Shepherd’s Rest: Printables
A personal Sabbath plan, a ministry health check, verse cards, and a four-week guide for pastors’ peer groups. Free to print, and private.
My Sabbath Plan
“Come ye yourselves apart… and rest a while.” Mark 6:31
Ministry Health Check
Check what’s true right now. Be honest. Share it with someone you trust.
- I take a real day off most weeks.
- I have at least one friend outside my church.
- My spouse would say our marriage is a priority.
- My kids would say they get the best of me, not the leftovers.
- I pray for my own soul, not only for sermons.
- I sleep enough most nights.
- I have someone I can confess anything to.
- I’ve had a physical in the last year.
- I rarely feel numb, cynical or trapped.
- I’m not hiding a struggle from everyone.
Fewer than 7 checked? You’re not failing. You’re human. Talk to a counselor, mentor or peer this month.
Verse cards
“Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.”
Mark 6:31
Rest is obedience.
CLAIMED BY GOD DESIGNS · SHEPHERD’S REST
“Thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.”
Exodus 18:18
I don’t have to carry it all.
CLAIMED BY GOD DESIGNS · SHEPHERD’S REST
“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Psalm 23:1
I am a sheep before I am a shepherd.
CLAIMED BY GOD DESIGNS · SHEPHERD’S REST
“Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24
He who called me will carry me.
CLAIMED BY GOD DESIGNS · SHEPHERD’S REST
Four-week pastors’ peer group guide
For pastors, ministry leaders or ministry spouses, meeting with peers outside their own churches. About 60 minutes. Everything stays in the room.
Week 1 · Under the juniper tree
Read: 1 Kings 19:1–18
- When have you felt like Elijah?
- What did God give Elijah before He gave him a new assignment?
- What would sleep, food and a gentle voice look like for you right now?
Practice: Each person shares one honest number from 1–10: “How full is my tank?” Pray for each other.
Week 2 · Not alone
Read: Exodus 18:13–24; Ecclesiastes 4:9–12
- What are you carrying that someone else could carry?
- Who are your real friends?
- What makes it hard to be honest in ministry?
Practice: Each person names one thing to delegate this month.
Week 3 · Home first
Read: 1 Timothy 3:4–5; Ephesians 5:25
- How is your marriage, honestly?
- What would your kids say about growing up in ministry?
- What boundary would protect your family most?
Practice: Commit to one family boundary this week.
Week 4 · Sheep before shepherd
Read: Psalm 23; John 21:15–19
- When did you last let God shepherd you?
- Where do you need confession or accountability?
- What does faithfulness look like in the next season?
Practice: Pray Psalm 23 over each person by name.
