Women’s Retreat Workshop Ideas

As women retreat together, they hope to return refreshed and encouraged in their relationships with God and with one another. Retreat workshops provide content with a desired takeaway, such as learning a new skill or strengthening a Christian principle. A workshop can also give women an action plan to help them follow through on what they’ve learned.

Some workshop topics may relate to the main theme of the retreat. As you choose workshops, consider the varied needs of the women God is bringing to your upcoming retreat. Workshops fall into three main categories: Christian workshop ideas, content and skill-focused ideas, and relationship-focused workshop ideas. Keep in mind the principles from this article’s final section, Keys to Picking the Right Women’s Workshop Ideas, as you finalize workshop choices.

Christian Workshop Ideas

Seasons of the Christian Woman’s Life:

Courtney Garrett, founder of 101 Christianity and former Women’s Ministry Director at Grace Bible Church in Houston, Texas, suggests breakout sessions with Bible principles and encouragement for seasons of life: single women, mothers of littles, working women, and seasoned women.

Sweet and Simple Daily Devotions

Leaders share practical ideas for short, simple times with God.

SPEC method: In the Bible passage, look for a Sin to confess, a Promise to claim, and an Example or Command to follow.
Discovery approach: What do I learn about God? What do I learn about people? What change will I make in my life because of this passage?
Calendar method: Use days of the week or month for different aspects of prayer or worship, such as hymns on Mondays, prayer for missionaries on Tuesdays.

Prayer Workshop

Leaders pray with women in small groups about retreat themes, personal needs and other topics and kinds of prayer. Another idea is to set aside a prayer room that’s open during the retreat weekend.

Content and Skill Focused Workshop Ideas

Simple Meal Prep on a Budget

Enlist qualified women to share helpful principles along with 3 sample meals, including grocery lists and recipes. Include gluten-free and dairy-free options if they fit the needs of your group.

How to Write a Life Chapter

Women use Sacred Story’s article, Write Your Story in 3 Simple Steps, to begin crafting a story of God’s faithfulness in their lives.

How to Turn Your Hobbies into Outreach

One or two women share stories and brainstorm ideas of how women have developed friendships with women who didn’t share their faith. Maybe they started a book club or joined a knitting group. Women choose a hobby and action point and pray together for God’s help.

Relationship Focused Workshop Ideas

Marriage First Aid

Regardless of the faith and maturity of the women at a retreat, marriages always need work, and sometimes they’re bleeding out. Invite an experienced marriage counselor to present practical principles to improve marriage, such as The Gottman Institute’s Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.

Being a Good Friend

A leader shares Bible principles on listening, asking good questions, and intentional time together. Participants role play principles discussed.

Parenting Stubborn Children

An experienced parent, or a professional with positive experience in managing a classroom, educating children at home, or serving as a children’s counselor or ministry director, leads this workshop. Place emphasis on gracious (rather than I-have-all-the-answers) suggestions and time to pray in small groups for difficult parenting situations.

Keys to Picking the Right Women’s Retreat Workshops

Align with the Speaker and Theme

If you have already engaged a speaker for the retreat, ask the speaker if her content ties in effectively with certain retreat themes and workshop ideas, advises Nancy Abbott, YMCA Chaplain in San Antonio, Texas, and former church women’s ministry director. A retreat speaker may have practical outcomes in mind that can best be accomplished through follow-up workshops.

Provide for Introverts and Extroverts

Workshops should incorporate enough variety to address different personality and learning styles so women can pick their best environment, advises Michele Moore, former Director of Women’s and Marriage Ministries, Christ Community Church, Idaho Falls, Idaho.

Something that keeps coming to mind, in a sermon series, in the lives of women in the church body, or even in the personal Bible study of the women’s ministry leader—may indicate a workshop or whole retreat theme.

God has brought you to your position as retreat planner, whether you’re paid or volunteer, for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). As you select the workshops for women’s retreats, God will lead you. Meet women where they’re at. Help them walk away refreshed, with new skills and the ideas and excitement to put these into action.