I joined the staff of Young Life in 1984 and soon started planting new clubs in the junior-high schools. We called them, appropriately, Wild Life (since changed to Wyld Life). To get started, I wanted to introduce myself to each administration. The first encounter was the most nerve-wracking: I had been told by a sympathetic high-school principal that this particular principal was like the warden at San Quentin prison.

After three months of prayer with my leaders to soften the soil of this junior-high principal’s heart, I made the appointment. I was 23 years old and very nervous. After my stumbling presentation about why I believed these clubs were needed in the junior highs, he paused for what seemed like an eternity, then said, “Well, all I have to say is…I think this is a great idea!”

We were off and running. Our club started; within a month the school invited us to run afternoon rallies! Once in awhile, God allows us to experience the truly miraculous. Enjoy it when it comes and do not take it for granted. For the first (and only) time in my career, I literally met every student in the school! Even better, this occurred in two more schools within 18 months. Miraculous indeed!

I approached the fourth school with confidence. After all, we were well known on three campuses, meeting hundreds of students, and fostering goodwill in the community. My co-leader for this new club joined me for the appointment with the principal. We threw up a quick prayer beforehand, gave our “spiel,” shared about our success at three other schools and our current work in the local high schools, then smiled and waited for the same results we had seen elsewhere.

The principal thanked us for our clear and enthusiastic presentation and told us she would contact us within the week. We gave each other a high-five as she closed the door and told our new leaders to get ready to dive into campus work.

We did not know that as she closed the door she picked up the phone and called every other secondary-school principal in the district–eight in all–and scolded each one for allowing us campus access in violation of district policy.

While her interpretation of campus access policy was debatable, all the principals retreated immediately, deciding that our presence on campus was not worth arguing about. In one hour, I single-handedly lost our campus access for three new junior-high clubs and our five longstanding high-school Young Life clubs!

Needless to say, it was a profound lesson in humility. I had started believing my own approach and charisma was the key to campus access. Eventually, I thanked God for this huge lesson. From it, I gained a deep respect for establishing a prayer covering over campus access. I began to make sure we spent extended time praying over each campus; since then, I never have walked onto a campus without praying beforehand. I ask for the Spirit to go before me and guide me toward the divine appointments He has for me that day. I am reminded that my goal is not exposure as much as availability. Occasionally I end up having a long conversation with the secretary or a campus security guard when I sign in, and talk to only a student or two. I have learned to be available for God’s agenda, not my own.

What else have I learned about campus access from this disastrous experience and nearly three decades of campus access?

The times, they are a-changing! When I started as an earnest volunteer at a high-school campus in 1982, I did not have to sign in to go on campus. In fact, I didn’t really even need permission to be there! I made a point of knowing the administrators, but that was just because one of them was a nice guy who helped me meet other students. An increased awareness of sexual predators, heightened dangers from drug dealers and a greater sophistication regarding security since 9/11 has demanded that schools clamp down on campus visitors. This is a good thing, and we should not resent it.

Fight for the right? I know there are others who disagree with me, but I do not recommend insisting on your constitutional right to be on campus. I believe this only fosters an antagonistic relationship with the school administrators and guarantees that you will not have any sort of positive relationship with school officials. I would rather be respectful and slowly chip away at any barriers to access by being a consistent presence.

My experience also tells me God is bigger than campus access. In other words, if you think your youth ministry rests on whether or not you have campus access, I would say you have a small view of God. On one high-school campus, I was not allowed to even meet the principal because his secretary decided I could not be there. Inside I was fuming and wanted to have it out with her. Instead, I smiled politely, thanked her for her time and started praying. I spent that whole year showing up at various events on campus, especially volleyball games because I knew several students on the teams. This particular secretary was a big volleyball booster. She noticed me at all the games, and I gave her a nod and a hello every time I saw her. What I did not realize was that she was noticing me talking with parents, cheering for the team and chatting afterward with students who came up to thank me for coming. Two years later, when a new secretary was questioning why I was on campus (I never gave up trying every September), my old antagonist came over and said, “You can trust Kelly. She has been here for years!” God sure is funny.

Respect the campus rules. Romans 13:1 says, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.” The authorities that exist have been established by God. Let us model a respectful spirit to our students by respecting the administration and the district policies. Like the adversarial principal I met all those years ago, now I scold a fellow youth worker if I find out he or she has gone on campus without signing in at the office or without previously asking for permission from one of the administrators. Before going onto any campus, consult with an experienced youth pastor in your community and find out what the official rules (and conventional wisdom) are regarding campus access. When I want to meet the administrator, I make an appointment. They are very busy people. Do not just show up and think you can just poke your head in. When I arrive for the appointment, I come a bit early and am dressed like an adult. If possible, bring a business card and a list of student who you know from that campus, as well as their parents’ names. Sometimes it is also helpful to bring an involved parent along with you. If you are returning to the campus and the administrator is new, briefly mention how you have been on campus in the past, along with names of various administrators and staff you have known and with whom you have worked. If you are new in town, make a point of being respectful and ready to serve.

Be creative. Rules vary in different communities. You may work in a town where youth pastors are able to be coaches, bring pizza on campus, or even facilitate after-school clubs on campus. Or you may be in a community where you are told that it is illegal to be on campus (which is not technically true), or where religious youth workers have been banned from campus. In my community, the junior highs are now closed campuses. I no longer have the access I had back in the 1980s. So, I have learned to organize “lunch runs.” I have invited four students (all who can fit in my Subaru) to bring a note notifying the school I that I have their parents’ permission to take them to lunch. As soon as the bell rings for lunch, they run into the school office, sign out and jump into my car. The entire lunch period is only 30 minutes, so it’s a blur! The students jump into my car, buckle their seat belts, and I take them to the closest fast-food joint. By the time they each order and get their food, it is usually time to head back to school. This does not allow for quality conversation, but it is a great shared memory, and they are the envy of all their friends when they come back to campus with a soda from Taco Bell! Once the momentum is set from these lunch runs, I have even been able to get a few adult leaders to join me on their own lunch hours and take up to 20 students this way! Other creative options might be to find out the requirements for becoming a substitute teacher in the district, sports coach, tutor or chaperone for dances and other activities. Schools always need help; seek ways to serve the school. Also, sitting in the stands at games, I have overheard students planning keg parties. Because of cultivated relationships with administrators, I have been able to fill them in discreetly about what I have heard.

Spread the vision. Try not to go on campus alone. Other volunteers might be able to use their lunch hours to visit campuses occasionally. It is great for your students to see their leaders in their “business gear.” Be sure to go on campus with them the first time to ensure a good beginning. You would not want to jeopardize your campus access with lack of preparation.

Manage your campus presence. For the last several years, I have had the freedom to go onto high-school campuses at lunch. Nevertheless, I always check in every fall to make sure I know the staff; I do not act like I own the place! It is a privilege to be God’s person on campus, and I want to handle it respectfully. Say hello to the secretaries, campus security and administrators; show them you’re still around and available, or make an appointment to meet new administrators a week or two before school starts. Be sure to greet them at games or school events after initially meeting them; let them see you are following up on any requests to be on campus.

Think bigger. I find that many youth workers are solely focused on the students. However, spend a portion of campus time talking to secretaries, security personnel, teachers and parents. This can help you in your youth ministry, as well as serve the kingdom of God in profound ways. Because of positive campus relationships, my students have had an easier time being excused from class to go on weekend camps or getting approval for church-related community service hours. Furthermore, I regularly am asked to speak at Career Day due to these relationships. I have met other parents who subsequently decided to send their son or daughter to our youth group after meeting me just sby hanging out at the snack bar and chatting with parents I already knew.  Best of all, I have known of campus security members and teachers who have become Christians through the witness of Christian students, Young Life leaders and youth pastors. In fact, one of these friends, after meeting Christ through some students in a math class, went on to serve for 30 years in a Young Life club!