For our AC+ subscribers: This retreat guide inspires and encourages students to step out as effective leaders in their own lives. This retreat will be useful for students considering a role in student/youth leadership.
1. Retreat/formation day session
Intro: Ask one of the student leaders to prepare and share a story of a time where they witnessed Christ-like leadership. They might want to read the article 'The way of the Cross: Leading in Jesus' footsteps' below for some ideas of what that might look like. Alternatively, you could read out one of the stories from that article to introduce this session.
Reflection for small groups: Break the students up into eight groups (if you have enough numbers), and give each group one of the readings in the article 'The Way of the Cross: Becoming leaders like Christ' (if you don’t have enough numbers, each group might take two readings). Each group should read the scripture passage, then consider some examples of that leadership attribute that they might encounter as student leaders. Drawing on one of those examples, prepare a brief skit that shows Christ-like leadership today modelled on that Gospel story.
Group activity: Either directly after this session, or at the end of the day, bring the students together for a 'Way of the Cross' prayer service. There should be eight stations around the room/outdoor area, one for each aspect of leadership. You might like to begin with a song - perhaps one of the songs from our 'Sneaky Stations of the Cross Playlist' linked below (e.g. 'Flashlight' by Jessie J). After the introduction, make your way around the stations. At each station, read the Bible story and the reflection question, then students who had that story in their group perform their skits.
Concluding prayer: After the students have passed through all the stations, gather the students around a candle. Invite each of them to write down a prayer to Jesus asking for a particular grace as a leader. Students might then place those prayers around the candle, as a group offering. You might like to conclude with another song from our 'Sneaky Stations of the Cross Playlist' (e.g. 'In the name of love' by Martin Garrix).
The way of the Cross: Leading in Jesus' footsteps
The way of the Cross: Becoming leaders like Christ
The way of the Cross – questions and activities
The Sneaky Stations of the Cross Playlist
2. Retreat/formation day session
Intro: Start with an icebreaker game of ‘Gaming the Gospels: Follow the Leader’ (see resource below).
Input for reflection: Run a talk about how good leadership is based on service. You can base this talk on ‘Unguarded moments: An immaculate conception of leadership,’ ‘Explorations: Leadership in the church’ or ‘Raising leaders of hope’ below. Ask students to reflect on whether the idea of Christian leadership challenges the ways that leadership is presented in other areas of their lives, such as in social media, music, film, television or families.
Small group discussion: Open a discussion around the kinds of leadership qualities students would like to see in their student leaders. Do they naturally gravitate toward leadership roles? What areas of their lives do they find themselves leading in? How can they choose to be a better leader? How can they choose to lead by serving others in their own lives?
Prayer: Use the prayer resource ‘Leadership: Prayer rite for all those called to serve others’ to lead the students in a closing prayer and reflection.
Gaming the Gospels: Follow the Leader
Explorations: Leadership in the church
Unguarded moments: An immaculate conception of leadership
Raising leaders of hope
Leadership: Prayer rite for all those called to serve others
3. Retreat/formation day session
Intro: Introduce the session with ‘Bible reflection: I have not come to abolish the Law’ below. Tell students they are going to go into their small groups, and will take turns at a leadership activity, that will demonstrate how hard it can be to lead from the outside and how hard it can be to follow the leader, even when we know the leader is right, when there are so many other distractions.
Activity for reflection: Set up a space with a pathway around obstacles. Have leaders/volunteers stand at different places throughout the obstacles, with objects that make different loud noises. In pairs, students choose one person to be blindfolded and one to lead. The leader stands at the end, and calls out commands to the blindfolded student. The stationed leaders/volunteers make noises and yell out to distract the students from their leader’s voice. The leader is aiming to get their entire team to the finish line.
Small group discussion: Choose a small group resource (see below) to reflect on with your small groups. Lead the discussion around what the students found intriguing or inspiring about the article. Is there anything that challenged or encouraged their idea of leadership? Have there been any times when they have been under leadership that didn’t follow the model set out in this article? Times that have? What happened? What practical steps can students take from these articles to become better leaders in their own lives?
Concluding prayer: Gather in the main group and ask the students to name different leaders in their lives that they’d like to pray for. Write down names of different leaders in the student’s lives on a chalk board, white board or a piece of butcher’s paper. Lead the students in a prayer, interceding for the names of all those in leadership. You can use the prayer guide ‘Prayers of the people: Seeking wisdom’.
Prayers of the people: Seeking wisdom
Female small groups resource: Lessons in female leadership
Male small groups resource: Marking out your space
Mixed small groups resource: Advice for 2020 school leaders
Bible reflection: I have not come to abolish the Law