Jesus gave his church marching orders in Matt. 28:18–20. The church is to be about the business of making disciples. All resources; people, time, money, plans, etc. must be given to this end. One of the temptations that established churches and ministries face is to maintain the status quo. The stark realities of suffering, death, heaven and hell do not leave room for coasting. The apostle Paul gives us the template when he says, “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:10). Christians know that they are already forgiven and righteous in God’s sight. Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the work of gaining God’s acceptance is finished. Now the church moves out with God’s favor to accomplish God’s mission by God’s grace.

Most churches and Christian ministries have retreats. In this update you will read reports of several Campus Outreach Minneapolis retreats. There is an opportunity and a danger in “retreating.” The danger is that retreats can become routine. The goal of the retreat can become obscured in the planning and executing of details, the focus of recruiting, and ideas like, “we always have a retreat in the spring.” Like any other program, sometimes retreats can become an end and not a means to an end. The opportunity in taking retreats is the chance to focus on God, strengthen relationships within the body of Christ, and give unbelievers an “inside look” at the gospel.

Our leadership continues to evaluate every program in light of our vision of “building laborers on the campus for the lost world.” So, our aim in having retreats is ultimately to advance. We aim to advance worship for the name above every name in the hearts and minds of our staff and students, to advance vision for students on our campuses, to advance vision for the lost peoples of the world, to advance understanding of God’s Word and its relevance for all areas of life, and to advance relationships built around love, truth and accountability. We have found that taking a group of students to a place that is out of the regular mainstream of the campus with time for worship, teaching, sharing, prayer and free time yields fruit as students step back and consider the most important themes of life. We hope that our students experience what the apostle Paul said of his disciple Titus, namely, that he had been refreshed by his fellowship with the Corinthians.

As always, our staff team and I are deeply grateful for the investment of our supporters through prayer and financial giving to this ministry. May you be refreshed in the presence of the Lord this spring!

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 Spring 2010 QTR Newsletter: Download