The Retreat Teams consist of 10 young adult missionaries. They travel the country going from diocese to diocese, church to church, school to school leading approximately five retreats a week. The team members challenge young people to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. They first do this by their Christian witness of faith through prayer, sacraments, fellowship and service.

The retreats consist of different parts that break open the Gospel message in large group presentations, small group discussions, dramas, contemporary christian music, mass and confession, and prayer time. The team members pray with the each young person, asking for their intentions and prayers to be answered, and inviting them to pray and deepen their relationship with Christ. Through this time, the youth often experience conversions through the actions of the Holy Spirit.

Through the training that each missionary has received, the retreats are led in a dynamic way, giving the young people an opportunity to hear about the message of the Gospel in their own language. In this way, they are comfortable with the team's challenge to live a life of the Gospel in tough times. But most important of all, they are given a chance to encounter the living Christ in a tangible way.

NET retreats range in length from four hours to several days. Using a variety of themes, team members conduct retreats for hundreds of youth. Though the format and theme of the retreats may vary, the basic message is always the same: “In Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all, as a gift of God’s grace and mercy.” (Evangelization in the Modern World, Pope Paul VI).

The retreats, typically for youth in years 1st through 5th, are high-energy experiences using large group presentations, small group discussion, music, drama, personal faith sharings, one-on-one prayer, and the sacraments of Confession and Holy Eucharist. Since 1981, NET teams have conducted over 17,300 retreats and ministered to over one million young people in 11 countries.