There are a number of reasons to have a retreat with your youth group. For example, Jesus encouraged his disciples to withdraw to a desolate place when they were exhausted. It is implied that they needed to pray along with getting some rest. The call to relationally disciple students provides another compelling reason to have a retreat. We can establish more relational groundwork between students and leaders on a weekend retreat than in a whole semester of mid-week youth group. Additionally, there’s just something about being in a new location that adds focus and meaning. Being away together in community provides an ideal opportunity to study the Word in a more intense way.
But what are the elements that make a retreat a good one? Following are some ideas based on the community the early church enjoyed.
Fellowship
When you look at the activities of the early church in Acts 2, you see a couple of main categories of activities. The first of those is fellowship. The new followers of Jesus broke bread together, shared their belongings, and did ministry together. Fellowship ought to be a big part of a retreat as well! There should be lots of opportunities for shared experiences and the building up of friendships. Here are a few ways you can accomplish that at a retreat.
Games
Games provide a way to lighten the mood, let your guard down, and have fun together. Whether it’s a mixer, a team building activity, or just musical chairs, build some fun games into your weekend. My youth group’s annual fall retreat has several opportunities for this, some structured and some unstructured.
For example, our middle schoolers end the weekend with a kickball tournament, guys vs girls. Our high schoolers play “Assassin” over the course of the weekend, which is a blast. Before worship time, we often play mixer games, and students play sports or board games together during their free time.
Food
Acts 2:42-46 mentions breaking bread twice. There is something about sharing food together that makes you feel like family. So make the most of meal time by asking some good icebreakers around the table and aiming to help each student feel welcomed.
Enjoy good food together at dinner, have S’mores around the campfire, encourage students to bring snack food to share (but probably nut-free…). If your host site handles all your meals, fantastic. But if you are facilitating more of a do-it-yourself retreat, prayerfully recruit some adults from your church who are gifted in hospitality to serve students in this way.
Formation
Retreats are not only about fun and games (though some of your students might not realize that). This is also a key time for you to spend some focused time with your students on their walks with the Lord. Acts 2 says that the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (now Bible), and prayers, and that they were attending the temple together. Let your fellowship have a formation element to it.
Bible and Prayer
Whether it’s a study on a topic like prayer, or a study through a book of the Bible, have your students spend good time in the Word. Find a curriculum that takes you through a topic or book of the Bible or do a short teaching series. Do a Q and A with your students, letting them ask questions about the Christian faith. Read passages of Scripture during your worship times. Consider choosing a theme verse for the weekend that students memorize before it’s over.
And let students have time in the Word on their own. Our high school students love a tradition that we call “The Quiet Hour.” During that time, we give students one hour, right around sunset, to spread out around the retreat campus and spend time in God’s Word and prayer. We provide them with suggested reading, for example, encouraging them to study and take notes on Romans 8. But they can also read their own devotional reading. The point is to speak to no one and to spend that time completely focused on God’s Word and prayer. This might sound like a tough sell—but there is something about setting aside this time in a place they love that captivates our students. Seriously, they love it.
Worship
Give some focused time for students to praise God together. If you don’t have musicians, pull up some worship music on your phone and sing along. Some of the most special times we’ve had together have been everyone sitting on the floor in a cabin, singing their favorite worship songs.
Phone-free
(Sorry, couldn’t get another “F” in there.) Just a suggestion, but we have a zero-phone policy on all of our trips and retreats, and I think it has contributed to the enhancement of both the fellowship and the formation of our group. Consider telling your students (make sure to get buy-in from parents) to leave phones and other devices at home—or at least in their bags only for use in case of emergency. It’s worth the initial headache and I believe will give everyone a better experience.
If you are reading some of these ideas, and find yourself discouraged, please don’t be! The point is not to work harder or do more, but to set aside time and space for you and your students to be together with the Lord.
The wonderful thing about retreats is that they are your retreats. They don’t have to look like anyone else’s. You decide the venue, and the place itself may become dear to your students as they make shared memories there. The games you play and the traditions that you establish will be remembered well into your students’ adulthood. The friendships that begin in these weekends and the gospel seeds planted are of eternal significance. Plan well, prayerfully think it through, and have a great time resting in God’s grace.
Looking for practical advice and biblical encouragement in youth ministry? We hope you’ll join us for the Rooted Conference in Chicago October 23-25, 2025.