Here’s a leadership decision that could have a tremendous impact on your parish:
Pay for every member of your staff to make a yearly retreat — and make it an expectation, not an option.
Not as a bonus. Not as a reward for senior staff. As part of how your parish operates.
That may feel bold. Budgets are tight. Parish needs are endless. But if your parish exists to make disciples, and your staff are the ones leading that mission day after day, then investing directly in their life with God is not extra — it’s foundational.
I was reminded of this in a personal way this fall when I went on a beautiful silent retreat in the mountains of Colorado. Work was going well (busy, but not overwhelming), family life was healthy, and overall I was feeling pretty good. The retreat was simply refreshing, restorative, and life-giving.
Many times in the past when I’ve gone on retreat, I was at the end of my rope. I felt thin and ragged. Something in my life was off. My prayer life was suffering, my daily habits were unhealthy, and I needed a serious reset. Sometimes retreat is where God breaks through, brings healing, or calls us to significant change.
But this fall wasn’t that. It was simply time away from the day-to-day to be with God and nourish my relationship with Him. Just like families need vacations and couples need dates, we need consistent time away with God to renew our love for Him. We shouldn’t have to wait until we’re worn down to go on retreat. What if retreats were simply part of our yearly rhythm in ministry?
Priests are expected to take yearly retreats, and most of the pastors we work with follow that expectation faithfully, finding great fruit in it. But what about staff members and ministers who do the work of parish life day in and day out? Are they taking time to retreat and nourish their relationship with God — the source of everything they do? Imagine if retreats weren’t just for priests or teens preparing for Confirmation, but part of your parish culture.
We talk about culture all the time. Culture is the way we do things around here. If you want a culture of discipleship, you need leaders who are living as disciples. Retreats are one of the simplest and most direct ways to foster that culture among your staff and parish leaders.
Our leadership team at Amazing Parish made it a policy this fall to help pay for — and expect — every staff member to take a yearly retreat. That policy prompted me to go on a retreat I otherwise would have skipped. It was during the week. It wasn’t in our family budget. Would it affect my vacation time? Being encouraged and supported made it a no-brainer and removed the hesitation.
If you’re a pastor or a PLT member, what’s keeping you from doing the same?
Is it finances? I get it. This could be a significant budget item depending on your staff size. But imagine the impact! This may be some of the best money you could spend — encouraging the spiritual lives of the people responsible for the daily work of the parish. They need this! Maybe you need to run it by your finance council or find a donor who wants to invest in a culture of discipleship. Or start by encouraging staff to go and allowing them to do so without using vacation time.
Is it not knowing where to send people? There’s no shortage of retreat opportunities for those serving in your parish, wherever they are in their discipleship journey. You don’t have to host something yourself (though that’s an option). Personal retreats foster ownership of one’s spiritual growth and help staff become intentional disciples seeking holiness and mission. Look to local religious orders, diocesan offerings, apostolates like the John Paul II Healing Center, or the Parish Leader track at the Amazing Parish Summit.
Is it that your staff won’t go? Maybe — but have you tried? Some will respond and value it deeply, even if a few resist. Don’t let the resistors determine your culture.
Many pivotal moments in my life as a disciple happened on retreat. I’m blessed to be part of an organization where yearly retreat is part of our culture.
Imagine if every parish had that kind of culture. Imagine the impact on the Church.
Now stop imagining — and make it a reality!
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