• "Immediately after the last CROSS, we started prepping and sharing the word for CROSS26. By the time tickets opened, we already had a group of students ready to sign up.
• Students love having a large event to look forward to. Promote CROSS as early as you can, even those first few weeks of the fall semester with incoming freshmen. This actually sets the tone for students and lets them know what you value as a church and as a college ministry.
• Several of our students told us that when they heard we were going to CROSS, they knew that this college ministry was missional. Never too early to get the word out."

"I have taken a group two times and one time we registered too late for meal plans, and the other one we did the meal plan. I fully recommend planning on meal tickets for your group. This allows for group discussion during meals, time to explore sponsor tables, and you don't have to fight the long lines at local restaurants."

Our college ministry dedicated the following college night to debriefing the conference, and we invited those who didn't go to join for this debrief. This was very good for our group! It allowed those who didn't go to be encouraged by the growth of the students who did go, and it gave our college ministry an opportunity to intentionally recognize those who feel called to international missions.

• "Have a waitlist. One or more will most likely drop
• We use Brushfire for registration. It makes payment and details so much easier!
• The church pays for transportation every year
• rent the coach bus!!! It is worth the expense. It allows you as a leader to arrive more rested, and you have the entire travel time to have intentional conversations with your group
• all inclusive packages allow you to stay together more as a group, especially if you are a larger group
• we determine the max size of our group based on how many hotel rooms we reserve and seats on the bus(s).
• we offer scholarships for those who cannot afford to come. We have an application process for that."

"We have a sign-up sheet on a table in the back of our church along with a weekly newsletter announcement that indicates to sign up. After getting the sign-up sheet completed, I register the entire group at one time. Occasionally, we have had others sign up later, and CROSS makes it very easy to simply add more people to the already registered group."

• "Group chat. We use Signal.
• We have done it both ways on holding an informational meeting prior to leaving and just communicating everything in the group chat. We have found it hard to host a meeting due to finals and holidays
• We have everyone sign a liability waiver and fill out a medical form
• We host a meeting in the hotel after we arrive to go over expectations and basic ground rules for us as a group
• We really push coming to prayer group as heart prep
• We have done BYODinner that met before prayer group, which meets before our weekly young adult gathering, which was helpful for people to get to know one another prior to leaving"

• "We have previously rented 15 passenger vans. This year, our numbers have increases significantly and we are renting a charter bus for traveling.
• For lodging, we find it extremely convenient and affordable to use the hotels that CROSS recommends.
• Our church leaders have graciously put CROSSCON as a budget item each year with a set amount. The young adults are responsible for their registration cost as well as 4 meals. The other items--hotel costs, transportation costs, two evening meals, breakfast meals, are all covered by our church. If needed, we also do a fundraiser to help us cover costs.
• Get your church leaders involved in making this affordable for the young adults. Since we have done this, we have had an awakening by the Holy Spirit at our church about making your life count."

"The word about CROSS spreads mainly through our young adults giving testimony to others around our church. There is a great excitement in the air when CROSS is being talked about in a group of people!"

"I think it is easiest to have the church register on behalf of the trip and then have the students going on the trip reimburse the church - this keeps all the tickets in one place. Plus, if you church has any sort of missions team budget that would be willing to cover a partial or full amount of a ticket, it makes sponsoring students way easier."

• "We always debrief as a group before coming home. It is 100% worth the extra night/day. We usually have dinner, a charge, time for them to process alone or with a leader, and then we do a big group time where we all sit in a circle and anyone can share anything. Leaders usually record who says what, and then we use that as a tool to pray for our group in the months to follow. We end this time in prayer. This past year, we prayed over those who stood, and then those who stood prayed over the rest of the group. You cannot put a price tag on this time, and I'm always wowed by how vulnerable the group gets. Many times this is the start of real community, because it becomes moments full of "oh, you struggle with that too?!" or "I've been through that too!" or "I feel Lord calling me to that as well!", etc. It also helps you as a leader have a better pulse on your group, especially if you are a larger group.
• Post on socials
• Make a video

• "Do the meal plan! As a leader, it simplifies your life.
• If you go the restaurant route, I highly recommend you place one online order for your group in advance. Before the session starts, place the order. Expect long lines and restaurants to run out of options.
• We bring a case of water for each hotel room
• We bring cases of water on each bus and provide on snack (usually Costco pretzels or goldfish) for each bus
• We pay for coffee for our leaders"

• "Never stop talking about it. We start advertising about a month after CROSS.
• Have people who have gone before make the announcement at a young adult gathering
• Get creative with your pitch to your group. Young adults are always looking for a place to belong and for community. That is a big aspect of our pitch for CROSS."

"When we arrive, I have someone in charge of getting our tickets, someone in charge of logistics with check in at the hotel, someone to secure parking for our van, and someone leading the group to unload and get to their rooms when they're ready. Each of those people are given a packet with the info they need to do their recruited job. It makes arriving and getting started smooth and quick!"

• "We know there are multiple ways of doing this, but we budget in money for CROSS each year and we seek to subsidize the cost of participants.
• We buy our tickets in advance, anticipating how many people we will have (and a few above that number just in case). We then give a deadline of when folks need to sign up by through our church website.
• We create a simple form and within the form it includes various options to select (i.e. I will drive on my own, I will ride with the CCF group, I will stay somewhere on my own, I will stay with the CCF group, food allergies, etc.
• We do not have folks sign up through CROSS's website, as we have already done all the purchasing in advance for them.
• If we have a few tickets left over, we continue to invite by word of mouth, or use the extra tickets to get more leaders to come so they can help lead, but also learn more about the importance of missions in the local church and the importance of the local church in missions!
• Try to get all the information in one place for those that are interested in joining and make the sign ups as simple as possible. If your church's budget allows, we have found that budgeting in money to help offset the costs for trip participants is well worth the investment!"

• "We have a slide played during our rolling announcements for many weeks (6-8 weeks) leading up to the sign up deadline.
• We send out a "Local Ministry & Missions" Newsletter each month, so one of the announcements in our newsletters is about CROSSCON sign ups.
• We do 3 short announcements in each of our services, and we try to include a CROSS announcement a few times leading up to the sign up deadline.
• We have a sub-groups for emailing, and we send out an email to the youth (Jr/Sr), college student, and young adult groups announcing CROSS."

For CROSS 25, our church reserved a large number of spots early in the year, and then we filled the spots as the months went by. This allowed us to give students tickets at a cheaper price regardless of when they signed up.

"Students are our best recruiters. We've seen the most success when we give them ownership — letting them help plan the details like travel, housing, meals, and the conference debrief. When students are personally invested, they naturally want their friends to come too!"

"One game changer for us was to find a place to spend the night on the drive up. Otherwise, we had to leave about 2am to make the start of the conference and people are exhausted. Getting sleep and showing up refreshed and excited makes the experience so much better. However, hotel costs add up quickly. So, we found that at KOA campgrounds, they usually have small cabins that rent for around $125 a night and fit 6 people. Being able to sit around the campfire and show up refreshed the next day was well worth the cost."

"We brought our own meals to cut down on costs. We prepared taco meat ahead of time, so it just had to be warmed up at our house for dinner, and one night we ordered pizza together. And we had easy breakfast items to choose from, and some made sandwiches to take for lunch and we brought bags of veggies and fruit and chips and plates to the conference. We stored our lunches in coolers in the cars and could all eat together in the conference center and enjoy time at the bookstore and talking to missionaries."

"When considering traveling and lodging, if you are planning on taking a bus make sure to check with your hotel or Air bnb to ensure that they have adequate parking for your bus."

• "We invite those that have signed up to meet us at our church building and ride down to the conference together, but we also know that many are coming from their hometown as a lot of college students are on college break. Check out the reduced rate lodging options that CROSS provides! We have utilized these options in the past and it makes it really convenient and some are really close to the convention center.
• If someone signs up and is able to meet us at our church building, we have drivers and we designate each registrant to a car."

"We build into our budget a sit-down meal together as a team on the second night. This gives us a nicer meal together where we can slow down, process, and make memories together before the conference is over."

"We have an early sign up rate to reward those who sign up early with a cheaper rate (passing on the tiered prices for tickets). We also set an early deadline for signing up so we're not rushing at the end."

"I always tell my group to bring non-perishable breakfast options with them for each day. It makes the morning rush WAY less stressful! It also encourages us all to spend our first moments of the day on more important things like personal quiet times and attending the morning prayer gathering!"

• Prepare your students for what to expect: lots of people, great worship, speakers with different backgrounds or bents, engaging breakouts, lots of free or discounted books!
• Pray in the months leading up to it that the Lord would prepare your heart to hear the word and apply it to your lives.
• Discuss the breakouts they desire to attend with your students, and even pick out a secondary option if it happens to be full.
• Discuss with your group the expectations for seating and schedule--will you sit together every session? Will it always be the same spot? What is the expectation for each session--what are can't miss resources or booths to check out?
• Give them an idea of how to spend their time but then give them the freedom to let the Spirit direct their week. Having a plan is helpful but sometimes that engaging conversation with a friend or reviewing material with an exhibitor is more profitable.

• Our group has packed continental breakfast items and stores them in one of our hotel rooms. Each morning, the group gathers in the seating area of our room for breakfast together. We have muffins, bagels, fruit, yogurt, granola bars, and juice. We bring along a toaster and some paper products and it makes for an easy morning--not only saving money but avoiding the long lines at the local breakfast spots.
• We also make reservations for our group several months ahead at some of the spots within walking distance, but not right next to the convention center. While it may cost a couple of extra $$ to eat at some of the spots, we save lots of time by not waiting in line allowing us to join more of the conference.

We have found it best to stay at the GaltHouse because of its proximity to the convention center. While there are cheaper options, the size of the rooms allows us to all gather as a group for breakfast, session recaps, prayer times, and hangout times. Additionally, the ability to walk 2 blocks and be at the convention center eliminates the need to find parking anywhere.

"Consider organizing a CROSS CON debriefing party! Have the group members bring along their conference notes, and have them share their key take-aways from the main talks, breakouts, books, etc. that God is continuing to use in their lives!"

• "Set up a group chat on WhatsApp or Messenger for group communication. This is helpful in the pre-trip stage for sending out any details about trip logistics, as well as links for articles or videos that help build excitement for the conference. The group chat is super useful during the conference too, for communication regarding meeting up for group pictures, meals, or anything else! We also use the group chat for announcing post-conference "debriefing" evenings, and for feedback and planning for the next year's conference!
• If your trip involves a long travel day, consider coming in the night before, so that everyone is well rested for the busy days ahead! Plan some activities that help your group members to get to know each other well. Set aside a good amount of time in prayer for the conference."

"Every day at CROSS we set aside a short time to debrief. With a large group, not everyone got to share but it was still an encouraging time for our group to gather each day. This lets the students see how God is working amongst their college group. Then on the last day after the conference is over, at the cabins that night, we break up into small groups and debrief. Some discussed how they are wrestling with a calling to missions. Some asked for accountability in the fight against sin. Several of the students said that this late night debrief time was their favorite part of our trip to CROSS."

"Last year we asked our students to fast and pray one meal a week over their Christmas break in preparation for what God was going to do at CROSS. This seemed to help the students walk into the conference with a sense of expectation for God to work on their hearts rather than simply attending a fun conference. Plus, I don't think it ever hurts to fast and pray in preparation for a new year. The students loved that preparation and that will now be part of our yearly rhythm."

"The food trucks outside CROSS are amazing! Just be prepared to stand in line in the cold for a while. But this was an easy way to get food. Also, if you are lodging close by, pack a cooler full of sandwiches, etc if people want to eat for cheap."

"So we actually cover the registration cost for our students but they are responsible for all other costs. We as a church buy a large batch of tickets on the front end while prices are lower. I will get a ballpark headcount of what current students plan to go and buy that many regular non-refundable registrations. After that, I will buy about 1/3 more as refundable registrations to account for incoming freshmen. That way, if we don't max out, I can return the last remaining registrations. So far, this seems to be the most financially responsible way for us to buy registrations for students."

"One year we did a book study together (Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung) and met monthly several times to discuss. We also leave our GroupMe open and encourage discussion after the conference, sharing the things we learned and favorite sessions."

"Last year we brought 22 attendees. We brought a couple crock pots and fixed chicken 'n noodles and mashed potatoes for one lunch. And we fixed sack lunches for everyone for another lunch. We live within driving distance (3 hours) so this idea probably only works for those closer to the conference location."

• "We use an all-inclusive cost per person. We try to keep it under $100 and the rest is funded through our church budget. Total cost is around $250-$275 per attendee with registration, travel and lodging for a group of about 25.
• Attendees generally cover their own meal costs, although we bring some food and snacks for the group. This year we might do an early bird registration of $75 by September 15, then increase to $100 by November 15, and $150 by December 15.
• We also might give our church members the opportunity to sponsor an attendee for those who can't afford the registration fee."

• "Much of our outreach is by word of mouth and personally inviting people. We also do several announcements at church, in our bulletin and on social media leading up to the deadline.
• We use GroupMe and add potential attendees to communicate all the details of CROSS and how to sign up. People can add their friends to the group who might be interested. As we get closer to the conference, those not attending leave the GroupMe. We continue using the GroupMe to communicate with the attendees throughout the conference.
• We have a Word document on OneDrive (or Google Drive) linked in our group that contains all of our logistics - numbers, travel, hotels, food, schedule, etc."

"For meal planning, we would suggest making reservations as far in advance as possible. You can do this for lunches and dinners. The downtown restaurants will do this for larger groups and love the heads up."

"For those staying not within walking distance of the conference center, make sure that the van/bus meets the downtown parking garage height requirements. Otherwise, knowing where open parking lots are that can fit larger vehicles is handy so they are not driving around looking for options."

• "Ask for the attendees to go ahead and pay for the ticket at the time they say they want to go or at least ask for half of the cost. It will help deter people from being last minute cancellations.
• We found it such a blessing to have a few of our tickets covered by the "refundable ticket". It never fails that someone in the group will call the morning you leave with "I can't go because I am sick" and the ticket goes unused. Covering a couple of tickets out of the church's budget with the cancellation insurance takes some of the pressure off."

• "As I take notes through each session, I have highlight (literally with yellow highlighter) questions that I am going to ask the group at our evening wrap up.
• We gather in the hotel lobby about 30 minutes after the last session wraps. We go through each Plenary Session and ask for observations, encouragements or things they didn't understand or want to clarify. Each shares about the workshops they attended. Very valuable time each evening."

• "I create a GroupMe group for everyone going. I send them a message about once a week and them about every other day as we get closer. I give them specific things to pray for - an open heart to hear from God, praying for God to call workers, praying for the speakers and musicians, etc.
• I also send the Spotify link once the music is available and encourage them to listen through the list a couple times in preparation."

"You can go to the nearest grocery store and make sacked lunches- sandwiches, chips, apple/cutie. Everyone will save money doing this. Bring it to the conference and find a spot in the convention center to eat as a group!"

"Mobilize your group. Tell them about all the opportunities for missions and evangelism waiting for them back home. Even better, have one main call to action for your group to apply what they have learned."

• "Create a group chat and require everyone to have their notifications on.
• Plan for seating. If your group wants to sit together during plenary sessions, try to stick to a general area and send a few representatives early to camp out.
• Encourage the group to love one another and help them understand what that practically looks like when traveling and sharing rooms."

"For those wanting to save, take them to a grocery store so they can stock up on snacks and simple meals."

"I would encourage all groups to consider the meal plans that are offered, especially if you have a large group. The Convention Center provides a great environment to eat and discuss all that you're learning over the meals you share together."

"One of the most impactful things we do is place students in small groups for the conference. These groups share meals and debrief each night, creating space for deep, intentional relationships to form. These relationships often continue and thrive when we return to campus."

"The Sunday after CROSS, we normally do a panel at the end of our worship service to give the students a chance to share some of the things they learned, what they were encouraged by, and any next steps!"

Submit a budget proposal to your church to help offset costs for each student!

"If staying in an Airbnb, bring someone along to be over food prep! This drastically cut down on the cost for the students. Someone would head back early to prep lunches and dinners, and we still split the cost of the food. A huge win for us! Some of this can be done in a hotel room as well, if staying in town instead of an Airbnb."

"Personally, I'm sure there is a ton of different ways to effectively prepare a group but we always make sure to make a group message with all the participants after signups have closed and then begin to give them things and ways to be praying for their time at the conference and all those who will be attending. Whether that is the salvation of those who may not know God, the growth of those who do, the speakers, safe travels, etc. We also spend time discussing missions, missionaries and praying for the lost around the world."

"With the longer break for dinner, our group always goes somewhere a mile or so away so we can find a big table where it is not crowded and spend time praying and discussing the things we have learned so far and prep our hearts for the rest of the night."

• "Air Bnb and Vrbo are great in theory and very helpful if you are set on cooking and controlling the cost of food. They are also great if you have a decent sized group and you want some more controlled time to pray, read or discuss anything as a whole group.
• The Hotel options are the most convenient and give you the best access to participate in every resource and session that Cross offers. If someone is tired they can walk back to take a break as the hotels are close and downtown is easy to navigate. Spending time as a large group together in the hotel can be a challenge but between the common spaces and "exploring the city" there are unique ways to do debriefs, prayer times and discussion that the hotel gives you easy access to walk to."

"The Sunday after we get back from CROSS, we have the group go in front of church and have 2-4 young adults touch on different aspects of the conference as well as how it impacted them. We also have the expectation that each young adult will write something in the monthly newsletter for our congregation, communicating to the congregation what they learned and how their faith was strengthened from the conference. This has led to follow-up conversations from others as well."

"We have two meetings prior to leaving. One is usually in the summer and the other is in December. The first meeting communicates details about fundraisers while the second meeting communicates details about travels, expectations, etc. We have our young adults be prepared as well as we can by informing them of what to expect."

• "We send out a trip review for our students through a google form. This form includes highlights of the trip, recommendations for improvements, spiritual growth, a move in interest in missions, and a shoutout to a peer or leader. This helps me refine our trip each year to be better.
• We have two students share their highlights and experience during our announcements on the Sunday morning service when we return."

• "I prepare devotionals through missionary biographies for our students for our trip. This serves to help students see faithful examples of missionaries and prepares their heart for the day.
• We send out a prayer letter to our congregation to pray for students during the our travel and time at Cross!
• We share the Cross spotify playlist to all our attendees to make sure they are preparing in worship and familiar with the songs."

"We share that our church is going to Cross at outreach on campus using signs, media, and word of mouth to spread the news."

• "Food is always a hard issue because of how many people are getting food all at once
• It is helpful to send a couple trusted leaders to go and grab food before the session that leads to a meal time ends. Grab your group's orders (if you have many people consider breaking into smaller groups) and than have the leaders go and pick up the food so that you can have your order sent earlier, and picked up before the rush
• Consider also getting food at the food trucks outside, if you miss picking up food earlier, it is quicker to get food from the food trucks than going to a restaurant nearby
• Certain places like chipotle allow you to set an order for a future time, so you can order it earlier and have it so that it's ready as soon as the session ends
• Have another group of people or leaders grab spots in the convention center so that you can have a space ready whenever the food comes

• "We met with students throughout the conference in one-on-one, small group, and whole group settings to give them opportunity to reflect on what God was revealing to them through the Word.
• For us, it was important for the group leaders to circulate throughout the bus on the way home to talk with students about changes they needed to make when they got home.
• When we returned to Texas, we asked any students who were willing to write notes to our pastors sharing what God had taught them at the conference.
• We also had a whole group gathering for our college ministry and had those who attended the conference share what God taught them."

• "Be thoughtful about making sure everyone feels included when it comes to housing. If you have people from outside your church joining the group for the conference, place them in rooms with friendly, outgoing people. Communicate clear expectations for behavior on the trip. Our students always benefit from overcommunicating expectations.
• Have a detailed travel itinerary so students know when and where stops will be and can plan bathroom breaks and other needs. Be flexible with the itinerary. Plans may need to be changed. Plan stops that have multiple eating options for a variety of dietary needs and allergy considerations. We bring a large group to the conference, and we can overwhelm a fast food restaurant. So, we need multiple options, and with all the different allergies, we need lots of variety in the options."

"We shared announcements about CROSS weekly in our Bible study. We also shared it via weekly emails and personal texts to students. A lot of our communication was individual conversations with students about whether they were interested in going."

• "Use travel time as intentional time for your group to bond
• Be intentional about room assignments
• Look up places to eat/stop in advance for travel days because we are often traveling near or on New Years Day and hours vary
• Jackbox can be something fun to do on the drive
• If you are driving, have a roster of who is in what vehicle and send it to someone who is not traveling with you."

• Challenge the students to be good stewards of the time at the conference.
• Have them bring a printed copy of the Bible and make a "no phones in the sessions" rule.
• Plan to have review sessions (lunch, dinner, 4th meal) to go over all the talks, review the day, and pray for God's work in their lives.
• Encourage note taking during the sessions so that everyone has something to say during the review time.

Our group created a GroupMe chat, and we sent packing lists and schedules ahead of time so people could be aware of what the week would look like. In our packing list, we also specifically mentioned the items students needed in their backpack: a light jacket, Bible, notebook, pen/pencil, and PLENTY of extra room for FREE books and merchandise!

Our church split our travel time between two days. We stayed at the KOA campground in Nashville the first night, which was very good for our group! It allowed our students to make memories together before the conference, which helped spirits to be high during the conference days. We group-reserved a hotel months in advance, and we reserved an extra room that we could refund, which was handy. We also split the return travel, and spending the last night in the KOA cabins gave us a great opportunity to have fun around a campfire! It felt like we had a retreat and CROSS CON in one!

Our church extended our CROSS invitations to students of other congregations as well. We found that our students benefited from being around students of other congregations because it allowed us to have deeper relationships with the churches around us. It also allowed our college ministries to unite around the importance of cross-cultural missions! Our college ministry gave a quick overview of the conference every week, and we invited our members and visitors to sign up months before registering.