About Lifelines

Lifelines provides quality outdoor and experiential learning opportunities to help students grow personally, professionally, and spiritually. Lifelines experiences are life changing, giving participants valuable tools needed for life while directing them to the One who truly transforms us.

Have you ever been lost, unable to find your way, bewildered as to place and direction?  This describes a majority of people today and often defines college students. Internally we know we need a guide. Not someone to tell us where to go but someone who will listen, ask good questions, and help us explore the next steps. We also know that some of the most important lessons we need to learn will only come through experiences that impact our heart, not just our head.

Lifelines uses the outdoor experience in order to help students grow in relationship with God, in relationship with each other, in character, and in leadership. Lifelines staff members act as spiritual guides who work to find out where students are at and help point the way to a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  Every trip we offer is built around a Biblical concept that we intend for students to experience personally during the activity.  We want to help them make the connection between the trip we are doing and “real life” back on campus or at home, and to see how God’s Word is relevant to every area of their experience.

The outdoors is our training field.  It is a place to have fun and attempt something new, offering an alternative to the campus party scene.  It is also a neutral meeting ground where students can step away from the political pressures and often taboo subjects of discussion on the college campus.  They often feel the freedom and the privacy to broach topics that are dear to their hearts but may be scorned by others back at school.   Moreover, it is a great place for students to see God in all that he as made. Psalms 19:1-2 tells us, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.”

Lifelines resource teams are set up to be teams of experts that can help resource the larger ministry of Cru, formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ. These resource teams are set up with the ability to travel to different campuses to minister or to bring students to locations where they are surrounded by outdoor resources. One of the things Lifelines does best is to help begin relationships with different groups on campus that Cru staff members can then continue mentoring and building in to. Students are generally enthusiastic about coming on a free whitewater rafting or rock climbing trip, and through a whole day of experiences, relationships are formed and spiritual journeys often started.

We also serve shoulder to shoulder with Cru staff who want to develop their Christian leaders in an aspect of faith, to help their ministry bond or learn Biblical truths through experiential learning, or who want us to help lead a retreat, reinforcing retreat themes through experiential activities.

Another area of focus is to provide leadership development for the ministry of Cru, particularly in regard to using experiential learning evangelistically.  Lifelines is involved in training campus directors, and helping STINT (Short Term International Trips) leaders and interns understand how to facilitate groups and deal with team conflict through week long Facilitator Schools and other special events.

We believe the full spectrum of ministry includes wilderness experiences and process learning. This type of ministry was used often by Jesus himself with his disciples.  Lifelines resource teams help give students from cities like Boston or the schools in your backyard the opportunity to experience God and learn from life.  It is our desire to help meet the felt needs of students and to serve them with the love of Christ while building the Kingdom of God.  We are called by the Great Commission, captivated by our love for God, convinced of His heart for the world to know Him, and compelled by the power of the Holy Spirit.