9 Ways to Encourage Students to Attend a Conference

A conference offers an environment and opportunities that often cannot be duplicated in a local or typical setting. The ministry we do accomplishes many things and there are some things that happen at a conference that we deeply value in a student’s life. Here are some ways to help them consider how this could be a great use of their time and resources.

Know the Purpose of the Conference Clearly

If you do not know the purpose of the conference, you will have a hard time convincing a student to go (or their parents to let them go). Is it an evangelistic retreat, a leadership conference, or a conference for growth and training?

Sow Broadly with Students

Promote the conference widely. Get your leadership students involved early. Train them how to explain the conference and keep track of those you challenge. Have the students write down 5-10 friends they want to invite. Use creative skits, announcements at meetings, mailings, registration giveaways, and testimonies of those who have attended before. Early registration deadlines are often a help to get a core of students registered early.

Pray

The Lord desires students’ growth more than they or we do. Ask Him to bring the students to the conference He wants there. Ask Him to help provide the finances, free up the schedules, and move in the hearts of their parents.

Challenge Each Student Individually

Every student is unique so we need to ask each student uniquely. A great announcement in a big meeting is not enough to get students to a conference. Instead, make a list of students you want to invite and begin talking personally to them about the conference. Tell them how you think the conference would help them personally and help them work through any barriers that might stand in the way of them attending the event.

Get Student Leaders Signed Up Early

Students come because their friends are going. Months before the event, tell your student leaders about it and get them on board. Get them all signed up far in advance so that when you make your first main announcement to the group, your student leader can say, “You should come with me,” rather than, “I don’t know if I am going, but you should go.”

A conference offers an environment and opportunities that often cannot be duplicated in a local or typical setting.

Deal with Barriers

Validate students’ concerns for any of the barriers. Discuss the practical solutions to each problem. Be aware that sometimes students have issues that block them from going but may be afraid to tell you because they do not want to disappoint you. Let them know you will think no less of them if they do not go, but that you want their best. Also, be prepared to work through the solutions to their problems in going.

There are four barriers that often come up:

Lack of desire
Schedule conflicts
Parents are not sure about it
They do not have the money

Find out from them which are the biggest barriers standing in the way and help them work through those barriers.

Talk to Parents, Teachers, Coaches

As their leader, you can offer some credibility and influence for the student as they speak with parents, bosses, and coaches. Demonstrate a true servant’s heart by respectfully, yet confidently, speaking to these people. Be ready to communicate how crucial you believe this conference is to the student. As a leader, you can often clarify miscommunications the parent/coach/teacher and student have had – i.e. the parent who thinks this is just an unsupervised wild time at the beach, or the coach who thinks the student is just going with their friends for a vacation, or the boss who does not understand the potential benefit for the student.

PRO TIP:
Hold a parent meeting once a semester when you begin to recruit to the conference. There you can have a student testimony, a parent testimony, and introduce the fundraiser for the conference. You can also recruit parent help for your Cru Community Team – getting parents involved in the movement at large.

Raise Funds

You should already have scheduled or have in mind, several fund-raisers. Money has to be raised for most students and we can help by being creative in our fundraising techniques. Fundraising also deepens the students’ commitment to the conference because it will “cost” them something.

Communicate Other Details and Follow Through

As the event approaches, make sure that everyone is informed of specific details (departure, arrival, phone number, what to bring, etc.) Put yourself in the role of a parent – what would you want to know if your child were going away for several days? Do not assume people will just figure it out.

Recruiting for a conference can be a lot of work, but it is worth it! We often say that a conference accomplishes about as much in a student’s life as six months of normal student ministry. Whatever it takes, get your students there!

Next Step

Make a challenge list for each student in your ministry, and set up a specific appointment with each to challenge them to attend the conference. Read Conferences and Retreats - Are They Worth It? to learn more about why it is important to get students to a conference.

Learn More

Made for Students, Helpful for Adults

This Playbook is designed first for students. It helps you take ownership, lead your friends, and build something that actually reaches your school.

At the same time, if you’re an adult, youth leader, parent, or volunteer, this gives you a clear way to come alongside students without taking over.

Students lead
Adults support
Everyone moves forward together

Why Most People Don’t Start

A lot of students never take the first step. Not because they don’t care, but because they feel stuck.

“Where do I even begin?”
“What if no one shows up?”
“How do I get others involved?”

Uncertainty can keep people from moving. This Playbook breaks that barrier. It gives you a clear path so you can stop overthinking and start doing.

What This Helps You Do

This isn’t just ideas sitting on a page. It’s a practical guide you can actually use right now.

With the Playbook, you can:

Start something meaningful, even if you’re on your own
Gather a few friends and build momentum
Share your faith in natural, real ways
Lead with confidence, even if you’ve never led before
Build something that lasts beyond you

You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just need a place to start.

“Start where you are, use what you have, take the first step.”

A Simple Path to Follow

The Playbook walks you through five clear steps. Each one is simple, practical, and designed to help you take action.

DREAM: Start with a vision for your school and what God could do there
PRAY: Learn how to pray for your campus in real, meaningful ways
GO: Take action, gather a team, and begin reaching people
GROW: Build a group that develops leaders and multiplies
SEND: Help others step out and reach their friends too

You don’t have to guess what to do next. It’s right there in front of you.

Built to Be Used, Not Just Read

This isn’t a long manual you’ll never finish. It’s short. It’s simple. It’s designed to move you forward.

Easy to read
Clear next steps
Real examples
Space to think and act

You can go through it on your own, or walk through it with a couple of friends. Adults can use it to guide conversations and help students take ownership.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

Starting something can feel intimidating. But you’re not on your own. The Playbook connects you to tools, coaching, and a bigger movement of people who are doing the same thing. Take one step, and you’ll find support along the way.

Start Today

You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a first step.

Next Step

Download the Playbook with the button above and walk through the first section this week with a friend!

Comment Cards 101: Capture Interest, Build Relationships

Why Comment Cards Matter

The most important thing you do in ministry isn’t running events, it’s building relationships. Big gatherings are great, but they aren’t personal. Comment cards help you bridge that gap. They give students a simple way to raise their hand and say:

“I’m interested”
“I want to get involved”
“I want to talk”
“I made a decision”

A comment card is more than a form. It’s a filter. The event gathers the crowd, but the comment cards reveal the ones who are ready. Instead of guessing who’s interested, students tell you. And that’s what allows you to follow up personally and meaningfully.

Download Comment Cards

Tip: Start simple. You can always customize later.

Physical vs. Digital Comment Cards

You can collect information digitally, but physical cards still win.

Physical Cards

Higher response rate
Easier to complete in the moment
No distractions
Feels more intentional

Digital Options

Students are less likely to fill them out
Distractions
Technical glitches

Digital can work, but many ministries find they get about half the responses compared to physical cards. Even in a digital world, physical cards often get better results. If you want the most responses, go physical first.

“The card isn’t the win, the conversation is.”

How to Use Comment Cards

1. Pass Them Out at the Right Moment
Usually at the end of a meeting or outreach, when interest is highest.

2. Give Everyone a Pen or Pencil
Don’t assume students have one. They won’t.

3. Walk Through the Card Together
This is huge. Once everyone has a card, read each section out loud and guide them:

“Write your name here”
“Check this if you want to get involved”
“Check this if you prayed to receive Christ”

If you don’t do this, students rush through and check random boxes.

4. Give Them Time to Complete It
Pause. Let them actually fill it out.

5. Collect Them Immediately
Don’t leave it optional or vague.

Use Incentives to Increase Response

Want more cards turned in? Use prizes.

Gift cards
Snacks
Fast food coupons
Free merch

Tell them:
“Turn in your card, we’ll draw for prizes.”

It works. A simple prize can double your response rate.

Best Practices That Make a Big Difference

Use cardstock
Regular paper tears or gets ruined. Cardstock holds up better.

Keep it simple
Too many options overwhelm students.

Look through cards immediately
Scan for:

Students who want to get involved
Spiritual decisions
Urgent needs

If possible, connect with them before they leave the meeting. The best practice is to follow up within 24–48 hours. After that, interest fades fast. So if. you can talk with them before they leave and set up a time to connect again in the next day or so, you will get your best results.

Turning Cards Into Conversations

A comment card is just the beginning. The goal isn’t collecting information. The goal is connection. Use what they checked to guide your follow-up:

Grab lunch
Meet after school
Start a Bible study
Have a gospel conversation

Final Thought

Comment cards can feel like a small detail, but they might be one of the most important things you do at an event. They help you move from a crowd, to a conversation, to a changed life.

Next Step

Download a comment card and use it at your next meeting.

Student Leader Application and Covenant

Strong student leadership doesn’t happen by accident.

Whether you’re a student leading your peers or an adult supporting a movement, clarity around leadership can make a huge difference. These simple documents are designed to help you communicate expectations, invite the right students in, and build a healthy leadership culture.

They’re optional tools for any campus movement, not requirements, but many teams find them incredibly helpful.

Student Leadership Application

This application is a simple way for students to express interest in leadership and for you to get to know them better. It creates space for students to share their story, their faith, and why they want to lead. It also helps ensure they understand the purpose and message of your ministry before stepping into a leadership role.

Leaders often use this as a starting point for conversations, discernment, and development, not just as a form to collect.

Student Leadership (Editable Document)
Student Leadership Application (PDF)

“Great leadership starts with clarity, not assumptions.”

Model Student Covenant

This covenant helps define what it means to be a student leader in your group. It clearly communicates expectations, both in character and commitment, and gives students a chance to step in with understanding and ownership. Because it’s customizable, you can adapt it to fit your local context, adding practical expectations that make sense for your team.

Many leaders use this as part of training or onboarding, helping students not just say “yes” to leadership, but understand what they’re saying yes to.

Model Student Covenant (Editable Document)

Next Step

Review these documents and choose one to use with your leadership team this semester: