Healthy Leaders, Healthy Churches, Healthy Lives (Ministry Wives Retreat 2026)

Back in March, I decided to set myself the NHS Couch to 5K challenge in a bid to get out the house, do some exercise and try to be healthier! I had given myself my own little health check and decided that things needed to change.

There are probably many areas of our lives that need a regular health check in order to see how things are going and, where needed, to put changes in place to keep us on the right track.

I find that taking time out as a ministry wife and giving my church life and spiritual life a health check can be tricky, but the Ministry Wives Retreat has been a yearly pause in all the busyness of life to do exactly that. This was my fourth time going, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Three health checks

This year, Sarah Dargue (a ministry wife herself and the co-host of the Bible study podcast two sisters & a cup of tea) helpfully and clearly took us through the book of Titus and, with each chapter, pointed us to what it means to have healthy leaders, healthy churches, and healthy lives. 

When considering healthy leaders, we looked at what our husbands and other leaders in our churches are called to be like. Sarah implored us to be praying for them, building them up, and pointing them to be more like Christ and the leaders he has called them to be.

For healthy churches, Titus so helpfully lays out a beautiful image of a healthy church. It is a community where people are teaching and building each other up, encouraging Christ-like living for all.

Lastly, Sarah encouraged and challenged us in our own spiritual walks, asking us to give ourselves that spiritual health check to see how we are doing in our Christian lives. 

Being fed from God’s word, with specific application to me as a ministry wife, is one of the main reasons I go to the retreat.

Time to share

In addition to listening (uninterrupted!) to God’s word being explained, there is also the opportunity to chat in smaller groups.

These smaller groups give time for discussion and more specific application to each unique church context, as well as giving time to share the joys, struggles, and sorrows of ministry life with others who really do get it!

I have been both encouraged and challenged during these times of sharing and hearing how God is working up and down the country is one of my favourite parts of the retreat.

A retreat for you

Another favourite part of the retreat is that it really is a retreat!

Set in the peaceful grounds of The Hayes, there is ample time to relax and benefit from the retreat in a way that suits you.

We are each unique and so this could mean anything from a walk (or run!), a nap, painting, reading, crocheting, or just having a hot cup of coffee and chatting with friends - both familiar and new! Much thought has been put into the programme to allow for this valuable and rare time that many of us would often struggle to fit into our normal day-to-day life.

Why come?

So, if you are thinking about coming next year – please do!

Come and step out of ministry life, just for a few moments, to rest, be encouraged, and be fed from God’s word, surrounded by others who are also journeying alongside their husbands in ministry life. 

Each life and circumstance is unique, but we each strive to be spiritually healthy, seeking to support our husbands to be healthy leaders, and to be integral parts of helping our church families to be healthy churches.

The 2027 Ministry WIves Retreat takes place from Wednesday 19 - Friday 21 May at The Hayes in Derbyshire.