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Discovery Retreat
Farmhouse discernment retreats are grounded in the practice of prayer, both as a group and as individuals. This helps us to discern the leading of Holy Spirit in our discussions, grounds us in the Scriptures, and unites us in common prayer. We also emphasize the sharing of meals and free time together, which helps to bind us together and further develop the relationships that already exist among your group. Third, we use a formal evaluative process to help us clearly isolate some key issues facing your community and to begin the process of creating positive solutions to some of the challenges facing the church. The format for our Discovery Retreats comes from material that was originally developed two decades ago at the Chicago Center for Urban Mission. We have been using and refining this process of format at The Farmhouse for a wide range of groups over the past fifteen years and have seen positive developments in addressing issues facing each of these groups. It is a tool that is designed to clearly reveal what is currently happening in a given community and why it is happening, to help discover areas of conflicting values or emphases, and to help shape future action. We believe that a church or organization already has all the necessary resources available through its existing leaders and structures to succeed in the tasks to which God has called it. Our goal in this retreat format is to facilitate discussion that will help you to clearly identify areas where these leaders may be better equipped and the organizational structures improved through the strengths and giftedness that God has already provided. Our time together will jump start your organization with creative solutions to address vexing issues. The central component to this evaluative process will be a case study of your community, which you will write with our assistance, and which we will revise after a thorough review of other relevant documents and interviews. The case study will be purposefully written to not provide solutions prior to the retreat or to limit possible solutions, but to clearly state relevant details about the life of the church, the situation it is in, and the choices that it now faces. For more information on this type of retreat, please contact us with your inquiries.
Contact our office: The Farmhouse Mission, Inc. 3191 N Co Rd 300 E Orleans, IN 47452 812-865-4549 E-mail us here