TO REGISTER FOR THE COHORT: Contact John at 269-277-7020 or john@bmioasis.com.

REGISTER FOR THE DISCOVERY MEETING (February 6, 2026 @ 10:00 AM EST) HERE

Pastors (and Ministry Leaders) Vitality Cohort: February 6 – June 5, 2026

The PASTORS AND MINISTRY LEADERS VITALITY COHORT is an intensive community of ministry leaders seeking to hear God’s Call resonating deeply in their heart, mind, and soul.

This Cohort combines:

A SAFE COMMUNITY fostering authentic relationships, encouragement, and intensive prayer for healing, wisdom, & direction.

THE SACRED CALLING WORKBOOK: While we guide you through this proven process, it is the Holy Spirit who allows you to clearly hear God’s voice regarding your Calling. This Workbook is Biblically-based and Community-oriented. You’ll hear from the Lord regarding your three callings along with a process for continually re-assessing your life and ministry around these three callings. More information can be found in our Sacred Calling bookstore.

THE BE TRANSFORMED WORKBOOK. We will guide you through this workbook, designed to deepen your Vertical Calling, This workbook leads participants into deep transformation of the heart and a deeper  intimacy with God. More information can be found in the Rock House bookstore.

Contact us at john@bmioasis.com for more information on this Cohort.

Click here to register.

  • How do I register?

    To register for the Pastors Vitality Cohort, call or text John Studebaker at 269-277-7020. Or email us at john@bmioasis.com.

  • When will the Cohort meet?

    The Cohort will meet for 16 weeks, with a “spring break” in the middle. We are tentatively planning to meet on Monday or Friday mornings at 10:00 AM EST (on zoom), based on your availability.

  • How is the Workshop structured?

    The Cohort will be facilitated by Dr. John Studebaker (President of Bridge Ministries, Int’l) and John Shaw, counselor with Rock House Counseling Group. The structure is:

    • Weeks 1-3: Your Vertical Calling
    • Weeks 4-11: Be Transformed (a deeper examination of the Vertical Calling and the Transformed Heart)
    • Weeks 12-18 Your Horizontal Calling and Practical Calling

    The Cohort will incorporate in-depth Scripture studies, group interaction and prayer, one-on-one coaching, and personal exercises.

  • How many people participate in each workshop?

    The Vitality Cohort will be conducted with 10-16 Pastors and Ministry leaders.

  • What is the cost, and what if cost is an issue?

    Please contact us for the requested donation amount for joining the Cohort.

    Scholarships are available upon request.

    A portion of your donation will go toward our Pastors Scholarship Fund (for Pastors that attend retreats at the BMI Oasis or receive counseling from the Rock House Center).

What is Sacred Calling?

Pastors and Ministry Leaders often speak about “receiving a call” to a particular church or ministry. However, the concept of “divine calling” goes much deeper than this. In Scripture and church history, a calling from God is life-altering.

God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “I will be with you. . . When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:4, 12)

The call of Moses (and other call narratives in Scripture) incorporate three aspects of the divine call:

  1. The VERTICAL Call to experience a vital relationship with God (“I will be with you”)
  2. The HORIZONTAL Call to a distinct mission (to “bring the people out of Egypt”)
  3. A  PRACTICAL Call, steps that God lays out to reach move toward a vision or goal (to “worship God on this mountain).

SACRED CALLING emerged from Dr. John Studebaker’s intense struggles with ministerial burnout in the late 1980s to early 1990s. By discovering God’s unique call on his life, he was able to overcome deep burnout and begin to walk in the joy and energy provided by God’s call. Then, in his Ph.D. studies (Systematic Theology, Trinity International University), John studied the major “call narratives” of Scripture:

  • The call of Abraham (Genesis 12 and 15)
  • The call of Moses (Exodus 3)
  • The call of Jesus’ disciples (Matthew 4)

What resulted is Sacred Calling (see 2 Timothy 1:9), a high-impact tool for helping men and women reach their full potential in life, faith, and ministry.

John is the President of Bridge Ministries, intl, and the Executive Director of the BMI Oasis (www.bmioasis.com). He is a certified Life Coach in the Tom Patterson LifePlanning process, and a Professor of Theology with the LEMA Seminary, teaching African Pastors in Uganda and Nigeria.

Your VERTICAL CALLING leads to a life of PURPOSE

Your PURPOSE allows you to re-orient each activity in life toward your “upward call” in Christ. You’ll write a Purpose Statement, which combines your identity in Christ with your origin and destiny, and then apply your Purpose Statement to your personal life, family life, and ministry life in order to re-establish energy, truth, and boundaries to each area.

Your HORIZONTAL CALLING defines your MISSION

Your MISSION is distinct from, but energized by, your Purpose. You will write a personal Mission Statement based on your unique God-given design–your Heart Motivations, Spiritual Gifts, Talents, and Passions. Our coaching will enable you to make this statement clear and actionable, as you’ll use this statement to create a blueprint for living your calling in your personal life, family and ministry.

Your PRACTICAL CALLING creates VISION

VISION allows you to “hear God’s voice” as you make plans for your future life and ministry. You’ll develop vision by “looking ahead” at the next 12 months and then developing a step-by-step plan for living out your vision on a quarterly, and daily, basis.

You will work with a partner (during and after the workshop) to activate your purpose and mission, to enlarge your vision, to develop a realistic plan, to re-assess your plan, and to encourage one another to continue in this life-giving journey!

Let’s Face It – Life is tough. Ministry is even more tough.

You need to know that you have heard God’s voice clearly. Then you need to be able to act accordingly. Sacred Calling helps with both of these.

Sacred Calling is our proprietary process that has helped thousands of people find and fulfill their calling.

  • Work through conflicts more effectively
  • Develop a balanced and sustainable pace of life.
  • If in in transition, you will know what you should do next.
  • Understand your ‘inner wiring’ and live from that place.
  • Feel hopeful about your future.
  • Live out of your core values.
  • Have a clear vision for your future.
  • Learn to do effective and consistent re-assessment of your plan.

In addition, for those in professional ministry:

  • Develop and retain “margin” and rest in ministry
  • Drastically reduce ministerial fatigue
  • Develop a ministry plan tailored to you, your family, and your current ministry situation.
  • Begin to experience a high quality of life, even in ministry