“Greater Things” Thursday #35: Elders’, Deacons’ & Preachers’ Retreat
Lebanon Road’s 2011 theme is “Greater Things.” For an introduction and video to this theme, click here. Each Thursday we are highlighting an area in which we are striving for greater things.
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Our emphasis this week is on an event that is coming up later this month. In 2010, we held our first ever leadership retreat, as all our elders, deacons, and preachers met for an all-day session of encouragement, information, connection, and planning. It was such a success that, when we were putting events on the 2011 calendar, several suggested that we go ahead and schedule another retreat for 2011.
Many congregations never have a retreat for their leaders. Since we had never done one at Lebanon Road, we started small, simply meeting in our fellowship hall, but planning many activities throughout the day. We had a guest speaker, Gary Knuckles, come to give us lessons of encouragement. He did a great job (of course!). One of our elders presented a “State of the Congregation Address,” sharing with us news about the demographics of the congregation, as well as updates on our goals for the year.
Our meals were–to put it mildly–fantastic! We asked one of our ladies who was a caterer to prepare breakfast and lunch (we finished the day around 3:00), and she went all out. As we began to plan the session for this year, one of the first concerns was whether she would do this again. (Thankfully, she is!) We also built in a little extra time just to visit around meals.
One of the major functions of the day was to get some ideas started for the following year. Dozens of great ideas were presented, and they started the ball rolling for the goals of 2011. We also took a few minutes to put the “major” events (VBS, camp, Gospel Meeting, mission trips, service days, etc.) on our calendar, so that the building could be reserved and so we could fill in other events around these.
Finally, we spent a long time in prayer. It was truly a highlight of the day, as prayer requests and prayers for specific works, programs, and individuals were offered up for nearly a solid hour. Our thinking is pretty simple: if the leadership isn’t willing to pray, the congregation is going to suffer.
The day was a true success, and I’m very excited about the 2011 session. We will be meeting on September 24. Our schedule will look a little different, but we are sure that this will be a day that will help us grow closer together, and that will help us review as well as plan for the future.
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Obviously, this is a specific group of folks, but we really want greater things to occur through our retreat. The main way for that to happen is for every member to be praying for this day. Pray for our wisdom and that we will be recharged and uplifted by what happens on September 24.
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Back in the Spring, I was asked to present a short presentation on our retreat at the West Kentucky Leadership Workshop. Below is the handout that I gave out that day with some simple things to keep in mind when planning such an event. I hope it helps you.
Suggestions for a Church Leadership Retreat
