WHO IS THIS FOR?
knowing how to engage with your audience
Who will be the majority attending your fall retreat? Starting with your audience will help determine your theme and direction of your event. Take some time to really think and pray about where your campus is at socially and spiritually and where you think God wants to lead it. Identify your audience in the box below. What % of the whole group are they? For a printable version click here.
FRESHMEN & UNBELIEVERS
Either curious about Cru and this whole Jesus thing or maybe they were just invited by a friend.
Seeking friends, a community, a place to fit in, a home.
GROWING BELIEVERS
Have begun a relationship with Jesus. Desiring to grow deeper with God.
Also seeking a community to experience the body of Christ, which they may or may not have already experienced.
LEADERS
They have already been to Fall Retreat several times and have experienced the life change of the gospel, community, and Cru as an organization.
Cru feels like their home community.
WHAT IS THEIR BIGGEST AREA OF GROWTH?
From Isolation to Community | fellowship within the body of Christ
From Doubtful to Confident | freedom over doubts
From Performance to Grace | relationship with God is not merit based
From Unworthy to Value | finding value and acceptance in Jesus alone
From Lukewarm to Mature | regularly experiencing Jesus
From Isolation to Community
Growth Opportunities at Fall Retreat
- Understanding community and its value as it pertains to God’s kingdom and their own lives
- Experience community by sharing their story and spending time with others
Next Steps on Campus
- Return to campus with a group of friends they can have fun with, connect together about deeper matters, and have accountability with one another.
Practical Ideas
- Icebreakers, games, socials, discussion groups, etc.
- Encouraging interaction between different genders, cultures, groups on campus, and grade levels..
- Give student different experiences by grouping students with others like them sometimes and mixing up other times.
Time and interaction to connect with others.
From Doubtful to Confident
Growth Opportunities at Fall Retreat
- Recognizing, facing, and overcoming their doubts and fears that relate to God and prevent them from fully experiencing the Spirit filled life.
- Focusing on biblical truths and scripture, its validity and infallibility
- Freedom from anxiety and worry because Jesus is greater than their fears and doubts.
Next Steps on Campus
- Knowing that God is real and personal and is the same yesterday, today and forever and knowing God’s word is truer than our feelings.
- Seeing God is relevant to their needs, fears and doubts, students begin to regularly/reflexively turn to Him throughout their day.
Practical Ideas
- Providing a space for quiet and reflection time
- Challenging the students to write down the times they were so sure God was real and they know He worked in their lives.
- Providing a space to write down verses for themselves or having printouts of certain scripture.
- Check out this link for more ideas
Hands on interaction...give them space and time for experiences
From Performance to Grace
Growth Opportunities at Fall Retreat
- Busting the myth that you have to clean yourself up to go to Jesus rather than being completely covered by grace. It doesn’t matter what they do or say because forgiveness and salvation is a free gift that comes from Jesus.
Next Steps on Campus
- Surrendering to God and confessing their inclination to work for Jesus’ love, approval, forgiveness, or acceptance.
- Experience freedom and joy of God’s love and acceptance.
Practical Ideas
- One student could confess to another “I feel like a failure if I don’t make good grades.” The other student could speak into their life and say, “Even if your project fails, God is still enough for you and you are loved no differently than before..."
- Skits, videos, etc.
- Addressing faith versus works and the context in which they are appropriate.
Demonstrating what a life of grace looks like versus a life of striving
From Unworthy to Valued
Growth Opportunities at Fall Retreat
- Realizing the lies that surround us. Our parents, pastors, friends etc. do not tell us who we are and the world cannot tell us how we should act.
- Clear understanding of how God sees us.
- Confidence and security from how God sees us.
Next Steps on Campus
- Knowing they are a child of God and not seeking to be anything other than that.
- Daily rhythm to listen to what God says about them as they learn to listen to Him rather than the world.
Practical Ideas
- The student could write a list of names they have been labeled or what their ultimate dream and goal is in order to feel significant and have purpose. Then invite them to a faith step of surrender these things.
Emphasizing that our value comes from God because we are created in His image and adopted into His family.
From Lukewarm to Mature
Growth Opportunities at Fall Retreat
- Facing your spiritual brokenness so that the gospel is illuminated and God’s holiness is made more apparent. In this, realizing there is no room for a lukewarm approach to God.
- Student have a vision for how to experience the gospel daily
- Students recognize Jesus offers an ongoing relationship not an occasional activity.
Next Steps on Campus
- Wholeheartedly committing to following God and further devote themselves; living unashamedly, having a daily quiet time, sharing their faith with others, etc.
- Develop a rhythm for daily time with God.
- Have a plan and accountability.
Practical Ideas
- Memorial to signify they have made a commitment such as
- Invitation to surrender.
- Special prayer time with staff and student leaders available.
Encounter with the true and living God