When Is a Staff Retreat like Vacation Bible School?

The staff retreat. When is the best time to pull your employees away from the office? Where is a good place to hold the event? What topics should you address? How do you make it both fun and informative? The answers are right under your nose.  Take a close look at the planning and execution of Vacation Bible School and you’ll find that your Children’s Ministry staff are retreat masters. Mirror every element of a great VBS and you’ll pull off a successful employee retreat.

 

When There’s a Theme

When cardboard boulders line your church hallways or construction paper fish hang from the ceiling of your Fellowship Hall, it’s a sure sign that VBS is in the making. It’s also a clue to one of the most important building blocks of a winning event: the theme.

Choosing a theme does more for a retreat than determining decorations. It provides the framework for the retreat’s message. For instance, VBS curriculum “Cave Quest” grounds kids in “the rock-solid foundation of God’s love”. “Deep Sea Discovery” is designed for kids to “dive deep into God’s presence.”

 

When There Are Activities

You can’t expect children to sit still for hours listening to someone talk. The same is true for adults. Like VBS, retreats need to include some time for fun, even if that time is simply a break for snacks. Yes, you want to set a time limit to keep the agenda moving, but sometimes it’s during an unstructured break that people come up with ideas while talking to others.

Don’t completely rule out crayons and childish toys when planning activities for adults. We’re told that as children, all of us were creative, but that as we age, most of us decide we’ve lost the ability.  Although seemingly silly, sometimes coloring and doodling or time in a playground unleashes restrained creativity, which becomes evident in a great brainstorming session later in the day.

 

When we are Sensitive

Kids from all ages attend VBS and although the theme may be the same across the board, the lessons and activities are tailored to specific ages and skills. It’s important to be sensitive to the different needs of adults, too.

Taking a hike in a local forest sounds like a great idea … unless you happen to have bad knees. Handing out a typed agenda works for some, but for those who rely on a screen, paper is not only passé, it’s wasteful. Ending the retreat with a group dinner sounds like fun to some, but presents a dilemma with babysitters or school pickups to others. When planning a retreat, think about things like physical abilities and communication styles all employees before choosing activities and timeframes.

 

When Choosing a Location

Of course VBS primarily takes place within the walls of the church, but sometimes it’s possible to include an outing as part of the week’s activities. Sometimes a field trip is the one thing about VBS a child remembers into adulthood because it was different and special.

If possible, plan at least part of your staff retreat, if not all of it, to take place somewhere other than in a church meeting room. Scope out what might be available at a nearby hotel, restaurant or library. Think of unlikely places to hold a retreat – you may be surprised at the accommodations available at a zoo, a museum or a state park. As a non-profit, meeting space fees may be reduced or one of your members might have a connection that would allow you free access.

Speaking of which, take a look at members who manage or own a business. Many corporate offices include nice meeting spaces. Industry headquarters sometimes even house auditoriums and cafeterias. It might simply take a phone call to get permission to use a member’s facility.

 

You don’t necessarily want your employees to glue macaroni to a cigar box during a staff retreat (or do you?), but there is a lot to learn from those who plan and execute Vacation Bible Schools that will make for a meaningful and memorable staff retreat. Ask your Children’s Ministry Director to go out for coffee today!

 

Judy Bumgarner is a freelance writer in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

Retiring With Grace

Grace is at the heart of the Gospel. It should be at the heart of retirement as well. But unfortunately, that is not always the case. Despite our best intentions, the closer we get to actually retiring, the greater the struggle can be. For some, this is so much so that they continue postponing their retirement, with some ending up working longer than they should have and/or until their health breaks. This is unfortunate and unnecessary.

I’m Not a Mother

It’s Mother’s Day, and the preacher asks for every mother to stand up and be recognized for all they’ve meant to their family. As the congregation begins to applaud, someone leans over and whispers excitedly into your ear, “Why aren’t you standing up? C’mon! It’s Mother’s Day!” Your greatest dream is to be a mother and your dream has not come true. The tears you’ve blinked away all morning are now streaming down your face. “I’m not a mother,” you weep.

Churches Going Greener: The Serial Influence of Kids

You get it; our planet is in jeopardy, and you’ve taken action. After all, God gave us our beautiful planet . . . and the responsibility to manage and protect it. You would like to see others in your church take action, involving all age groups in ongoing green initiatives, but you find that only a few share your passion. When trying to enlist help, do not overlook the impression that could be made by your youngest members; if you need assistance developing a strategy, look no further than the cereal aisle at the grocery store.

The Buddy (Eco)system: Help is closer than you think

Facing a challenge? Rather than going it alone, the buddy system is often the best way to achieve goals. Looking to lose a few pounds? Diet with a friend. Want to strengthen spiritual discipline? Join an accountability group. Encouragement, inspiration, and shared knowledge all come together to facilitate success when we join with others to reach common aspirations. When it comes to taking care of our environment, however, we need all the help we can get; thankfully, we have quick access to environmental buddies ready to team up with us as we work toward success.

Social Media For Churches 101

Whether you avoid using the Internet or spend all your free time on Facebook, being put in charge of your church’s social media accounts is a major responsibility. Let’s go over some social media basics and give you a few ideas about how to best use these networks for your church’s benefit.

What Lights You Up?: Staying Alive In Ministry

Staying alive in ministry involves knowing what we mean by “alive” and what we mean by “ministry.” There is a pollution of words and confusion of roles that has to be managed before anything else can be managed.

One clergywoman said to me, “The biggest task at my church is keeping me from burning out. I am the chief asset here.” We know what she means. Ask any search committee: they know that the clergy leader is the chief asset of the organization. They may forget that over time. Since churches don’t think they are supposed to care for pastors-in fact they think the opposite-the matter of caring for the pastor is up to the pastor. Start there: if you don’t take care of yourself, no one else will. Care of yourself is your job. “Self-care” is the new buzzword. I prefer to get at the word pollution in “burn out.” Clergy roles are to care for the congregation. The congregation is not to care for the clergy. So the clergy must care for him or herself.