N.C. Baptists recently hosted a retreat for students participating in the Go Collective, a cohort of college students training to live on mission. Read about some takeaways for Alex Hugo, N.C. Baptist college ministries strategist, after the retreat.

We recently concluded the first gathering for the Go Collective’s inaugural cohort of students. GoCo, as we’ve nicknamed it, is a program designed to help churches send students to live on mission for a summer. 

I left our time together overwhelmed with both thankfulness and awe at what God is doing in and through these students. Here are a few of my takeaways after our time together:

1. Students are ready.

The students participating in Go Collective are some of the most humble and ambitious students I’ve ever been around. They’re not just sacrificing their free time, but they’re giving up jobs, internships and family commitments to go this summer. They’re eager to learn, and they take the responsibility that they have seriously. They’re willing to make these sacrifices because they’re convinced the mission is worth it.

They’ll make mistakes this summer. But they’ll also encourage teammates. They’ll serve church planters. They’ll share the gospel with someone who’s never heard it before. They’ll step out in faith, trusting that the Lord will provide even when it doesn’t look like there’s a way. They are ready to step into the work that God is doing around the world. 

2. Students need a clear pathway.

As students shared what brought them to the Go Collective, I was struck by how many said something along the lines of, “I’ve been curious about missions for a while, so when I heard about GoCo it just seemed like a good idea.” Is it really that simple? We usually overcomplicate the process. I know I do. 

What could happen if we were more intentional about asking students to consider going for the summer?

When connecting students to mission opportunities, make three things clear:

• The pathway: Be clear about the opportunities that exist and what you are asking them to consider. We often think this is obvious, but students need direct and clear communication.
• Your expectations: Be clear that you’re asking them to participate in this opportunity for the summer, not the rest of their lives. By going for a summer, they’re not making a commitment to a career in ministry. This is simply one way to steward their summer well for the kingdom of God. As one student put it this weekend, “As responsibility increases, opportunity decreases.” Help them understand why this is a great opportunity that they may not be able to take advantage of in a few years.
• Your support: Be clear that by going, your student is actively participating in the ministry of your church. Be clear about the relational, financial and spiritual support your church intends to provide as part of their commitment.

3. Students need each other.

Students consistently said they were surprised by the sense of community they experienced through GoCo. I saw a new expression of what it means to be “on mission together” as they transformed from strangers to friends over the course of 36 hours. 

Each coming from different campuses and going to different locations around the world this summer, these students will be sent by their local church but joined by many others from their generation as they declare the hope of the gospel. While each could go alone, GoCo has turned their missional summer into an “on mission together” summer.

Would you pray for these students as they prepare and as they go?

• Each of these students is raising financial support in addition to scholarships provided by North Carolina Baptists. Pray that they are diligent in their efforts and that the Lord provides the funds that they need.
• GoCo students will join an existing church-planting or missions team. Pray for team unity and for God to sustain the long-term teams they are serving.
• These teams serve in challenging places here in North America and around the world. Pray for their ministries this summer and that God would move in the hearts of those they meet.
• There are hundreds of thousands of college students in North Carolina. Pray that God would raise up more from this generation to go to the ends of the earth.

If you have a student who is interested in investing their summer to live on mission, applications and more information for the summer 2027 Go Collective will be available May 1.

By Alex Hugo, N.C. Baptist college ministries strategist