The Complete Leader’s Guide to Christian Retreats
Rachel Gilmore
Judson Press, 2009, 159 pp., $17.00, JudsonPress.com
The Complete Leader’s Guide to Christian Retreats lays out every step of the retreat process. If you are a novice retreat leader, the basics of retreating are covered: Why retreat? How do I secure a location? What do we do? Gilmore walks the reader through each step, from building a retreat team, advertising and executing the retreat.
Though the plentiful examples overlap a fair amount, they also present creative ideas for various age groups and populations. Additionally, the examples act as guidelines on the ebb and flow necessary to create good retreat experiences.
The writing is textbook style, and a seasoned retreat leader will not need to read the whole book; specific examples and retreat resources will suffice. The Complete Leader’s Guide to Christian Retreats provides confidence to the novice retreat leader but may not be necessary to the seasoned leader.
