The Replenish Retreat for pastors is a simple but powerful idea. Anyone who has spent years "feeding" God's people, week after week, knows how it can drain you. Replenish exists because a group of generous donors believe that investing in the hearts of pastors is really an investment in the future health of churches. This was my first time on the retreat, and here are a few thoughts still settling in me.
I'm a scheduled Lead Pastor in the Seattle area, which means my mind wakes up already running through a calendar. For each appointment, my phone reminds me an hour out, thirty minutes out, ten minutes out, faithfully making sure I never miss the next meeting. So when I arrived in Colorado and was told there would be no written schedule, it hit me in the best possible way. We were encouraged to stay offline, leave our phones in our rooms, and nap, hike, or walk — whatever the moment called for. Within a day, I could feel my mind actually unwind. It was the kind of pace I didn't know I needed until it was already changing me.
The slower rhythm opened the door to something unexpected: enriching conversations. These were unhurried talks with other pastors around the fire pit, laughter that came easy, care that didn't feel like one more obligation. The change of pace led to a change of my heart posture. Rest was encouraged rather than earned. God felt closer. Relationships went deeper (without any of the weight that usually comes with vulnerability among colleagues).
Then there was the fly-fishing, something I'd never done but had quietly dreamed about since I first watched A River Runs Through It. Standing waist-deep in a Colorado river for four hours, learning the rhythm of the cast, felt like its own kind of sermon. Nature had our full attention. When mountain thunderstorms rolled through the Rockies while we fished, I felt the power of God's creation move through all of us at once, unmistakably.
There was great food. Good fellowship. Plenty of fun. But underneath all of it, every one of us left with something sturdier: new friendships, fellow laborers in Christ, and a renewed hope for what's ahead. It reminded me that a full heart sometimes requires an empty schedule, and that kind of emptying rarely happens back home, in our churches or our offices. You have to leave to actually receive it.
Thanks to everyone who makes Replenish possible. I'm a fan already, and I have half an eye on someday helping facilitate it myself. For now, Replenish just earned a permanent spot on my calendar. Any pastor running on empty needs this. Make the time, protect the space, and let yourself receive the kind of Sabbath rest that actually restores.
Chris Goldman is Lead Pastor at Northwest Church in Lynnwood, WA.