Heart of the Artist Retreats

Retreat Booking Form

General information
     Today more and more artists are getting involved in the local church, and God is using artists to bring creativity and innovation to church services in very exciting ways. However, the hectic pace of ministry and the relentless pressure to produce services week after week can eventually take its toll on any team of artists. The two things that suffer most at this point are spiritual formation and authentic community. Instead of experiencing spiritual growth, artists become spiritually dry. Instead of enjoying deep spiritual friendships, team members begin to feel alienated and alone. Even the best team leaders, many of whom are already overworked and understaffed, face a daunting task in trying to keep up with the spiritual needs of all their team members.
     Heart of the Artist Retreats are designed to meet that need. These weekend retreats are led by Rory Noland, author of The Heart of the Artist, Thriving as an Artist in the Church, and The Worshiping Artist, and are specifically designed to meet the spiritual and community needs of your team. The goal of each retreat is to help artists connect with God and with each other. This is accomplished through a highly effective mix of biblical teaching, solitude, and times of community. Rory will also provide a crash course for your key leaders on leading artists and will demonstrate how to make rehearsals more than just an artistic experience. This is the ultimate retreat for artists---a great investment in the future of your team!

What topics are covered on this retreat?
     Among the topics covered are:

• Guidelines for Authentic Community
• Servanthood vs. Stardom
• Excellence vs. Perfectionism
• How to Resolve Relational Conflict
• The Artist and Solitude
• The Power of the Arts
• How to Keep Your Passion Alive

What do I need to do to host a retreat?
     All you have to do is book the dates with Rory (see "Booking Information" below), reserve a facility (e.g. your church, local retreat center, conference facility, or hotel) and get your team there.

What does a Heart of the Artist Retreat cost?
From a one-day retreat to a full weekend retreat, there are now eight options to choose from:

• Option #1: a 3-day retreat.
  Beginning on a Friday night and ending at noon on Sunday, this is the ideal option because it offers your artists the fullest experience and maximum impact. The price is $3,000 plus expenses.
• Option #2: a 2-day Friday to Saturday night retreat.
  Beginning on Friday night and ending Saturday at 8:00PM, this option enables those artists who have to participate in Sunday services the next day most of the benefits of the 3-day retreat. The fee for this option is $2,800 plus expenses.
• Option #3: a 2-day Friday to Saturday afternoon retreat. Beginning on Friday night and ending at 4:00 on Saturday afternoon, this is an abbreviated form of the 3-day experience, but still highly effective. The fee for this option is $2,300 plus expenses.
• Option #4: a 1-day retreat.
  With this option, Rory flies in Friday night and leads a retreat on Saturday from 9:00AM to 4:00PM. The fee is $2,000 plus expenses.
• Option #5: a 2-day retreat/consulting package.
  This option combines the Friday night to Saturday afternoon retreat with up to 4 hours of consulting and/or mentoring, the fee being $2,750 plus expenses. Consulting could include problem solving ministry issues, critiquing a church service, meeting with your leaders, etc.
• Option #6: a 2-day retreat/Sunday teaching package.
  With this option, Rory leads a Friday night/Saturday retreat and then teaches at your Sunday morning church service. Fee is $3,000 plus expenses.
• Option #7: a 1-day retreat/consulting package.
  This plan combines a Saturday retreat with up to 4 hours of consulting and/or mentoring. Fee is $2,500 plus expenses.
• Option #8: a 1-day retreat/Sunday morning teaching package.
  With this option, Rory leads a Saturday retreat and teaches at your Sunday morning church service. Fee is $3,000 plus expenses.

Would it be appropriate to charge my team members a fee to recoup some of the expenses involved in bringing Rory to our church?
     Generally speaking, yes, it is appropriate to charge your team members a fee to help pay for this retreat. Even if a church is financially capable of footing the bill completely, it’s always a good idea to charge people something, even if it’s a nominal fee. People tend to be more committed to something if they’re investing time and money into it. This will also make anyone think twice about canceling on you at the last minute. If there are those on the team who can’t afford even a nominal fee, you might want to see if the church or someone else on the team would be willing to sponsor them. Some churches working with smaller budgets may opt for partnering with another church in their area in order to cover the costs.

Should I choose the Heart of the Artist Retreat or the Worshiping Artist Retreat?
     While both events will help your artists connect with God and with each other, the Heart of the Artist Retreat explores character issues that are foundational for every church artist. The Worshiping Artist Retreat seeks to impart a deeper understanding of worship, especially in the life of the artist. While there are no hard and fast rules concerning selection, one logical approach would be to start with a Heart of the Artist Retreat first, followed by a Worshiping Artist Retreat the following year.

Booking information
     To book a retreat, fill out the Retreat Booking form, and you will be contacted shortly thereafter with more information.