Spiritual Burnout of pastors is a genuine concern for churches.
The Shepherd’s Rest provides the resources necessary for a pastor to take a brief sabbatical (up to four Sundays) with the assurance that the church where he serves will have pastoral oversight. This ministry, which is provided at little or no cost to the church, offers:
- An opportunity for an extended time of leave to pastors, regardless of church size.
- An extended and uninterrupted time for a pastor to rest, study, pray, and refocus his ministry.
- Experienced pastoral leadership for the church during the sabbatical.
- A plan that adds little or no financial burden to the church.
- An avenue of cooperation between churches, associations, and Louisiana Baptists.
The Shepherd’s Rest is guided by these principles:
- The pastor must have been at his present church for at least three (3) years and commits to spend the time away wisely to pursue personal revitalization.
- The church commits to pray for their pastor, to provide full compensation to the pastor during the sabbatical period, and not to have a business meeting during the sabbatical period.
- The pastoral leadership team commits to enlist a sabbatical pastor who will provide pastoral leadership during the sabbatical and to enlist preachers to fill the pulpit.
- Cooperation – to emphasize the benefits of cooperation, a Cooperative Program presentation will be made at some point during the sabbatical ministry.
- Remuneration – the sabbatical pastor and preachers commit to serve the church without expectation of remuneration from the church.
For more information email Ray Swift, or call the Pastoral Leadership Team at 318.449.4292.
Want to know more?
Fill out the form below to begin a conversation with our Pastoral Director concerning the Shepherd’s Rest program.
