By now, most of our schools are back in session. There are still some colleges and universities that haven’t resumed, but for those of us serving middle school, junior high and high school students, the craziness of the school year is back. You may still be in recovery mode from a busy summer, but don’t stay there too long; you might miss out on some impactful ministry opportunities.
Back to School is a great time for evaluation, new beginnings and major outreach. It is during the opening weeks of school that families fall back into their normal routines. There should be nothing routine about church, but it is a great routine to be a part of. A Back-to-School event may help cement some of those students and families that seem to be floating on the edges of your ministry.
Last week, we shared five key strategies to help you plan your next Back-to-School event. This week, we are going to look at five other things that may help:
• Make the event fun. Some of us are all about the fun. I tend to be more serious. Don’t be afraid to relax and laugh with your students. They need to see that the Christian life is one full of joy. Enjoy whatever you have planned and pull your students into the craziness. There are times for seriousness, but a Back-to-School event is often driven by fun.
• Find a place in your event to share the gospel. One of the most important things that we can do at any event we sponsor is to share the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. It doesn’t have to be a 30-minute sermon. It needs to simply and succinctly share the important pieces of the message. Students need to hear that God loves them and that Jesus died for them. They also need to understand their sinful state, but that can be a bit trickier given the counter-cultural nature of that concept. However, it doesn’t change the need for us to share. Be sure to include a time for the truth as you connect with students at your event.
• Discuss your plans and budget with your lead pastor. Here is an area where student ministry workers can get themselves into trouble. We have grand ideas of what we could do. We might be dreaming of events that pull in the masses and make us the coolest place in town. The trouble arises when we fail to discuss the event with our leadership. There may be any number of reasons that the church doesn’t want to pursue the event. And we need to be okay with that. The leadership may see the event as contrary to the church’s approach to ministry. It may be a cool idea, but it may not be the “brand” that the church wants to exude. We must be okay with that. If we can’t, then we may need to consider a different place of service. As staff members, we fall under the leadership of the church. In addition, the event may just be too costly. We don’t want to blow our entire youth budget for one night. We need to make wise decisions regarding our budgeted dollars.
• Have a plan for capturing contact information. If we have an event on campus or at another venue, we should have a plan to gather information about these students. We aren’t doing this to stalk them. We simply want to be better prepared to reach out to them in the days ahead. The information you gather will allow you the opportunity to reach out to your guests. The thing to remember is that you don’t have to do all this yourself. Enlist others to serve. This type of service is a great entry point for volunteers. Look for the detail-oriented person who loves teenagers.
• As you gather volunteers, be sure to have someone shoot pictures and video. I would have loved to have been enlisted to serve as a photographer/videographer. This person can capture the moments and help your congregation understand what is happening in the student ministry. There is nothing like a great picture to capture the heart of the event. Again, don’t be afraid to delegate and enlist others. Find someone who simply wants to help.
If you feel that you have missed your opportunity for this year, don’t be afraid to start thinking about next year. Planning for a great event can take some time, but it is well worth it. It can provide moments and opportunities to connect with students and help students connect with your church. Back-to-school is a great time to provide those moments.
What are some of your favorite back-to-school events? What other things do you consider as you prepare for your events? Join the conversation at facebook.com/groups/studentministrymatterscommunity.
