Preparing for Your Next Youth Retreat

Prayer - Be sure to surround your event with prayer...before...during...and after.  Contact church members and/or parents to be praying now as decisions and preparations are being made.  They can also pray during and after the event that God would work in the hearts of the participants.  Be sure to pray with the participants as a group, but also allow time for small group prayer as well as time alone with God.

Purpose - What is the purpose of your retreat?  Too many times retreats are held just for fun or because “We always do.”  It’s important to have a purpose for people to invest their time and money to attend.  Fun is a great by-product, but it can also be a means to a greater end.  Extended time away from the ordinary is a great way to help people to focus more clearly on God.  Through the creative use of games, activities, singing, campfire devotions, and Bible study, participants can have opportunities to grow in their relationship with God and with each other.  Retreating gets you away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life so that you can relax, refresh, and refocus your mind, body and spirit.  It’s a chance to be still and know that God is God.

    Your purpose may focus on one or more of the following areas:

        - Spiritual growth & education                         - Recreation & fellowship

        - Community building & group unity                 - Nature study & outdoor education

        - Outdoor camping experience                         - Personal spiritual retreat

        - Specific organizational purposes (...train leaders...learn skills...set plans...etc.)

Once you have your purpose decided then you are ready to decide what activities and facilities you will need to accomplish your mission.  You also need to decide what length of time will best meet these goals: ...a day? ...a weekend? ...a week?

Planning - Start with your goals.  What outcome would you like to see as a result of this event?  How many do you hope will attend?  What is the smallest number that could attend and still make your goals viable?  How realistic or flexible are those goals?  You also may want to involve the participants in the planning process.  This not only helps with planning, but also gives them ownership of the event and the planners may have more enthusiasm to promote it among their peers.  Be sure to call your camp well in advance to check the availability of dates & to discuss your group’s goals & needs.  Fees will vary according to length of stay, meals, & use of staff.  Usually a signed contract & deposit secures your retreat dates.  Final numbers for meals & lodging should be called in 7-10 days before your arrival to give kitchen staff time to order food.  Be sure to mention any special dietary needs.

Program - The program begins when the first person arrives at the church parking lot not when the van reaches the camp gate.  Be sure to plan for not only what happens at camp, but also how what happens can be applied when the youth get back to “the real world.”  Camp staff are usually more than willing to consult with you prior to your group’s arrival.  They usually enjoy helping you get the most out of what their camp has to offer.  They can also assist you in developing a program to facilitate your group’s goals.  Some camps have trained staff who are available to lead a variety of activities during your stay.  You will need to ask  what is available and what extra fees are charged for staff time.  Some staff-led activities could be:  instructing and supervising canoeing and archery, swimming, and leading day or night hikes.  Some camps have staff who can also teach outdoor education units on orienteering, astronomy, animal tracks, nature identification, the ecosystem and more.  Also, Christian camps may also provide staff who can lead in devotions, songs, Bible studies and other faith building activities.

A popular and rewarding activity is a challenge course experience.  There are low elements courses which focus on group building, communication, trust, Christian faith and other life-related issues.  There are also high ropes courses which build on the group learnings on the ground to help build individual strengths through affirmation and emotional support.  You should consult with the challenge course facilitator before you arrive so that you can share your goals for this experience.  PLEASE NOTE:  There are physical and emotional risks involved if you attempt to try these activities without a trained facilitator. 

Personnel - Be sure to have plenty of mature, responsible adults.  Think of your adults as more than just chaperones.  They need to be mentors to the youth.  They need to spend time nurturing relationships so they can guide the youth in their walk with God.  Concordia University in River Forest has CYM teams who volunteer to lead lock-ins and retreats.  They are a good resource to use.  Note:  Some camps may require a minimum number of adults per youth.

Places - There are many different places to host your retreat.  Based on your goals and who your retreat is designed for will help determine where to go.  If you want a place that is quiet and reflective, avoid a place with lot’s of tempting fun things to do.  On the contrary, if you have 40 kids with only one canoe and a basketball hoop, they may need some guidance finding constructive ways to have fun.  It’s always best to visit a site before the retreat.  This not only helps you prepare, but can also help the camp staff be better prepared to meet your needs and helps avoid last minute confusion.  Some thing to consider are:  Housing, meal service, staff availability, recreational, & program facilities.   Many camps have various types of housing each with it’s own fee.  Some buildings are year-round while others are 1- or 3-season facilities. If you decide to go out of state, be sure to check out the many Lutheran camps across the country.  You can check out www.nloma.org to find the camps and retreat centers that are connected with the National Lutheran Outdoors Ministry Association.  You can also look in the Lutheran Annual to find a few more Lutheran camps.  For other camps you can check out Christian Camping International at www.cciusa.org or American Camping Association at www.aca-camps.org.

Publicity - Start publicizing your retreat as soon as possible.  The sooner you start, the fewer conflicts participants will have and they will see your event as more of a priority and they will have fewer conflicts on their calendar.  A note in the church bulletin two weeks before is not enough.  You might want to send a brochure or letter in the mail followed up by a personal phone call a few days later.  If you have a large group, recruit others to make phone calls, too.  Don’t forget posters, newsletters, and verbal announcements in church.  Also, for youth retreats, be sure to target both the youth and their parents.  In some families the parents make the decisions, and in others, the kids make the call.  Overall, one-to-one personal communication is always the best.  You may also want to have an earlybird discount (ie. $5 off) a few weeks before the retreat to help secure early commitments.  This will also give you time to make personal contact with those who didn’t sign up (...yet).  A non-refundable deposit also helps people keep their commitments.

Prices - Don’t let the tail wag the dog.  If your planning committee has decided that the best way to meet your goals is to stay for two nights and to use certain program activities, don’t immediately let prices dictate a change of your goals.  Of course, common sense and good stewardship have to play a role, but there may be some other ways to offset costs either by consulting with the camp director or by looking for donors, grants, etc.  It is helpful for your church or organization to cover some (but maybe not all) of the cost of this event so that more youth are able to attend.  If you advertise that it won’t cost anything, it may sound to some as though no one would ever pay to attend something like this so you have to resort to bribery.  If they have to pay something for it, they will want to get their money’s worth when they attend. 

Priorities - Don’t be discouraged by a low turnout.  Ministry can still take place with those few.  (Probably a lot better than with a larger group).  When you cancel an event, it tells the ones who signed up to go that their presence and priorities may not be valued and they may have second thoughts about committing to that event or another group activity in the future.  If a small number of participants attend and have a great time, their enthusiasm will help build the numbers for your next event.

Post-Retreat - Even though the retreat is over, the follow-up ministry is just beginning.  Ongoing nurture is important to reinforce the learnings and spiritual growth that may have taken place.  Youth may remember this event for a long time.  What will they take with them into eternity?

Some Recommended Resources:

Feeding the Zircon Gorilla and Other Team Building Activities, by Sam Sikes, Leaning Unlimited Corporation, Tulsa, OK.  1995.

More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks, Wayne Rice, Youth Specialties. 1995.

Play It Again, by W. Rice & Mike Yaconelli, Youth Specialties.  1993.

The Group Retreat Book, by Arlo Reichter, Group Books, Loveland, CO  1983.

Up Close & Personal: How to Build Community in your Youth Group, Wayne Rice,

            Youth Specialties.  1989.

Youth Ministry Camping, by Bob Cagle, Group Books. 1989.