In my discipleship class at Southeastern Seminary, I require students each semester to complete a 1-2 hour silence and solitude retreat. I allow them to take their Bible, but no electronics, no music, no noise. They often debate the value of the assignment when I announce it, but they’re grateful when they’ve completed it. Here’s why setting aside this time matters:
- Most of us are too busy in general. We do so much and move so rapidly that it almost feels like God has to catch up with us to communicate with us. We need to slow down, even if only for a couple of hours.
- We need to counter the belief that ministry productivity=activity. We often think that effective ministry means doing a lot. The people we lead typically think the same way, and they hold us accountable to this standard. Jesus, though, built into His ministry intentional times to get alone with the Father (Mark 1:35).
- We need to learn to listen. We’re accustomed to hearing a lot of noise at once, but we’re often not so good at focused listening. A time of solitude and silence can push us to listen intensely to God.
- Some of us talk too much. This reason, of course, is connected to #3 above. As church leaders, we tend to be “fixers.” We want to help people, so we’re continually providing guidance and offering solutions. We give advice—and it would do us good to be quiet once in a while.
- Many of us need to get “caught up” in our quiet time. Setting aside some hours to focus on God helps us to get there—and then offers us a new beginning in the task. You’ll lead better if you know you’ve been with God.
- We’ll learn how connected we are to technology. Many of us struggle with this kind of retreat because we’ve seldom (if ever) spent an hour or two without our phone—at least not intentionally.
- We might discover some idols. Where our mind goes during extended periods of silence and solitude can be telling. Perhaps it goes to our work, or our favorite sports team, or our gym, or a person, or future plans—all that can be idols if they hinder us from concentrating on God.
- In our silence and solitude, we are humbled. In the silence, nobody’s calling us by our title. We can’t impress anyone with our speaking ability. The size of our congregation doesn’t matter. When it’s just God and I in the quiet, only He matters.
- In general, we need to pray more. Even the greatest prayer warriors I know always think they need to spend more time with God. We all do.
- Those who watch our lives and our ministries will likely see something different about us if we’ve been with God in a focused way. You can’t truly meet God and come away the same person. You can only take your shoes off because you’ve been on holy ground.
I am making this commitment this week, and I challenge you to join me—get alone with God before worship this weekend. Sit still. Be quiet. Listen.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published at chucklawless.com.
MDiv Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
The Preaching and Pastoral Ministry track prepares students for pastoral ministry in the local church with a special emphasis on expository preaching.
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