Pastoral Sabbatical Grant
Funding, Coaching, and Care for Pastors and Their Families
Years of faithful ministry need more than a Sunday off. Our sabbatical partnership gives you what you need to experience genuine rest and renewal through sabbatical.
The Reality
Years of Faithful Ministry Take a Real Toll.
Most pastors don't burn out in a single moment. It happens slowly. Years of preaching, counseling, hospital visits, and late-night phone calls gradually drain the soul, and the people carrying that weight are often the last to admit they need help. Meanwhile, your wife and kids are carrying a weight of their own — they share the ministry, absorb the criticism, navigate the loneliness, and rarely get asked how they're doing.
Our sabbatical partnership is built to meet you right there. Generous funding, so the financial side stops standing between your family and a true break. Coaching before, during, and after, so the rest actually does its work. Dedicated care for your spouse so she experiences rest and renewal too. Real rest. Real renewal. The whole family in view.
The Partnership
What Our Pastoral Sabbatical Grant Includes
Generous Funding
Up to $15,000 for your sabbatical so you can experience the transformative power of a dedicated season of rest.
Coaching & Prep
Seven coaching sessions before, during, and after your sabbatical so you don't have to figure this out how to do this well on your own.
Care for Your Wife
Throughout the season, a pastor's wife who has been on sabbatical before reaches out once a month to provide care for your spouse.
Whole-Family Renewal
Sabbatical isn't just for you — it's for your marriage and your kids too. We design the season around the whole family coming back rested.
Re-Entry, Done Right
Coming back is often harder than going. We coach you through re-entry so the rest you received doesn't evaporate in the first month back at your desk.
Prayer Cover Throughout
Our prayer team lifts up your family and your church by name from the day you are awarded the grant.
Why It Matters
This Is Not a Typical Pastoral Sabbatical Grant
Most pastoral sabbatical grants begin and end with a check. Ours is built differently from start to finish.
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CoachingA check and a wish for the best.
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PreparationFigure out the plan on your own.
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Family CareFund the pastor, forget the family.
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PrayerAdded to a newsletter list.
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ProcessOpaque, committee-driven, and rubric-based.
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Re-EntryNo follow-up after the sabbatical ends.
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After the GrantOver once the funds clear.
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CoachingSeven coaching sessions before, during, and after your sabbatical.
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PreparationCoaching to help you build a plan to allows you to rest.
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Family CareDedicated care for your entire family throughout the season.
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PrayerLifted up by name, regularly, by our prayer team.
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ProcessTransparent and relational from start to finish.
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Re-EntryCoaching support as you return to the pulpit.
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After the GrantThe relationship continues. You're family.
Step by Step
How the Pastoral Sabbatical Grant Process Works
From application to rest and renewal — here is every step of the journey.
Applications Open
Our application window is open August 1-31 each year — the same window as our church planting partnerships. If our partnership criteria feel like a fit, we want to hear from you.
Initial Review
Once the window closes, applications are evaluated for alignment with our beliefs, values, and partnership criteria.
Deeper Discovery
If your application resonates, we invite you and your wife into a deeper questionnaire. We want to understand the season you are in — not just your ministry, but your marriage and your family.
Personal Conversation
A phone or video call to discuss the application and get to know you and your wife more personally.
Prayerful Discernment
The team spends dedicated time in prayer to discern which candidates to advance to the final round.
Key MomentVideo Interview
Final-round candidates meet with the 23 Project team via video call to share more of their story and ask any remaining questions.
Key MomentFinal Discernment
A week of prayerful consideration follows the video interviews before recipients are chosen.
Partnership Begins
Recipients are called with the news before Thanksgiving. Coaching begins right away to help you design a sabbatical plan that allows you to rest.
Key MomentSabbatical & Re-Entry
You take an eight-week (or longer) sabbatical within one year of the grant. Coaching, prayer, and care for your wife continue all the way through your return.
What We Ask Up Front
Requirements to Apply
A handful of essentials we need in place before we can partner together. If you can check these five boxes, you are ready to apply.
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01
You Have Years of Faithful Pastoral Ministry
You have served in full-time pastoral ministry for 10+ years and have been in a lead pastor role at your current church for at least 5 years.
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02
Your Church Has Affirmed the Sabbatical
Your elders or governing body have agreed in principle to support your sabbatical season. The grant supplements what your church is already willing to do.
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03
You Resonate with Our Partnership Criteria
You have read our Types of Churches page and the theological and missional convictions described there feel like home. When we are aligned here, the rest of this relationship tends to flow naturally.
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04
You're Open to Coaching
Coaching is part of the rhythm, not an extra. You and your wife are both willing to engage with it before, during, and after the sabbatical — because rest done well takes a guide.
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05
You've Read and Agree to the MOU
Our Memorandum of Understanding spells out what we are committing to on both sides — prayer, funding, coaching, reporting. Read it, sit with it, and if you are in, we are in.
Common Questions
You Might Be Wondering
The questions pastors ask most often, grouped by where you are in the journey. If yours is not here, reach out — we would love to hear from you.
Before & During the Application
Do I qualify to apply?
The basics: you are serving in full-time pastoral ministry in the United States, you have done so for 10 or more years, and you have been serving as a lead pastor at your current church for at least 5 years. Beyond that, see the requirements above and spend a few minutes with our Types of Churches page to make sure we are a fit.
Can my elders submit the application on my behalf?
We love that your elders care enough to nudge — but the pastor has to submit the application himself. The questions are about you, your story, and your soul, and they serve you better when you write them in your own voice.
How long does the application take?
About 30 minutes once you have gathered your thoughts. Do not rush it — we read every answer carefully, and honest answers tend to serve you better than strategic ones.
When does the application window open?
Applications are open August 1 through August 31 each year — the same window as our church planting partnerships. We do not accept early or late submissions, so block out an evening in August and sit down to write.
What happens after I submit?
You will get a confirmation email letting you know your application arrived. From there, our process moves through review, deeper discovery, conversation, and prayerful discernment — and you will hear from us clearly at every step.
When will I know if I have been selected?
Every applicant hears from us. Recipients are notified before Thanksgiving, and coaching begins shortly after.
If You're Selected
How long does my sabbatical need to be?
A minimum of eight weeks, taken within one year of receiving the grant. Eight weeks is long enough for the rest to actually settle in — anything shorter tends to feel like a long vacation.
Will the grant go to me or to my church?
Funds are distributed to your church, not to you personally. That keeps the grant set up cleanly as a 501(c)(3)-to-501(c)(3) gift, and your church administers it according to your sabbatical plan.
What can I use the grant funds for?
Whatever serves the rest of you and your family — pulpit supply, travel, lodging, retreats, counseling, family time. We trust you and your elders to steward it well according to the sabbatical plan you build with your coach.
What does sabbatical coaching look like?
Seven sessions, spread before, during, and after your sabbatical, plus one with your leadership team. Coaching helps you plan well, rest deeply, and re-enter with confidence.
What does care for my wife look like?
A pastor's wife who has been on sabbatical before walks alongside her throughout the season — checking in, listening, praying, and offering perspective.
I still have questions. Who can I talk to?
We would love to hear from you. Head over to our contact page and drop us a note — we respond to every message personally.
Rodney Wilkinson, Gospel Fellowship, Boynton Beach, FLAs I head back to ministry this week, I wanted to thank you again. I am forever grateful to you and 23 Project for your love, support, and care for our family. You will never know the impact this rest has had on myself, my kids (who are growing too fast), and my wife. We are so grateful for the work that you do. You are such an asset to the Kingdom, and we cannot thank you enough.
You Don't Have to Keep Running on Empty.
Applications open every August. Whether you are ready to apply or just beginning to wonder if a sabbatical is even possible, we are here and would welcome the conversation.