How to Plan A Memorable Retreat

One of the most underused, but potentially one of the most transforming, approaches to Christian education formation is the retreat. Often relegated to the area of youth ministry programs (but rarely formatted as a retreat even then) the retreat holds the potential of providing ways of learning and relationship building unavailable in any other type of church education programming. I find that for church leaders and members the first major obstacle to overcome when considering offering retreats is the fear of the unknown (or, “We’ve never done retreats in our church and I don’t think anyone will attend.”).

But that’s true of any “new” thing. And when something is worth doing, it’s worth pursuing. It will likely be true that if you’ve never offered retreats for your church adults or other groups (other than youth) it will take about three years to develop your retreat program. The first two years will be an introductory process that includes bringing about change (and you know how difficult it is to bring about change!). But if you stick with it, and appreciate the value of the retreat as a formational educational approach, by your third year word will get around about how meaningful the experience is. And your best advertisement will come from those who’ve participated.

Here are some basic steps and factors to consider when planning your retreat:

• Identify the type of retreat: contemplative or issue-oriented (grief, creativity, spirituality); a specific population or group (parents, divorced, young adults, men, women); or seasonal (winter, summer, Lent)
• Choose a memorable theme; give the retreat a catchy name
• Choose a site appropriate to the retreat purpose (two to three hours distance from the church campus is ideal)
• Identify your target audience and address their needs and interests
• Be specific about what you want participants to get out of the experience
• Remember that a retreat is NOT a glorified or extended workshop or “class”
• Work with a collaborative group for planning and encourage creativity
• Determine and seek appropriate retreat leadership
• Schedule plenty of “free” time. Your retreat should span three days (ex.: Friday evening till Sunday afternoon)
• Plan icebreakers for the first session
• Provide “enhancements”: refreshments, snacks and treats, disposable cameras, board games, writing materials, craft materials, sports equipment, appropriate music, theme-related skits, theme-related readings and videos
• Create an attractive, colorful brochure or flyer (you’ll be surprised at how helpful this is)
• Announce the retreat four to five months before the event (but plan the retreat a year ahead of time)
• Limit attendance as appropriate for the nature of the retreat
• Plan for follow-up.

If you invest in cultivating this rich experience for learning, fellowship, and growth, it will not take long for your church members to value it and see it as a vital part of their experience of faith and church. Your goal should be to make retreats a core component of your church educational programming.

Adapted from A Christian Educator’s Book of Lists by Israel Galindo (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, ) You can order the book from the publisher, or from Amazon.com.