Sean Nemecek's Blog

Outreach Magazine’s 2024 Leadership Resource of the Year

From the Article:
Evaluated by A.J. Swoboda, an associate professor of Bible and theology at Bushnell University; lead mentor for the Doctor of Ministry program on spiritual formation and soul care at Friends University; and the award-winning author of Subversive Sabbath.

In this book, readers are introduced to a treasure trove of biblical, theological and practi...

Are you feeling stuck about an important decision? It’s common for pastors and other leaders to have trouble deciding their way forward from time to time. You may be stuck between good options or may not see any options at all. You may be trapped in overthinking or risk aversion and need help to shake loose. Perhaps you are just having trouble noticing God’s leading in your life or figuring out his will for you. A discernment community can help.

A discernment community is a small group of w...

Are you looking for a quiet place for renewal, reflection, or sabbatical? There’s a relaxing and serene spot just outside Bannister, Michigan called The Richard Bush Renewal Center. I had the privilege of touring the facility a couple of weeks ago. I wish this place had been available years ago when I was recovering from burnout. It’s a wonderful place to rest.

Their mission is to provide a sacred space where God can accomplish growth and healing in the body of Christ. They believe that retre...

My new book, The Weary Leader’s Guide to Burnout will release on March 28! You can now preorder the book and claim your pre-order bonuses at wearyleadersguide.com If you would like to begin reading now, join my book launch team.

If the button above doesn’t work copy and paste this link into your browser: http://eepurl.com/il16dg

If you join the launch team, you will be part of a community of leaders who are learning together....

Planning a sabbatical requires forethought about what will make this time a refreshing and fulfilling experience. Without planning, your sabbatical will be wasted as you will end up bored, distracted, and, most importantly, it will not be an investment in future ministry. A sabbatical should be a time of rest and reflection in God’s presence for the purpose of recovering from past ministry wounds, recharging for future ministry, and reimagining sustainable rhythms of rest and work.

In a previ...

Are you having trouble finding focus? Do you feel distracted, anxious, or stressed? Christian mindfulness can help. This simply noticing what is happening in and around you in God’s presence. There is nothing new age or dangerous about this. In fact, you may find healing and a closer relationship with God and others as a result of practicing mindfulness.

I want to introduce you to a mindfulness practice that I use regularly called BEATS. I like to use it whenever I am feeling stressed or need fo...

Sabbaticals are good for your church not just your pastor. In previous articles I’ve written about the biblical foundations for a sabbatical, why sabbaticals are good for your pastor, and some of the common objections to sabbaticals. In this article, I want to show how a healthy sabbatical for your pastor is also a blessing to the church.

The author of Hebrews lays out the core principle for The Pastor’s Soul and for why you should want to bless your pastor. A healthy, joyful pastor is better...

A sabbatical is more than rest from your work, it’s a time of refocusing and reinvestment in your life with Christ. Many pastors take a sabbatical without any goals and they don’t make any changes. When they return to work, they continue to experience the same problems. In just a few weeks, the benefits of their sabbatical are gone and the stress has returned. There’s a better way. In this article I want to share several goals you may want to adopt for your sabbatical. By focusing on these thing...

In my work with PIR Ministries I’ve helped several churches plan a sabbatical for their pastor. As a church develops its first sabbatical policy, someone usually objects saying, “Sabbaticals aren’t biblical!” Whenever someone says “that’s not biblical” I cringe. Many times they use the bible to control others and aren’t truly interested in knowing the biblical basis for what they are opposing. So, in this article I don’t want to convince the objectors but to comfort those disturbed by their effo...