In a month, the long days of summer will transition to the cool, windy days of fall. This will be an excellent time to bring the church staff together. The fall is the time of year when things start back up, or new things begin. There is a lot of transition in personal lives and church life. Bringing your staff together should not be “another thing to do,” but a time for fellowship, renewal, and growing.
Here are four reasons for a staff retreat.
Builds Community
It is easy in the hustle of ministry for everyone to focus on their tasks. There are a lot of dangers if everyone runs in their haste. A staff retreat is an excellent way to unite the team and remind everyone that you are a team, all working together for a common goal. A staff retreat should include a fun group-building activity. When a group laughs together, they remember why they enjoy working together. The retreat should consist of time to hear each other’s stories of triumphs and challenges in ministry. When doing so, the space needs to be appropriately hospitable to welcome such honest storytelling.
Remind Everyone of the “Why”
Much has been written about the why and the purpose behind what we do. A staff retreat is an excellent opportunity to remind everyone of the church’s purpose and how each staff member’s ministry is not a side hustle but an essential part of the church’s overall mission. If everyone continues to run with their hustle, missional drift may occur. Missional drift is when the ministry loses its focus on the mission and vision. If missional drifting is happening, the staff retreat provides an opportunity to course correct. Often, missional drift occurs without anyone noticing it at first. Therefore, reminding everyone of the why will give the chance to self-assess for missional drift. This reminder is a proactive approach to ensuring everyone is “on the same page.”
Opportunity for Group Learning
Due to different schedules, it is rare when a church staff can participate in a learning opportunity together. The occasion is rare if the church has budgeted for the team to attend a conference. The staff retreat will allow all staff to learn from each other about a topic or skill that will benefit the whole. This learning is not the time to address one staff member’s performance by offering mandatory training for the whole staff. That will not be an effective use of time. Instead, consider what would benefit the entire team as it aligns with the ministry’s goals for the coming year. Is it a leadership skill? Worship leadership? Discipleship? It may be helpful to bring in an outside facilitator to lead your retreat so that the group learning can genuinely be group learning.
Models Teamwork
When your staff comes together for a staff retreat, builds community, reminds themselves of the why, and learns together, it provides a model to the rest of the congregation of what it looks like to be a team. The staff retreat will reinforce the concept that you are all in this together, that as a staff and as a congregation, we are all working toward the staff purpose. The implication is the staff retreat is not a well-kept secret. The church’s leadership should know about the retreat and ask to pray for the staff during the time. During the staff retreat, post pictures or videos on the church’s social media or the website, letting people know what the team is up to and asking for prayers. Finally, on the Sunday after the retreat, mention the staff retreat and what God did during your time together to the congregation as a joy.
Interested in learning more about Jason facilitating a staff retreat? Schedule a call here.
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