Does your pastor seems distant? 

Is your pastor really connected with the people in the congregation?

Do you remember the last time your pastor took some extended time away for personal refreshment? 

Do you see a hard working pastor, or the work of God in your pastor?

A pastor’s work is unique in many ways in that almost all of their work deals with people they love.  They feel a calling to care, shepherd, and teach those people as Christ would.  This is not a job.  This is not a career.  This is a passion.  This is a lifestyle that has a pastor crying over the death of a member’s relative in the morning, then helping a young couple plan their wedding in the afternoon, and then dealing with his children in an understanding way in the evening.  This leads to a very difficult balance in a pastor’s life between keeping himself and his family healthy and keeping his congregation healthy.

We, at En Gedi Retreat, believe that the best place for a pastor to shepherd from a place of rest.

The decisions, words, and actions of a pastor have a lifelong impact on many of the people they are in contact with.  These interactions are best facilitated when a pastor is healthy, his spouse is healthy, his children are healthy, and he is rested.

You want a very well-rested pastor.

You want a pastor who doesn’t always seem like he has it together, you want a pastor who has allowed God to put him together.  The difference is easy to see in him, his spouse, and the fruit he bears.  A well-rested pastor means that a church needs to ensure their pastor is taking regular, short and extended, periods of time away from the congregation.  The church needs to ensure there are plenty of capable fill-in preachers and leaders during the pastor’s absence.  The church needs a solid understanding of the limits of their own pastor, and is wise to help him stay well within those limits.

A pastor asking, needing, and wanting time away from his congregation does not mean he doesn’t love you.  It means he does love you.  It means he loves Jesus more than you.  It means he knows that his ability to love you must come from a cup that is filled by Christ alone.  It means he understands his own limits and giftings well enough to say “no” to those things he is not ready or capable to lead.  It means he is not trying to build people around his kingdom, but around God’s Kingdom.

It means he is human.

It means he needs you, just like you need him.

We, at En Gedi Retreat, are passionate about seeing your pastor serve from a well-rested and healthy place.

If you need help assisting your pastor in taking regular time away please feel free to contact us.

En Gedi Retreat does not “ask” churches to give to our mission.  We realize that asking pastors to ask their churches to support us can sometimes be awkward.  However, if a church chooses to support us through their missions budget we consider that a true blessing.  We do engage churches to support our international efforts, like the one we are trying to build in Thailand.  If your church is interested in partnering with us to expand the Kingdom please contact us.  Also, if you are a member of a church and would like your pastor to receive a personal invite to En Gedi Retreat please let us know as well.