If you're anything like most women's ministry leaders I talk to, you're not short on ideas. You're short on time and a clear place to start.
There's a date somewhere in the back of your mind. A rough sense of what you want the weekend to feel like. A dozen browser tabs open. And somewhere in the middle of all that you're supposed to land on a theme, figure out what the weekend costs, decide what to charge, book a venue, and get people to say yes to helping. Most nights it's easier to close the laptop than to work out which of those comes first.
You're not behind. You just need a clearer starting point, and that is the entire job of this kit. You already know these women and what this weekend should do for them. This gives you somewhere to put that.
What's inside the kit
Eleven pages you can print or fill in on screen. Open to page one and start working. There's nothing to figure out before you begin.
The 12-Week Planning Timeline
Two pages that lay out every task week by week, from twelve weeks out through the week after the retreat. Check things off as you go and stop wondering whether you've forgotten something.
The Retreat Budget Worksheet
Every expense category in one place, from venue and food to the ones everyone forgets. It ends with a Set Your Price section that turns your numbers into a registration price you can explain to anyone who asks.
The Interactive Budget Calculator
A live tool linked from inside the kit. Type in your numbers and it shows your break-even price per woman, what you'll have left over at the price you pick, and what changes when you add scholarship spots.
The Theme Decision Worksheet
Four steps that move you from what your women actually need right now to a theme, an anchor verse, and three tests that tell you it's the right one. If your idea doesn't pass, a quiz matches you to one that fits.
Your First Planning Meeting Agenda
A one-hour agenda built around four decisions. Print it, hand it out, and walk out of that meeting with the weekend's direction settled instead of scheduling another meeting.
Team Roles and Venue Questions
Five roles that cover everything a retreat actually needs, with a note on how they stretch for a bigger team. Plus the questions to ask a venue before you sign anything.
Plus a bonus: 10 Fall Retreat Theme Starters
A separate one-page PDF with ten fall theme ideas, each with an anchor verse, so you have somewhere to start if nothing has come to mind yet.
Where this fits
Every resource I make is built on the same four steps. I call it the Purpose to Plan Path.
Discover the Direction
Settle what God is asking you to do for these women and what Scripture will carry it, then set the date, the venue, and the budget that make it possible.
Choose What Fits
Pick the sessions, activities, and pieces that match your group, your timeline, and your setting.
Shape the Gathering
Arrange the pieces so Scripture, message, activities, and take-home items all point the same direction.
Prepare to Lead
Handle the practical details and your own heart, so you arrive calm, prepared, and present.
The Quick-Start Kit is Step 1. It's where almost everyone stalls, and it's the one that makes all three steps after it easier.
Get the Retreat Quick-Start Kit
One time. Yours to keep.
- 11-page Retreat Quick-Start Kit (PDF)
- Interactive budget calculator
- Find Your Retreat Theme quiz
- 10 Fall Retreat Theme Starters bonus
Delivered right after checkout. Print it as many times as you need.
What ministry leaders say
Notes from women who used Loving Christ Ministries resources to plan their own retreats.
"We had our amazing retreat Something Beautiful on the weekend. It really was beautiful in every way. Thanks again for all your inspiration and sharing your great ideas that help spread the Good News! I think the ladies are already wondering what we can have next year!"
Christine P."Just wanted to let you know that our retreat has come and gone. It was wonderful. God blessed us so much. Thank you for your material. It was a great help."
Linda W."I want you to know how grateful I am for your incredible resources. I use them often. It is a blessing and so many women have encountered Jesus through your programs."
LauraHi, I'm Julie
I started leading women's ministry in 2006, serving in roles like president and spiritual growth leader, and I organized and led retreats for my own community long before I ever made a resource for anyone else.
I founded Loving Christ Ministries in 2012, and since then I've created more than 30 printable retreat theme bundles used by churches and ministry leaders across the country.
The question I hear more than any other isn't about themes or budgets or how to fill a weekend. It's some version of, I know we need to do this, but where do I even start?
I hear it from women who have been leading for years and from women planning their very first retreat. It has nothing to do with how much they care or how many ideas they have. They just need somewhere to begin.
So I made one. It's the thing I wish someone had handed me before my first retreat. You don't have to do this the hard way to do it well.
Common questions
What do I get, and how do I get it?
An 11-page PDF plus the one-page Fall Theme Starters bonus, delivered right after checkout. Print the pages or fill them in on screen. The budget calculator opens in any browser on a phone or a computer, so there's no software to install.
Is this only for fall retreats?
No. The kit works for any season, any time of year. The Fall Theme Starters bonus is the only piece tied to a season, and it's a separate PDF you can set aside if you're planning for spring.
I've never planned a retreat before. Is this too advanced?
It's built for a first-time planner. The timeline tells you what to do each week, the meeting agenda gives you the words to run your first meeting, and the venue checklist gives you the questions to ask.
I already have my theme. Is the kit still worth it?
Yes. Skip the theme worksheet and use the rest. The timeline, budget worksheet, calculator, meeting agenda, team roles, and venue checklist are all still ahead of you.
How is this different from your free Retreat Planning Starter Guide?
The free guide gives you the overview of how retreat planning works. The Quick-Start Kit gives you the worksheets, the week-by-week timeline, and the calculator you actually fill in.
Start with something solid instead of a blank page
Stop circling the first step. The Retreat Quick-Start Kit, the budget calculator, the theme quiz, and the fall bonus, for $7.
Get the Quick-Start Kit