European Church Planting Retreat

Go. Connect. Grow.

The church is changing in North America and across the globe–and there is a lot we can learn from the European Church as they navigate a growing church in a post-Christian culture. European Church Planting Week is an opportunity for North Americans to engage with European church planters–to connect with and learn from each other. The week consists of a travel element within Europe to see first-hand how the church is growing in different contexts and a retreat space to process group experiences together.

This trip is for anyone interested in mission, church planting, and experiencing God in a new place. Scholarships may be available for participants age 27 and younger.

What to expect: 

During this experience, participants will spend time with smaller groups in context with church planters in various locations across Europe. All participants will then join together for a few days a retreat in the Netherlands to process our experiences and reflect on how the changing reality of the church in Europe can teach North American Christians.

Tirana, Albania

This is a developing church plant initiative. See what it looks like to start fresh.

Retreat Details: 

The retreat in the Netherlands will take place at the Emmaus Reflection Centre in Helvoirt, Netherlands. This is a rural retreat center where we will spend time sharing stories and reflecting on our experiences. 

All North American participants will fly to Europe on overnight flights departing on May 21, 2026. The exception is those traveling to Vulcan, Romania. This team will depart on May 20, due to extra travel time needed to get to this location. Participants will return to North America on May 28, 2026, from Amsterdam Schipol Airport.

While we will spend time in context with our European church planters, this experience is not intended to be a tour of Europe. If you desire to see more tourist attractions or spend additional time traveling around Europe before or after the retreat, we would be happy to help you consider affordable ways to do so. If you are planning to travel in Europe before or after our shared experience, please let us know so that we can arrange group travel appropriately. You can contact Stephanie at  ssoderstrom@rca.org for more information. 

Cost: 

• Full registration cost (including flights to/from North America) $3000.00
• Europe only costs (not including flights to/from North America) $1800.00

Registration Deadline: March 19, 2026