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  2. What did you learn from this video?
  3. What action can you take this week as a result of watching this video?

Imagine you’re at a coffee house or fast food restaurant surrounded by students. It’s crazy, loud, and everyone’s trying to talk at once. You love it because one of your goals was to create a natural setting for students to feel safe to be themselves, a place to go deeper.

You know that God called you to share about the most important relationship these students can ever experience, and you want it to come across as natural as possible.

So how do you go from, “How is your day?” to “How is your soul?”

Principles When Transitioning to the Gospel

Transitioning from a normal conversation to a “God conversation” can be challenging. It can feel awkward to you and that can sometimes cause anxiety. It might help you to keep these principles in mind…

  1. Most students don’t talk about Jesus every day, so a degree of surprise will be inevitable.
  2. It’s worth the risk. Their eternal destiny could be riding on it.
  3. The longer you wait to have gospel conversations, the harder it is to bring it up. So use the first good opportunity you can to go spiritual.
  4. Stay positive and prayerful. God is fighting for their hearts. A less than positive first response should not derail your enthusiasm. Relax and enjoy your audience.

Tools for Transitioning to the Gospel

Sometimes using a tool can be really useful in taking the conversation spiritual. Here are four that we would recommend:

  • Your personal testimony.
    Your testimony can be used very naturally. It’s your unique story shared briefly to build a context for our conversation about Christ.
  • Solarium.
    Because images connect deeply with our emotions and experiences, they enable us to engage in meaningful conversations about life and God. These tools provide 50 original photographic images and a few simple questions – allowing you to enter and explore the lives of people around you.
  • The triangle diagram.
    This is a simple explanation that highlights how people are three-dimensional. It can lead into some great gospel conversations.
  • Leading questions. Using open ended, gospel starter questions that lead the conversation towards Christ. Questions like…
    • “Can you tell me more about your story?”
    • “Is your family religious?”

Transitioning conversation to talk about spiritual things is worth the risk. A student's eternal destiny could be riding on it.

Using Your Story

Let’s take a closer look at personal testimony. Let’s say you’re meeting with a student named Abby and some of her friends. You have been meeting with these young ladies for a couple weeks. Now it’s time to take the hours of relational banter and mutual respect that sits between you to begin probing about where they stand spiritually. It’s one of the most exciting moments any youth leader can experience. Here’s what the conversation could look like:

“Ladies, we’ve been meeting for a while now, and I haven’t told you about the  most important relationship in my life. Would you mind if I take a few minutes to tell you about it? It’s the story of how I began a relationship with God!”

This does several things:

  • It shows the students how you’ve been changed, which builds expectations that they can be also.
  • They see how Christ has impacted your life, which takes something abstract and makes it concrete and relevant for them.
  • They hear the message of God’s loving initiative, forgiveness, and invitation into relationship with Him.

Once you’re finished with your story, ask the group what they thought. Then you can ask if they would like to share their stories too. After hearing your story, their interest will be piqued. It may just be the perfect time for you to introduce a simple gospel message.

One Link in the Chain

Keep in mind this appointment is another touch point link in the chain of your relationship with these students. This chain begins from the first meeting, then stretches through discipleship, and goes on to spiritual leadership. Who knows where it will end? Stay prayerful and focused. And watch how the Lord will use you to win, build, and send students for Him on their campus!

Next Step
Over the next month, try out each of the four methods and see which works best for you. Start with the one that is most natural and look for what God will do!
Next Step
Who are some students you work with that might make good leaders? Make a list of 5 students and begin praying that God would show you opportunities to help them step into leadership.

RECENT POSTS

The Reach Your School Playbook

You want to make a difference at your school. You care about your friends. You see the need. You’ve probably even thought, “Someone should do something.”

What if that someone is you?

The Reach Your School Playbook was created to help students take that step, and to give adults a simple way to support them along the way.

Download the Playbook PDF
download the Appendix PDF

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.

Download the Playbook PDF
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:

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