There are not many places in a community that have the potential for incredible ministry impact along with the potential for ministry problems like the local schools. The number of families that can be ministered to in any given school is tremendous. Without getting caught up in all the things that churches are not allowed to do on school campuses, let’s look at some different ways that the church can have a positive ministry impact on our school campuses.

One thing to remember in all of this is that the church would be the guest of the school and is under the authority of those in charge of the school.  You need to respect them and prove to them you are there to love and serve. Once your church builds a relationship with the school there may be a myriad of other things that can happen, but below are a few ideas to get you started.

1.  Teacher Appreciation Dinner – This can be done a couple of different ways. One way  is to do a banquet at the church for all the teachers and really do it right.  If you do something like this it cannot be done half way.  Teachers are generally expected to do more than they can and under-appreciated for what they do accomplish. Make it nice and really show them the love of Christ in action. The positive in doing this banquet at the church is you can really make it a nice dinner and are not limited by time constraints or  school regulations. The drawback is that you may only get the teachers who are believers to come. A second option is to take the dinner to them and set it up in the teachers' lounge. You would need to work with the school administration to coordinate this, but the positive impact is that you would get a chance to minister to all of the teachers and  administration on campus. This once again does not need to be done half-way, but it would need to be something that could be accessed throughout the day. Do this a few times and do it well and a significant relationship is born.

2.  School building improvement projects – Most schools do well to pay their teachers and get the necessities done on their school budgets, so oftentimes there is not enough money left over to do building improvement projects. Once again, working with the school administration, see if there is any painting or remodeling projects that your church could help with. Many of our churches are filled with handymen that would love to minister in this way.  Rather than going to another state for a construction mission project why not try  one out with your local school system?  Projects like painting rooms, building extra shelving for storage, and others could help out a lot. Visit with your school officials to see what they need and work to meet some of those needs.

3.  After-School Tutoring – Schools are always looking for tutors and parents are always looking for affordable tutors. Look at the possibility of setting up an after-school tutoring program either at your church or at the school. Set it up for one or two days a week and do it for free.  Free is a magic word for parents who are struggling financially. There aren’t many parents out there who don’t want to see their kids excel in school, so this could be a very positive ministry for the students, parents, and the teachers. The students’ grades improve, the parents see their kids getting help, the teachers have fewer problems in class, and the church gets to minister to all involved. This is a great win for everyone.

4.  Volunteer in the school office or in the classroom – One of the greatest ways to have an impact is just by being there. Finding a way to volunteer to do filing or some kind of administrative work in the office can be a big help. Being a volunteer parent in the classroom to help with activities or even some day to day things can have great impact. This is a quick way for the school to get to know you and trust you, while seeing that you are there to serve and help them.  It’s also a great way to get to know the kids and be an encouragement to them.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. Always keep in mind that the school has no reason to trust you if they do not know you. They also have no obligation to let you come and help in any way, so we must always keep in mind that we are there for them, to serve and to model Christ’s love in everything we do. There is no greater way to do that and build a relationship than to submit to the authority of those school leaders. If we do what we are supposed to do, God will take care of the rest.  Enjoy your time of service and may God bless it richly.

David McClung is a member of the Missions Ministries team of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention in charge of Innovative Church Planting.  He served on the Evangelism and Church Growth Team for 4 ½ years and has served churches in Arkansas and Texas for 16 years now, both as a pastor and a student minister.  He and his wife Christy live in Sherwood, AR. with their four children.