Revitalization in the Upper Room

by Cassidy Tourville

“No less than 40% of pastors are struggling, whether with anxiety or ministry fatigue, which has then led to other issues in life. Perhaps they have lost their passion for ministry or are confused whether they are still called to ministry,” says David Zayas. “Our call is to work with pastors that are in that season of life.”

U.S. missionary with Church Mobilization David Zayas and his wife, Nancy, help pastors remain in ministry and build resilience by offering pastoral counseling and hosting respite retreats. “We go in and we work with pastors who find themselves in this state or stage of life to bring words of encouragement, to pour into them and to encourage them that God is not done with them,” David says.

Each year, the Zayases host six or seven respite retreats in the mountains and invite both the pastor and their spouse to come for a time of rest and renewal. They explain that the purpose for the retreats is to allow ministers to disconnect from the day to day with the hope that they will find peace and clarity in God’s calling. 

“Our ministry focuses on making sure they are hearing the voice of God for the season that they are in, and that if they have lost that passion because of exhaustion, fatigue, mental illness — whatever it may be — to know that there are people who God has sent to walk with them,” says David.

The Zayas’ main ministry focus is pastoral well-being, which Nancy comments should be a priority in the church. “For many years, our fellowship has been saying that we need to have a healthy church in every community. But in order for us to have healthy churches in every community, we need the head of those churches to be healthy as well,” she says. “We need healthy leadership that is going to pour down healthy Christian values to their constituents.”

Respite retreats do not just strengthen senior pastors individually but also focus on the strengthening of the pastoral couple as a unit. Throughout their years of ministry, the Zayases have seen a lot of pastors on the brink of quitting, some even bringing their resignation letters to the retreat. However, they have also seen massive turnaround in many people’s lives.

Nancy knew a female pastor who had been in the ministry for 20 years alongside her husband when he became severely ill and passed away. After her husband’s death, she received a cancer diagnosis herself. She came to one of the Zayas’ retreats, ready to be done with ministry and spend more time with her children and grandchildren. It was there that God met her and called her out of the gloom.

“We created a space in that retreat that we called the upper room. And it was there that people would go up and they would just pray in silence. It was a very spiritual place. You can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in such a tangible way in that room. It was there that God spoke to her spirit, and she started journaling,” says Nancy. “Now, almost three years later, her church is thriving, and she is thriving as a senior pastor,” says Nancy.

The Zayases do not take lightly the fact that they have the opportunity to disciple those that are discipling. “We are focused on preaching the gospel and making sure people hear the message of hope, but sometimes our messengers, which are our pastors, are also broken. When they can be restored and revitalized, it changes the dynamic of the church,” David says.

When asked what gives him energy and drive as a missionary, David said this: “My favorite part of ministry is seeing lives touched by God. I like to create an open setting of transparency and even vulnerability where we can be free to speak on what's burning in us or what's hurting us. And my greatest satisfaction is being in these sessions and just pouring out what the Holy Spirit has poured into us and then seeing the response in the room — seeing men and women responding, not to our words, but to the words that the Holy Spirit has given us in that setting.”

David and Nancy Zayas find fulfillment in knowing that they are operating in the will of the Lord. As they continue in their ministry, they are aiding other pastors and ministers in the call of U.S. Missions — to SEEK, SAVE and SEND.

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Cassidy Tourville

Cassidy Tourville grew up in Northern Asia as a missionary kid with Assemblies of God World Missions. Her family currently serves with International Ministries. She now works for Assemblies of God U.S. Missions as the communications and media network coordinator after graduating from Evangel University with a BA in English: Writing.