sense that I step on campus (their world) and see what’s going on beyond our programs. I want them to know their world is important to me so they’ll understand why my world should be important to them.
Most of the campuses at which we have students are very different. One makes me fill out reams of paperwork just to get in the front office. Another gives me a visitor sticker and thanks me for coming. One campus has a fight every lunch period, every day. In another I’ll get the stare-down trying to figure out if I’m the new kid or someone’s dad.
Every campus has a different culture. And to the population at large, the youth room in a church is a different culture. So for me to be on campus, I think it helps say, “You know I don’t belong here, but I came anyway because it’s worth it.” That can translate to the faithful student, the fringe student, or the friend of a student who comes into my ministry area and feels the same way.
So what about you? What’s your take on campus lunch contact work?
Sean Kahlich is the Mid-High Youth Minister at The Kirk of the Hills – check out his youth ministry blog called Awaiting Epiteleo.
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Josh Griffin has been in youth ministry for 15+ years and serves as the High School Pastor at Saddleback Church. [
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Geoff Stewart serves the Jr / Sr High School Pastor at Peace Portal Alliance Church in Surrey B.C.
Never been a big fan of going to school lunches. I am in a situation where youth pastors are not allowed on campus, but even when I’ve been welcomed in other school systems I always felt that it was more of a negative than a positive. It always seemed to me like one of those things we do because youth pastors have always done it. I don’t think it ever communicated that I cared about them although I wanted it to. Most students I talked with would prefer that our student ministry staff not come at all. One even told me that it was weird that student pastors come to their school lunch. So, my connection with campus life is either through FCA or by attending games, plays, musicals, etc. I’d much rather go to a game than a school lunch because the student is way more impressed that I came to their game than if I had lunch w/them at school.
I’m a youth worker in Ireland – we don’t get the opportunity to eat lunch with students, in fact no-one (unless you are invited by a teacher to do an assembly or class) is allowed on a school campus. It seems like such a strange concept yet I think if i had the option I’d love to do it, what an opportunity to meet students outside of church and actually see what their lives are like!
School involvement takes many forms, lunch time is priceless. I for one have never “eaten” lunch at schools but I use that time to connect with students in the youth ministry AND it gives me the opportunity to meet their friends. Some public schools are opposed to this idea. Others offer a table that allow you to stay at and teens come to you. Others allow you to go from table to table to table. . .
I was at my last church for 7 years. During the time, I invested into many schools in the area. It takes a while to earn trust. Once that trust is earned with school officials, there are lots of open doors. Because of school lunches, along with outreach, visiting games, etc., the youth ministry increased exponentially.
If it’s not lunches, there are other opportunities to involve yourself in public schools such as tutoring, volunteering at events, etc. If you are at all interested in community involvement, serving in schools through any means is a golden opportunity.
I make it a point to ALWAYS first introduce myself to principals, follow their guidelines, sign in, wear necessary badges, sign out. Never take these little things for granted. I also make it a point to let the principal know that I am there when I visit. Another plus for the youth minister is to go through the required background checks required for a volunteer. They may be optional but they eliminate any doubts.
Some school systems even give out sport passes for youth ministers that allow the ym to attend all sporting events for free.
Yeah, St. Louis is a tough one! You’d figure the Midwest, Bible belt, hometown Americans would be more lenient! Where in St. Louis did you minister?
Great article. In my city we are allowed into schools. However the number of schools that welcome us is dropping by the min. Not because of the faith but for safety issues.
Lunches are a great opportunity I get to laugh, feel uncomfortable, and witness the awkwardness that is high school. Thanks for the encouragement and push to get back into schools in 2011.
I wish I could get the free sports passes the gentleman above is receiving. I have some students that will ignore ever knowing me when I come to their lunch, but most will sit with me. It actually gets more akward when 15 students try to sit with you and you don’t get much quality interaction with any of them, so I communicate to them and sometimes I will just eat with one or two of the students at “their” normal table and it helps me connect with some unchurched friends of theirs. I encourage any ym that can visit the school do so and don’t let your fear of rejection hold you back.
I am a volunteer in our student ministry and when visiting my own children for lunch, am overwhelmed by the lack of inhibition of our students who are willing to show affection for, introduce and even dine with me in “their” setting. Jesus broke bread with the disciples because there is something comforting about sharing a meal that adds value to a person. “They took time to share a meal with me!” It matters!
Couple years ago I brought this up to the guys on the podcast. I tried to look it up in the archives of the podcast but couldn’t find it.
I think justaddyouthpastor hit a good point that there is so much more we can do than just lunches. I go to lunches every friday & I have to bring parent permission slips to each school I go to. I’m one of only a few full time middle school youth pastors in my area (we have a total of 3 of us in our city & I know of only 6 of us in all of East Iowa) so I’m always looking for other people who impact middle school kids locally. I find them at the schools. Most people who are principals, councilors, and teachers of middle school youth do it because they enjoy working with middle school youth & their parents. I spend a lot of time at the schools to meet them, get ideas of how they work with the same people I work with, & look for opportunities to co-work w/them to impact middle schoolers. Some of the greatest ideas I use to communicate with parents came from a conversation I had with an associate principle. I would suggest you think of your visits to schools (lunch or other events) as an opportunity greater than uncomfortable moments with the kids. Instead think of it as a chance to connect with likeminded people in your area. Who knows you might be the one person that God wants to use to share his gospel with a principle or teacher that wouldn’t have listen to a preacher but would listen to a co-worker.
I spent one lunch with a middle school student. Just one. I got to meet his friends, we talked and joked around, and that was it.
And then for weeks he kept asking me to come back. Borderline begging. It was funny, but at the same time, my heart seriously ached for this kid. I know he has a hard time in school and I’d love to eat with him everyday. Unfortunately, red tape. The next time I tried to go in, the principal said I had to have a parent permission slip and I had to eat alone with the student in classroom. Obviously I’m not going to take him away from his friends. Red tape is lame.
I spend one day a week at our middle school during lunch and another day a week at the high school and I thoroughly enjoy it. We have great administration that has encouraged youth leaders to come. By going to lunch I have met lots of students but also met administrators and teachers. This in turn has allowed me to serve at sporting events and other activities. For me there are a number of benefits that go along with spending a couple of hours a week a the school.
I really enjoyed this post. I have the freedom to visit 4 of the 5 schools that we draw from… I hope to make that 5 out of 5 soon! It’s crazy because students at the 1 school that I can’t get into are hurt that I spend time with other students and not them, its a great opportunity to get them to be part of the change!
Zach, that red tape might go away if you go through a background check for the school district. You could also ask if you could volunteer as a lunch monitor.