As you plan your upcoming retreat, deciding on a theme is an essential early step. Women’s ministry retreat themes have a domino effect on the speaker, workshops and activities. A theme may even impact decorations and extras, like treat bags or door prizes. Themes for a women’s retreat vary greatly, so targeting just the right theme will help the rest of your retreat planning fall into place.

Women’s Retreat Themes

Your upcoming retreat theme has infinite possibilities. Here are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing.

Hard Conversations:

Wycliffe missionary Leslie Radke shares how her church in Dallas, Texas, found their theme for a 2021 women’s retreat. The Art of Hard Conversations: Biblical Tools for the Tough Talks That Matter, by Lori Roeleveld, inspired the retreat theme. The book includes funny personal stories, Biblical principles and conversation tips to practice. The tips for practice could be reinforced in retreat workshops.

Balancing Life: Resting in Christ

Most women struggle to manage all the components of their schedules. The Bible speaks to women about managing their time and opportunities. Women also need to discern when to eliminate items from to-do lists so they can find rest in Christ and focus on what matters most. Balancing life is a retreat theme many twenty-first century women need desperately.

If Only and What If?

This retreat theme is based on Mark Batterson’s short book, If:Trading Your If Only Regrets for God’s What If Possibilities. Accompanying videos and a study guide suitable for workshop discussions are also available. Batterson builds his premise around the “if God” statements in Romans 8, such as “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Women at a retreat have imagined how God could work in seemingly impossible situations in their lives.

One-day Women’s Retreat Themes

Sometimes women’s ministry leaders plan one-day retreats in town to minimize costs and accommodate more women. The following themes can be easily developed for one-day retreats.

Seasons of Womanhood

Women compare seasons of the year to seasons of their lives, such as building a career, raising a family, and mentoring others. The morning portion of the retreat groups women in similar seasons to discuss their current advantages and difficulties with a Biblical perspective. Afternoon activities and the final session are designed to mix women from different seasons into small groups to seek ways to support one another.

Sacred Story

Sacred Story Ministries offers one-day or weekend retreats to help women connect with one another over personal stories. Videos or a live speaker guide each woman in writing or recording a chapter from her life that shows God’s faithfulness. Retreat attendees also benefit from professional editing of their stories after the retreat for a final polished result.

Explaining Your Hope

A retreat theme built around the evidence and reasons for the Christian faith can help women graciously answer the objections they encounter to Biblical Christianity. Retreat speakers and planners can draw from a resource such as Why Trust the Bible? by Greg Gilbert. Morning sessions focus on common objections to Biblical faith and their responses. Afternoon sessions focus on small-group discussion and role-play conversations.

How do I choose a retreat theme?

Seek God

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain,” Psalm 127:1 tells us. “Start by asking the Lord what he has for the women during the retreat,” says Traci Martin, Director of Engagement at the Network of Evangelical Women in Ministry.

Listen to Women

Women leading in women’s ministry can ask, What questions and issues have women been raising? What problems have they been sharing?

“The retreat should help them experience Jesus in a meaningful way—through a physical, emotional, or spiritual need,” shares Martin. Women’s ministry leaders can also survey women to ask what Bible passage or book they would like to explore further.

Consider the Moment

What is God already doing in your women’s ministry? Kari Stainback, Women’s Ministry Director at Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas, likes to expand on the women’s ministry theme of the year at the retreat. Another approach is to look at how the struggles of the culture are impacting women in the church. Or tag onto the current Bible teaching topic of your entire church body.

Ask Women You Respect

Missy Edgmon, Women’s Minister at First Colony Church of Christ in Sugarland, Texas, brings up what she calls “baby ideas” to her women’s ministry team. Then the team develops those ideas together through discussion.

Work with the Speaker

If your retreat speaker has already prepared a message series, ask her for guidance on coordinating a theme that matches.

What if you don’t have a speaker yet? Look around you! You can help one or several women in your church body develop and exercise their gifts of teaching at the retreat around a central theme. Dr. Sandra Glahn, Professor of Media Arts & Worship at Dallas Theological Seminary, agrees:

“[A retreat] is the biggest chance most women leaders have in the church to help sisters use and develop their gifts—especially those with speaking and teaching gifts who often have zero other outlets,” Dr. Glahn explains.

From your first prayers for wisdom to the final details, you can choose a retreat theme that’s the right focus for your gathering. As you brainstorm ideas with a women’s ministry team and walk through all the details, you’ll find the right theme for your weekend or one-day retreat.

Read more here about Christian women’s retreat ideas.