1. The Gathering Big Picture:  What is Christian Mission?

The purpose of this course is to explore the multiple ways in which people with a Christian faith make a positive difference in our world.  Understanding what it is like to both give and receive help in a time of need is the basis of this course.  The lessons in this course will explore the biblical grounding of our Christian work in this world and the social and human dynamics involved.  The goal of this course is to help adult leaders structure, clarify and be able to articulate one's own understanding of Christian Mission as you prepare for a shared missional experience with young people. 

2. My Job Description: Faithful Christian Adults working with youth.

The purpose of this course is to explore the dynamics of being an adult Christian working with young people on a faith retreat experience. There is a lot going on when adults take youth on a faith based retreat and this course is designed to help you explore some of the dynamics present as you possition yourself as a faithful Christian example during this saired experience.  This course will help you explore some of the following questions:  How do I share my faith story with youth?  What are the best ways I can communicate the Gospel that I have experienced in my life with the youth?  What are the most helpful ways I can help young people discover the love of Jesus?  What are some of the challenges I can be prepared for during our shared retreat experience?  

3.  What Did I Get Myself Into:  Youth Ministry basics

The purpose of this course is to explore six basic elements of ministry with young people.  Some adult leaders have many youth trip experiences that has taught them how to best be an adult leader with young people.  Other adults will be experiencing their first run at being an adult leader with young people on a trip that takes them far away from home.  This can be a daunting task for all adults.  This course is designed to highlight a few helpful elements in understanding ministry with young people.  These elements are naming the realities present when adult people of faith take responsibility for taking young people on a Christian retreat experience.  This course is an attempt to create a short list of helpful items for adults to remember when leading young people on an experience away from their familiar surroundings. What are some of the responsibilities you as an adult take on when being a volunteer adult leader?  How do you create healthy and close relationships with the young people?  What are some concrete goals that you are shooting for durring the trip so that at the end of the experience you will know that you have done your part well in this shared experience.