Many college ministries will have some type of retreat/trip/event this winter. These trips can be a great part of our ministries. They can encourage new and deeper relationships – and they certainly provide fun times as well as memories for a life time. But, I would suggest, there’s more to these times away – or at least there should be.

There is a lot of value in getting college-age people away, by themselves. The atmosphere is conducive for hitting core age-stage issues and it can be a freeing time for many. On the other hand we can really use these times to push connection with the larger church body. Granted, there are boundaries to watch and lines we don’t want to cross. But the bottom line is we can really use these trips to help college-age people connect with older mature believers! This is crucial in college-age ministry and winter trips can be one of the best ways to naturally accomplish this.

Here are some things I’ve done to help this connection happen naturally:

1. Pick 1 couple for every 25 college-age people and ask them to come on your trip. Their job is NOT to chaperone, it’s to hang out. This couple has to be hand picked by you! You definitely can’t afford to bring the wrong couple. Age doesn’t matter, but there are some basic characteristics you want this couple to have: solid in their faith, honest and willing to speak their mind, fun, relaxed, and willing to hang out late at night playing cards, board games, etc.
2. Have the couple’s host breakfast. Buy some breakfast food (cereal, fruit, bagels, etc.), give the couple a suite in the hotel, and have them host breakfast each morning for your students. The couple will simply set out the food each morning and the students will go to their suite to eat and hang out. Some will come, eat, and then leave. Others will hang out for a very long time just talking. The couple has to be relaxed during this time…just hanging out, laughing, eating.
3. Don’t give the couple ANY tasks to do. Their job is to just hang out. If they ski or snowboard, let them go all day. If they don’t, encourage them to go to the lodge and hang out around lunch time. They’re just there to hang out.
4. Pray for natural connection to happen. I’ve found that when we expose college-age people to older mature believers in these types of ways natural mentoring relationships form. We just need to pray for them.

Winter retreats can be fun no matter what, but we can also be very intentional – and more so than we typically are. On your trip this winter, be intentional with connecting/exposing your college-age people to older mature believers. If you do, assimilation will be on course…