Who We Serve
Leaders who lead leaders, seeking depth over speed
Stillwater Is For
We serve leaders who carry significant responsibility—leaders who shape cultures, form other leaders, and bear the weight of long-term organizational health. These are leaders who have come to recognize that sustainable leadership requires more than skill development; it requires soul care.
Senior Pastors
Lead pastors and senior ministers who carry the spiritual weight of their congregations and often feel isolated in their leadership. Those who long for peers who understand their unique pressures.
Ministry Directors
Executive pastors, ministry directors, and department heads who lead teams and implement vision. Those caught between strategic demands and relational care.
Organizational Leadership Teams
Senior leadership teams from churches, ministries, and faith-based nonprofits seeking to build trust, alignment, and healthy team culture together.
Emerging Leaders
High-capacity emerging leaders being prepared for greater responsibility. Those whose organizations want to invest in their formation before they carry the full weight of senior leadership.
Is Stillwater Right For You?
Stillwater is a good fit for leaders who:
- Lead other leaders — You carry responsibility not just for tasks, but for developing the people who lead alongside you.
- Carry long-term responsibility — You are invested in your organization for the long haul, not just passing through.
- Desire sustainable leadership — You are tired of the burnout cycle and want to lead from health, not depletion.
- Value depth over speed — You understand that lasting transformation takes time and are willing to invest in slow, deep work.
- Seek Christ-centered formation — You want your leadership to be shaped by the way of Jesus, not just secular best practices.
- Are ready for honest reflection — You are willing to examine your own patterns, blind spots, and areas of needed growth.
Stillwater may not be a fit for leaders who:
- Want hype or spectacle — Our retreats are quiet. If you want high-energy programming or celebrity speakers, this is not the place.
- Seek quick fixes — We do not offer shortcuts. Formation is slow work, and we will not pretend otherwise.
- Require constant stimulation — Extended silence and solitude are central to our retreats. If stillness feels intolerable, you may not be ready.
- Are driven by performance culture — If your primary measure of success is attendance, budget, or platform size, our approach may feel uncomfortable.
- Are unwilling to examine themselves — Formation requires honesty about our own patterns and failures. Leaders who resist self-reflection will find our approach frustrating.
- Want to check a box — If leadership development is primarily a credential to acquire, Stillwater will feel like a waste of time.
We would rather serve a few leaders deeply than many leaders superficially. Fit matters more than numbers.
Signs You Might Be Ready
Leaders often come to Stillwater after experiencing one or more of the following:
- •A growing sense that something is unsustainable about how you are leading
- •Burnout, near-burnout, or recovery from burnout
- •A major transition in life or leadership (new role, organizational change, personal loss)
- •A hunger for deeper spiritual formation that typical conferences do not satisfy
- •A desire to develop leaders within your own organization more effectively
- •Recognition that your team needs help building a healthier culture
Ready to Explore?
If what you have read resonates, we would welcome the opportunity to learn more about you and your context. No commitment required—just a conversation to see if Stillwater might be a good fit.