In January of 2018, nearly forty collegiate ministry leaders and supporters from across the continental US and Puerto Rico joined together at the Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House in Lake Dallas, TX for a four day Discernment retreat. The purpose of this gathering was to discern a robust set of values and practices necessary for faithful and effective collegiate ministry in the 21st Century. There was prayer and worship; space for deep reflection and personal discernment; collective processing and narrative sharing; as well as corporate discernment exercises. This experience was not meant to be conclusive but rather a launching point for intentional collaborative work supporting collegiate ministry aimed at nurturing vocational discernment among college students on campuses across the US and beyond.

The shared discernment engaged at this retreat is the first of four deliberate steps toward better equipping and resourcing collegiate ministry leaders, students and staff alike, in their critical work introducing emerging adults to the Christian faith and nurturing their discovery of vocational and spiritual commitments that will shape the trajectory of the rest of their lives. This Discernment retreat set the stage for the next three phases of this ongoing work to: Design, Develop, and Deploy rich resources for faithful and effective 21st Century collegiate ministry.

“In my estimation, retreats for collegiate ministry professionals are vital. We need to rest, learn or relearn self-care, and embrace afresh our identity in Christ; that we are to, first, be human “beings” in order, only secondarily, to then participate in the latter portion of faith and works in order to “do” God’s bidding in the world. We need revival in this way even if only for a few days of seeds being planted, or watered, or springing forth to new life. This is all the more why the executive ought to be flexible, as it was, and rooted in civil engagement in tough issues, whether about our vocations, personal lives, or social/religious matters. As collegiate ministry professionals, if we cannot engage on this deeper level, then what at all can we hope to offer the students in our care?”

— College Chaplain

“I was affirmed at how “deeply personal” our work really is. (Relational is certainly one of our core values.) The retreat was a timely reminder that as our ministry has grown and gained in complexity, we must fight against depersonalizing the work that we are doing - and this depersonalization is typical in any organization that grows. Standing in the gap must continue to be seen as an effort for each individual, not “the group.””

— Campus Minister from the Midwest

“The discussions were revelatory and nurturing, inspiring fresh thinking upon returning home. The setting and the facilitation evoked honesty and patient listening, which was received as a true gift. I found the invitation to conversation appealing, and I care deeply about the future of campus ministry. My expectations were exceeded, in that the retreat was not simply a think tank, but created a community within which deeper truths could be heard. The competitive piety that is so common in professional ministry gatherings was delightfully absent. ”

— Episcopal Campus Minister