your rest playbook for 2025

Yes, January is indeed just another month. But the beginning of the year offers an opportunity to evaluate our lives and make some changes. Habits and rhythms subconsciously dictate most of our lives. Don’t try to rest on the fly, it won’t happen. Read on…

In Today’s Email

1. Habits for Rest in 2025

2. Lock in Retreat 2025!

3. Ortberg on a “Well” Soul

Habits for Rest in 2025

As we have mentioned in previous newsletters, there are two main types of rest we all need - rest from ministry and rest in ministry. We need rhythms for stepping back to breathe and rhythms for helping us keep our identities properly rooted in Christ.

Without these rhythms, we risk being driven by whatever feels most urgent, swayed by the opinions of others, and defined by the performance of ourselves and our teams.

Try incorporating these into your regular rhythms this year! Cheers to a restful 2025!

Weekend Off Every 4-6 Weeks

Reality Check: you are not a machine. Leading worship 48-50 weekends per year is rarely sustainable. If you have agreed to this, it might be worth revisiting in a respectful conversation with leadership to see if there is another possible arrangement.

The biggest obstacle for a worship leader taking more weekends off is often the lack of someone to fill in for them. For some of you, it may take time to raise up or identify someone in your congregation. BUT - this will be worth all of the effort!

The more work you can do to ensure the weekend will go off without a hitch the easier it will be to take regular weekends off.

Observe a Sabbath

This rhythm often feels so difficult for those in ministry for two reasons: one, most people’s sabbath is our biggest work day each week. Two, the day before Sunday we typically spend thinking about the service. The day after we are either exhausted or we are processing what went well and what didn’t.

But we can’t afford to not figure this rhythm out for ourselves. We are not above it. We desperately need it.

It’s helpful to define Sabbath as a 24-hour period in which we not only stop our work, but we rest, worship, and enjoy God’s good gifts to us. 

Establishing this rhythm will take time. It will take trial and error. Bring your family into it. Find what works. This rhythm helps you pause, remember that you are not a cog in wheel but a child of God. It helps you anticipate the ultimate rest that awaits all of us.

Life-Giving List

Speaking of enjoying God’s good gifts to us… creating a life-giving list is our favorite way to do this.

For all of this talk of taking time off, we often waste it. The benefits of this time “off of work” don’t get taken advantage of simply because we don’t know what to do with the time. God has given you good gifts that He wants you to enjoy. They often come in the form of people, places, and things that give you life.

As Steve Cuss would say, they are things that “make you feel like a kid again.”  If we haven’t identified those things in our lives, we won’t make the time to enjoy them. 

Listen to Steve talk about the life-giving list here.

Keep a Record (Journal)

Journaling isn’t for everyone. However, it’s a helpful discipline because it forces you to stop and think about your day more than you normally would. It’s a built-in opportunity to make sure you don’t miss what God is doing in your life and what He is saying to you.

We often have a difficult time discerning what the Lord is doing because our pace of life doesn’t allow us to stay present to a moment, let alone reflect long enough on ones that have passed.

Pray (Morning & Evening)

Morning and evening prayers have marked the lives of believers for centuries. These prayer rhythms (among others) shaped Jesus’ earthly life.

In the morning, we have an opportunity to lay our hopes, fears, dreams, and worries before the Lord. We are able to proactively ask for help as we enter this new day that requires so much of us.

In the evening, we have an opportunity to reflect on the day that has passed. Where did we see God moving? Where did we recognize His goodness? Where did we sin and fall short? We remember His grace for today and His grace for tomorrow.

For guided morning and evening prayer, we recommend this resource: Lectio 365

Take All of Your Vacation

As a ministry leader, incorporating extended time off into your rhythm is essential for your well-being and effectiveness. A vacation isn't just a break—it’s an opportunity to retreat, recharge, and be renewed.

Yet, too often, these moments of rest are overshadowed by a sense of guilt for momentarily stepping away from a church that “really needs you.” The truth is, you are invaluable to your community, and that’s precisely why taking a longer break—more than just a weekend—at least once a year is crucial.

This practice serves as a reminder that the weight of ministry doesn’t rest solely on your shoulders, and it provides you with a vital space to reconnect with God’s calling on your life.

Retreat (With us in Southern CA!!!)

We believe that taking 3 nights of your year to get away (with your spouse if you’re married) to rest, be renewed, and be recharged for another year of ministry is beneficial to your longevity.

Different from a vacation, this retreat is full of Gospel-centered encouragement, like-minded leaders, and plenty of quiet space to reflect. Come be with your spouse. Give Jesus all your attention - we’ll take care of all the rest!

Lock In Retreat 2025!

Get Retreat On Your Calendar!

September 22-25, 2025

Forest Falls, CA

REGISTER TODAY!

*Pro Tip: lots of churches will cover the cost for their worship leader! We’d love to provide any info that would be helpful for you and your church to make it happen!

Ortberg on a “Well” Soul

Join our community!

• Gatherings - Looking to connect with other leaders? Come to our free monthly hangs with local leaders in select US cities or join us quarterly online!

• One on One - Looking to process your ministry, your faith, or your challenges with a third-party you can trust? Set up a meeting with a member of our team.

• Vocal Coaching - Feeling stuck or discouraged vocally? We offer professional in-house voice coaching specifically to worship leaders. Best part? We raise funds so we can give you a BIG discount. Schedule a consultation with our team!