In today’s world, retreats simply aren’t optional for your church family. We live in a busy society where people rarely have time to stop and reflect. If you’re going to do effective ministry today, you need to provide opportunities for people to get away from the normal goings on of everyday life to focus on their spiritual lives and the ministry of your church.
But retreats are not one-size-fits-all approaches to ministry. Every church needs different retreats for different groups of people and different purposes.
So, what retreats should you consider? Your church doesn’t need to hold the retreats below every year, but they should be on your radar.
1. Spiritual Growth Retreats
Depending upon your specific Christian tradition, spiritual growth retreats are probably the retreats you think of first. They focus on intentional practices that deepen the faith of individual Christians in your church.
The keyword for spiritual growth retreats is intentional. Spiritual growth is always intentional. Spiritual growth retreats attempt to introduce and provide space for congregants to develop the kinds of habits that help them grow long after they re-enter the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Because people grow in faith differently, these retreats can look different—sometimes very different. Sometimes, they include a considerable amount of solitude; other times, you’ll want to include specific community-building activities. These retreats tend to include time for worship, prayer (depending upon your tradition, maybe guided prayer), and Bible study. Spiritual leaders (whether pastors, lay leaders, or authors) often lead these retreats.
By the end of the retreat, you hope your congregants will leave refreshed, with a renewed commitment to their relationship with God. Ideally, they’ll also leave with specific spiritual practices they can do on their own (Bible study, prayer, etc.) that will help them continue the momentum they’ve started.
2. Leadership Retreats
Anyone who has been involved in local church ministry for a long time knows just how important—and difficult!— it is to develop leaders. Leaders are the lifeblood of ministry—particularly the kinds of ministry that result in multiplication.
Leadership retreats are about preparing leaders for their ministry assignments through skill and gift development and better coordination with others. Balancing these two key objectives is one of the most important parts of planning these retreats.
Part of building better coordination among your leaders is helping them align themselves with the church’s vision and mission. Often, this means spending time vision-casting with leaders, allowing each leader to see where his or her ministry fits into the larger whole.
Effective activities for these leadership retreats include training sessions, team-building exercises, and strategic planning.
3. Marriage Retreats
Healthy marriages and families are the cornerstones of healthy churches. When marriages struggle, families often step back from church involvement. That’s why it’s so important to do what you can to help families in your church thrive.
Marriage retreats give your congregants an opportunity to get away and specifically focus on their relationship with one another. Often, these retreats include large group teaching times with experienced relationship experts who can help congregants improve their marriages. They can also provide opportunities for couples to talk through what they’re learning together—and maybe even a date night for an extended time of conversation together.
Depending upon the availability of mentor couples, you could have attendees spend some time with more experienced couples who could serve as guides not just for the retreat experience but also in follow-up conversations afterward.
4. Youth Retreat
Of the five retreats described here, the youth retreat is the only one that relates to a specific age. That’s because youth retreats can play a particularly significant role in the development of your youth ministry. Many churches focus on these during the summer (and call them camps typically). But you can schedule a weekend retreat any time.
Youth (often defined as those between ages 13-18) retreats specifically focus on the spiritual, social, and emotional needs of young people in the church.
They usually provide immersive experiences where youth can grow in their faith and build friendships as they do. Everything from interactive Bible studies to team-building games to worship fit well in youth retreats. The key, though, is they have to be fun. It’s harder to keep the attention of youth. Youth will tune out boring retreats.
A successful retreat will cause youth to become more focused on spiritual growth, more committed to each other, and more engaged in their ministry.
5. Men’s/Women’s Retreat
Men’s and women’s retreats are getaway opportunities tailored around the specific interests and needs of specific genders. Today’s world doesn’t offer many same-gender spaces for people in our communities, but your church can be an exception through these retreats.
Out of necessity, men’s and women’s retreats will look different. But don’t fall into the trap of creating retreats that cater to stereotypes. Not all women enjoy the same activities; neither do all men.
The advantage of same-gendered retreats is that often, men and women can be more open and vulnerable about their struggles. Most people feel more comfortable discussing personal issues like relationships, parenting, sexuality, etc., in groups of the same sex.
After the retreat, you should expect new friendships to develop among the attendees. They’ll also have a more profound commitment to their personal relationships with God and their corporate relationships with one another.
Planning Your Next Retreat
Retreats need to be an important part of your ministry plans. But many church leaders conjure up images of stressful preparations. Retreat planning doesn’t need to be a nightmare. Our new FREE guide, Season of Renewal: Creating Impactful Fall Retreats for Your Church, walks you through the process of planning a retreat. The guide comes with handy templates and worksheets to help you put the planning strategy into action.
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