How to cost a church weekend away: a simple budget method

Pricing a church weekend away can feel awkward. You want it to be affordable, but the venue still needs paying. A clear method helps you set a fair price, decide how much to subsidise, and avoid an unwelcome surprise after the event.

Step 1: List all your costs

Start with the big items, then work down to the small ones.

Venue: accommodation, hire of meeting rooms, and any deposit
Catering: if it is not included, including drinks and snacks
Speakers and worship: fees, travel and accommodation
Activities: equipment, entry fees, transport
Children's and youth work: materials, extra leaders
Programme and communication: printing, or a digital programme tool
Insurance and any licences: check what your church already holds
Contingency: a buffer for the unexpected

Step 2: Estimate numbers honestly

Venue costs are often per person, or have a minimum number. Check the venue's terms, and work out your cost at a cautious number of attendees as well as your hoped-for one. Not everyone who says they are interested will book.

Step 3: Work out the cost per person

The basic formula is:

Total costs ÷ expected attendees = cost per person

Different ages often pay different amounts, so you may have adult, child and family rates. Work out the total you need to raise across all categories and check that the maths adds up.

Step 4: Build in a contingency

Add a buffer on top of your estimate. Many organisers use somewhere around ten percent, but choose a figure that suits your event and how certain your costs are. If you do not need it, you can use it to reduce next year's price or put it towards a bursary.

Step 5: Decide on subsidies and bursaries

Decide how much, if any, the church will contribute, and whether you will offer help to people who cannot afford the full price. Be discreet. A simple confidential way to ask for help lets people take part without embarrassment.

Worked example (illustrative figures only)

Imagine a weekend for 40 people, with these made-up costs:

Item	Cost
Venue and meals	£6,000
Speaker expenses	£300
Activities and children's materials	£400
Programme and communication	£100
Contingency (about 10%)	£680
Total	£7,480

£7,480 ÷ 40 people = £187 per person. If the church contributes £1,000, the amount to raise falls to £6,480, which is £162 per person. These numbers are only to show the method. Your own costs will differ.

Ways to keep costs down

Compare several venues and ask about off-peak dates
Ask whether self-catering reduces the cost, and whether you have enough volunteer cooks
Use volunteers and church members for worship, speaking and activities where appropriate
Share the programme digitally instead of printing, which saves on both design and print costs

What about the cost of event software?

A digital programme tool should be a small part of the budget. GatherPoint.church is priced per event day, with no subscriptions and no per-attendee fees. See the pricing page for current details. For help planning the rest, read our church weekend away planning guide.

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