Developing a retreat theme that works

This year, our Winter Teen Retreat theme has been sketch, based on Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

As a theme verse, it has been effective because it captures each of the elements we try to reinforce through the content we develop. It reminds us of our relationship to God, our position in Christ, and our calling to live out our faith in the world.

When I approach the development of a retreat theme, I start with a fairly typical progression which guides the process. This usually plays out in a 4-session retreat this way:

Friday Night: Introduce the theme.

We do this in a way that reminds participants that they belong to God and that He has a plan for them. This should emphasize not only God’s big-picture plan for their lives, but also His intention to speak to them personally during the retreat.

Saturday Morning: Identify a need.

This allows the students to step back and evaluate their own lives, something they may not take time to do at home. Is there something that is holding me back from a closer walk with Christ? Do I understand the cost of sin? Is there some unconfessed sin I need to address?

Our hope is to communicate this in a way that those who may not yet have a relationship with Christ come to understand their need for one. We also want to challenge those who are walking with Him to evaluate the quality of that walk and ask, Does God want more for me?

Saturday Night: Offer a solution.

Our Saturday evening message centers around the answer to the need uncovered in the previous session. Because people often come to camp or a retreat expecting to hear from God, this is a natural time to invite them to respond to what He is saying. We recognize that this is often the culmination of years of investment, teaching and prayer on behalf of youth leaders or family from back home. At camp, we simply offer students the chance to respond to the Gospel.

We also understand that our invitation is not the means of transformation. And while we don’t take responsibility for the response, we do measure our effectiveness in two ways: Did students know they were given an opportunity to respond to the Gospel? and Did they respond?

We’ve found that our most effective invitations are ones that do these things:

1. Address, specifically, the need introduced the night before.
2. Are clear, concise and compelling. The Gospel is simple, and the invitation to it should be as well. Over the previous sessions, if we have done our job, we have laid out the truth and students are often waiting to respond.
3. Includes some kind of physical response. This cements in their minds that there was a moment when they did or could have responded. They will remember this moment regardless of their decision.
4. Provides an appropriate way to respond for both new and previously committed believers. Often this plays out as two separate invitations, one to make a new commitment to follow Christ, and a second to recommit our lives to Him.

Sunday Morning: Give Practical Applications.

While we strive to provide application throughout the weekend, we want students to leave camp with a particular challenge to live out their faith, something that sticks in their mind during the bus ride hom. The more practical and specific this message is, the more students are likely to believe that what they learned during the weekend will make a lasting difference in their lives.

We always follow this session with a small group time, a chance for youth pastors and leaders from home to harness the energy and excitement into forward-moving investment in their church and community back home.

Here’s how it looked this Winter Teen Retreat season for sketch:

• Friday Night: Doodle, You are God’s Masterpiece. Our focus was helping students understand their uniqueness in God’s creation. (Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s workmanship…”)
• Saturday Morning; Erase, Erase a Sinful Past. We talked about how to forgive and be forgiven, and how God wants to forgive us. (Ephesians 2:8, “…even when we were dead in transgressions…”)
• Saturday Night: Color, You are Alive with Christ. This message talks about the solution to sin, and how the best life is one that Jesus fills with the fullness of color. (Ephesians 2:8-9, “God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ…”)
• Sunday Morning: Animate, It’s Time to Move. As the weekend concludes, we give them practical ways to put their faith in action and use their unique gifts to accomplish what God desires. (Ephesians 2:10, “…created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”)

Interested in seeing more about how this theme played out in main sessions? Check out this series of videos I wrote and our team at SpringHill produced (Thanks to Ali Mooney for the illustration and Jason Bultema for the production work).