Campus CrossWalk Magazine: 2007 Summer Issue -- __ARTICLE TITLE_

Times of transition! Felicia and I have made our move and are slowly getting unpacked in Chapel Hill, NC. As we were leaving our dear church family in Manhattan, I was struck almost physically by the enormity of what God had called us to do. As I wrestled with the pain of this move, I came to a sense of peace with this thought: if this is something I could do by myself, it isn’t worth doing. God calls us to do hard things so that we can see Him at work in our lives, our families, our ministries, and our communities.

I look forward to seeing many of you at NCMS in just a few weeks. If you haven't registered yet, get on it! The fellowship that we share is a special bond, and you will be missed if you're not there.

An email exchange with my “new neighbor”, Randy Gore at the University of South Carolina, led me to think about ways to encourage students to attend retreats. I don’t know about your ministry, but everywhere I’ve been the retreat has been one of the most powerful opportunities to for students to encounter God in life-changing ways. But often the students most in need of God’s mercy have the most reasons to skip the retreat.

Here are a few thoughts about increasing student attendance at retreats:: 1. Perceived Value: the retreat needs to have a good program that students see benefit in attending. There are more things than ever calling for their time, so unless your group is already deeply connected, students need a reason to go on the retreat. As you talk about the retreat, be sure to let them know how the retreat will impact them in ways that matter to them.; 2. Student Involvement: give students a voice in planning the retreat and roles/jobs at the retreat. Obviously, students have more invested and are more likely to attend if they are planning it or working at it.; 3. Student Promotion: students who are going and who have ownership will encourage others to go - this is worth much more than the campus minister promoting it.; 4. SCHEDULING (!): it may not matter at Brand X University, but at Kansas State we always had to program around the football schedule, fall break, family weekend, etc. On a multi-ministry retreat, it is nearly impossible to not conflict with some big game or event. For that reason, as well as to help our group connect with incoming students in the fall, in Kansas we have retreats in the fall with just our group, and our multi-group retreat in the Spring.

These are my thoughts. What are yours?

Talk back to me at .