Vacation Resources for Cash-Strapped, Weary Pastors

Pastor, summer is drawing to a close. Do you feel like everyone can afford a vacation but you?

All pastors need rest and vacation. And the pastors who need them most—pastors of struggling congregations and church plants—often can afford it least. When your church is struggling financially, it means pastors and their families are struggling too. But lack of rest can lead to burnout and inability to adequately lead a struggling or new congregation. It feels like a catch-22; you need to get rest, but you can’t envision a plan in which you could actually get it.

Sometimes even when pastors manage to get away from their ministries for a short time, there's an expectation that they never be truly “off the clock” or away. Pastor’s son Jeff Cavanaugh writes:

“The best thing I can think of that pastors can do to ensure they can take restful time off is to cultivate other pastors/elders in their church, cultivate trust in those other pastors among the congregation, and let the congregation see that they really share with you the burden of shepherding and caring for the flock. If you're the only person that you or they trust to care for them, they're going to expect you to be there when Miss Bettie goes into the hospital, even if it means cutting short your vacation hundreds of miles away.”

In the midst of barriers to gaining times of rest and refreshment, finances need not be added to the impediments.

In the midst of barriers to gaining times of rest and refreshment, finances need not be added to the impediments. Here are some family-specific tips on how ministers can afford rest and vacation on a tight budget.

1. Search for deals for pastors and their families.

Oftentimes, Christian conference centers have reduced rates for pastors and their families. Ridgecrest Conference Center (Asheville, North Carolina) provides a very affordable rate of $49/night for those in full-time ministry and families. Church researcher Ed Stetzer lists a number of retreat centers and ministries that offer free or reduced rates for ministry families.

In addition, many church camps provide free or reduced-rate stays for pastors and their families. Sometimes, during summer camp seasons, pastors are asked to volunteer during the week (leading worship services or the like), but other camps allow ministry families the use of their facilities inexpensively or even free with no ministry duties required in return. This latter option is particularly true of off-peak season usage.

Another little-known resource for pastors and spouses in particular are retreat centers that specialize in providing rest and restoration to ministry couples. Some of these facilities even offer counseling ministries. Some centers allow children and some do not, so be sure to check first.

Worship leader and pastor’s wife Jennifer Bast told me about her stays at Innkeeper Ministries in Lewisburg, Ohio. The ministry offers lodging options either with prepared meals or in a different inn with a common kitchen. All is provided free of charge. Bast said, “I appreciate their recognition of the need for places like this for weary ministry leaders. I felt safe there. I felt like I could breathe. I wasn't being watched or judged. Everything about the home, the grounds seem to have been designed with rest in mind.”

2. Get creative.

One of the best tips a pastor friend shared with me involved unnoticed resources right in our congregations. Many struggling churches are not able to provide a yearly raise to their pastors. To ensure their pastors get much-needed rest, these congregations can offer other, non-monetary resources. Pastor Bob Bekkerus told me, “One resource that is often unexplored are the cabins or vacation homes of church members. Congregation members have treated me to a week of use of both a lake cabin and an Arizona home. The church leadership team was apologizing for their inability to raise my pay one year, so I asked if they could provide intangibles that would help supplement my compensation. Both cost nothing to the homeowner, but provided us with inexpensive chances to connect as a family.”

Consider a retreat at a monastery. One with a very good reputation is St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota, a Benedictine monastery. Even children are welcome at this monastery. Accommodations are simple, but clean, and the food is good. The monastery asks for a donation but does not turn anyone away for inability to pay. It is always worth checking with local monasteries to see if scholarships are available.

Another creative way of refueling your tank comes through utilizing continuing education opportunities—and bringing your family along with you. Many denominations and seminaries provide continuing education opportunities. Many pastors have a continuing education budget line built into their salary package, and that can help offset the cost. As one example, Trinity Lutheran Camp (Bigfork, Montana) offers continuing education through a program in partnership with Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Families pay $375 for a cabin and meals for a week. The pastors attend class in the daytime, ministry wives have a Bible study, and kids play together at the lake. Check with your denomination’s seminary or Bible camps to see if something similar is offered. Some seminaries will even provide low-cost dorm rooms during continuing education events.

3. Find ways to save money while you travel.

Rather than traveling during normal peak season, travel during off-peak seasons. Pastor Mandy Smith says her secret is visiting Canada in June since spring rates are still in effect then. The exchange rate sometimes provides her added help in getting a good deal. “And it's beautiful up there!” she adds. “There are cabins by lakes everywhere you look.”

Another money-saving strategy is to stay somewhere where you can cook meals instead of eat out the whole time. Particularly for families with children, the cost of eating out can add up fast. Patrick Sipes says, “For us, one of the things we do to not kill our budget is stay somewhere that we are able to cook. We tend to eat two meals a day that we cook and one out. The sorts of places that have this option are privately owned cabin rentals, state park cabins in the off-season, and Residence Inn as a hotel sort of option. The synod camp near us had a small apartment they offer to clergy for a donation.”

4. When you can't get away, find Sabbath in daily life.

Sometimes, the budget and time constraints make it difficult to manage even a modest getaway. For those who are struggling with such challenges, finding ways to practice Sabbath in daily life is crucial. Finding mini-rests in the midst of a busy, stressful week can remind each of us that God is the Shepherd of our congregations, and we are just his under shepherds.

Pastor’s wife Katie Blake tells me, “Family day is essential for our family to relax and recharge. Sometimes we go for a hike, a bike ride, a picnic, or take a trip to the library or museum. It's a day strictly reserved for Rory (her husband), me, and the kids. No outsiders. We try to stay away from our phones and computers and just spend the day together.”

Writer D.L. Mayfield recommends looking into “staycation” options (but getting out of the neighborhood where you serve for at least a short period of time). “We are into just taking our day off and exploring a new part of the city, or going to explore a place a few hours away.”

If you’re willing to get creative, you can make vacation happen for your family—and for yourself.

Rebecca Florence Miller served as a pastor in rural North Dakota and writes for Patheos Evangelical. She is also a freelance writer and editor.