Have you considered issuing a Growth Challenge for your students across Christmas break?
You could, of course, share ONE challenge with everyone – there’s value in unified movement. But there can be value in options, too – and in the varied stories that come out.
So if you’re looking for a list to present to students, here’s a start. (Where possible, though, I’d include a heavy dose of items that either reinforce learnings from this semester or prepare for upcoming messages/efforts/growth.)
- Meet with a mentor for four weeks
- Read a Christian leadership book (or give them a specific book, or book list)
- Read a book of the Bible each week
- Read a book of the Bible each day
- Have a spiritual conversation with an unsaved high school friend
- Have a spiritual conversation with a parent (whether they’re a believer or not)
- Visit three places in your hometown where “God did something” (even if you weren’t a believer at the time)
- Memorize your testimony
- Memorize a basic gospel presentation
- Pray for a full 30-minute stretch, at least once a week
- Fast for at least one day
- Take a 24-hour “time alone with the Lord”
- Have lunch with / have a phone conversation with at least 3 members of your small group
- Revisit (through notes, audio, Bible passages, whatever) the Large Group Meeting messages from first semester
- Pray for five roommates/dormmates/classmates/professors that seem far from the Lord each day (the same five people all break long)
- Pray about any volunteer or leadership role you should take next semester