The Church Growth Planning Retreat
Tim Massengale

Introduction
•	A church in desperate need of some excitement and enthusiasm
•	Had lost their vision for growth, winning souls, and reaching their city
•	Outreach, attendance and home bible study involvement had dropped
•	Pastor decided to have a church growth planning retreat to help bring back life to his congregation
•	Five years later, his attendance has doubled

What A Church Growth Planning Retreat Will Do
•	Excitement and Enthusiasm 
o	New plans, fresh ideas, worthwhile goals, always spark the thrill of being part of a program that carries eternal purpose - when you get excited, your people get excited with you
•	Commitment to Involvement  
o	People are more committed to a plan when they have a hand in its development
o	The planning retreat allows them to voice their ideas and solutions to various situations - makes the plans "ours" instead of "yours”
•	New Ideas and Solutions to Problems
o	New ideas are developed on retreat
o	This is the very essence of brainstorming - when many minds focus upon a problem or a need, the Spirit can direct the group to the solution
•	A Team Spirit  
o	The retreat will help the directors bind together and work together as a team to find solutions to difficult problems, set goals and make improvements
•	Coordination of Activities
o	The retreat is a time to look at the entire year and discuss what events from each department need to take place – great way to avoid conflicts with other departments
•	A Reward for a Job well done
o	The retreat is a great way to make directors feel needed and important – that their advice and ideas are desired and needed

When, Where, Who, and How
•	When
o	The planning retreat should be an annual event
o	August, October, November is a great time
•	Where 
o	The retreat, to be effective, is best held as an out of town and overnight event
o	Having is out of town makes it seem least like work
•	Who
o	The retreat should be attended by all department heads and their spouses
•	How 
o	Type up an agenda giving each department between 30 – 50 minutes of group discussion time
o	Discussion topics should be the type that encourages group discussion
•	They should address needs, problems, and improvements 

Conclusion
•	Effective planning takes time
o	Good planning requires extended periods of quality time, the right people, a comfortable environment, and adequate preparation
o	Church Growth Planning Retreat provides just that sort of environment 
o	The retreat brings everyone together, all working for a common goal
o	The result is more souls being added into the Kingdom of God