Church retreats are a great way to encourage individuals and couples to develop a closer relationship with God - as well as with other humans. When planning a church retreat, it is very important to keep in mind the people you are serving through your program and no matter what your budget, or the length of the program, it is imperative to have great content. The best way to do this can be with interviews with church members, or through already published materials available at religious bookstores.

Seminar and retreat ideas can be found in many places and they can also be geared in a number of different directions. For example, the retreat leader can choose a specific theme for the retreat, or they can do something like pick a book they would really like to speak about. Key speakers can be used as a means of focusing people towards a specific area of life - mothers, teens, children, etc. If they choose the specific are to cover on a retreat, they may want to offer different programs throughout the year to make sure the needs of all the members of the congregation are met.

There really is no right or wrong way to conduct a seminar as long as the focus is on God. If the retreat leader is having problems coming up with ideas, they should present their thoughts to some of the possible attendees to get their input.

You can also call us for input on your retreat as we hold many throughout the year. We have provided below some ideas to assist in planning your retreat.

1. Develop a sense of being part of a community with ice-breakers and "community builders." These will help people feel comfortable enough with each other to be more open to sharing what they are feeling without the fear of being ridiculed. This fear can be a real hindrance and can lead to major barriers to the Spirit-led synergy in the group.

2. Take the time out for good bible study. Contemplate or discuss scripture stories, concepts, or passages that could give direction to your group. Try not to pick something that has obvious answers; instead, make them think and work with the text to discover the answers for themselves. The answers may not be what they expected.

3. Make sure there is a lot of group discussion that models how you want to work together. Make sure to let the participants know that there are no dumb questions or ideas and that good listening and encouragement is expected by all in attendance. A good strategy to maximize participation (and impact) is to divide the group into sets of three to five people to discuss the scripture together and then have each group share their insights. Try something like giving each group a passage to examine, but have each group look at it from a different angle.

4. Take to worship together as it is a great way to create an environment of sacred possibility that opens the hearts to God. Different kinds of prayer can be incorporated into your worship. Short lessons, homilies, and guiding words can set the tone of the meeting and can help open up the ears of the participants to God's word.

5. Creative Expression is an important part of the retreat experience. This allows for God's Spirit to enter your mind, body and soul and the chance to express this in a creative manner. Take a walk, absorb the beautiful mountain views, visit the lake, go fishing. During this time, think about scripture passages that hold a lot of meaning for you, or whatever works to help you let go of time and allow God to enter. Once you've had this experience, take the time to sit down and create something that expresses it; a poem, song, picture, etc.