What Is a Sabbatical and Why Is It Helpful?
If you are reading this and attend the church that I pastor, then you are likely aware that I start a three month sabbatical next week. When the elders brought up the subject and our chairman asked if I would be interested in a sabbatical, I was very humbled and relieved. The idea of a sabbatical is a new concept for First Baptist Church and can be meet with a variety of reactions. I know some have expressed to me that they are glad I will get some time to rest, while others don't know what to think about it. Trust me, it is not lost on me that most people who work full time do not get this kind of extended time away from their work. However, I wanted to communicate why a sabbatical for pastors is a healthy practice for any church.
Pastors are always on the clock: This is not a complaint, it's just a reality, especially in today's world of technology. I will receive phone calls, text messages, emails, and messages on social media at all times, even on my day off. When emergencies come up, it means you need to drop what you are doing and respond. It is just the nature of the beast. While it can be a bit stressful to feel like you are never really separated from your occupation, the people that feel this the most are my family. There are times that I have to bow out of family plans because I am needed, even if it is just a 20 minute phone call. Hurting people don't have a set schedule, so I need to be available. This doesn't mean that I work 70 hours a week, it just means that I am never separated from my responsibilities. I am on call, so to speak, all the time.
Pastors work every weekend: While most people work Monday through Friday, pastors always have responsibilities on the weekends, particularly on Sunday (of course), so there is no weekend get-away options, unless I take vacation time. Most people can get away here or there on the weekend without dipping into vacation time, but that is not an option for pastors. In my case, this makes it difficult to go see family. My dad lives four hours away and my in-laws live three and a half hours away. It just doesn't make much sense to be on the road for 8 hours just to see them for less than that.
Pastors are expected to have it all together all the time: I say from the pulpit all the time, "I am a mess", which is absolutely true. However, I also need to be strong physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually as I empathize with people, counsel people, disciple people, care for people in the midst of struggle. Pastors can easily run on empty and feel like they have to just push through it because people depend on them.
Pastors often fight the feelings of failure: This is a personal one for me. I feel like I disappoint people all the time. I fail to meet the expectations of others often. Trying to balance all the responsibilities that I have such as sermon prep/preaching, administration (emails, communication, office stuff), planning and leadership, personal connections, board responsibilities, care ministry, counseling, and ministry programming to name a few, is very difficult to do. Now add to that family responsibilities, it will too often become overwhelming, and I end up giving less attention to certain areas, knowing that I will disappoint people. Being a pastor comes with many expectations from others, even if some of those expectations are unreasonable. This can often lead to the pastor feeling like a disappointment to the people he loves and prays for. I believe this is the number one reason for burnout among pastors. Trying to even balance all of the responsibilities and expectations can be mentally and emotionally draining.
Pastors have to minister to people in their worst moments: This could range from those dealing with grief, and we have had much of that this year, to confronting sin issues that cannot be overlooked. Add to this the challenges over the last few years and you can imagine how taxing on the soul that can become. It also means that we have to minister to people in our worst moments, and yes, we have them.
Pastors need to be spiritually fit to minister to people in a meaningful way: You can't just show up for work and do your job. You can't fake it until you make it. You can't minister to people on a spiritually empty tank for too long before it is noticeable to others. It is important for pastors to develop protected space to spend time with the Lord, but even this is compromised far too often with the pressing demands of ministry. It is critical that pastors take some focused time renewing their minds and refocusing on the Lord. It is far too easy for pastors to find their identity in their ministry, than to rest in the satisfying reality of being a child of God.
I could probably think a few more reasons, but I hope you get the point. Pastors have a unique reality and it has been well documented that pastors who take a sabbatical are significantly less likely to burnout, move on seeking a fresh start, or even quit the ministry all together. They are also more effective in their ministry to others after some time away to rest, refocus, and recover from the mental and emotional demands of ministry.
My Plan: I have shared a bit about the general plans for my sabbatical. I will be taking June to connect with family and to get away with Trish.
In July, I will be at a pastor's retreat designed to minister to those in ministry and I will be spending time working on my marriage. My goal is for Trish to have all of me all of the time, not just some of me some of the time. I will also be joining the team of people from FBC going to Kentucky to serve for a week in late July. This is actually the only thing I will be doing with the church all summer.
In August, I will be spending much of my time alone with the Lord and thinking through ministry plans without pressure or distraction. My goal is to work on a preaching plan for the next year, a leadership development strategy, and effective outreach strategies.
I have goals of establishing better practices in my life pertaining to dieting, exercising, reading, and spending quality time with the Lord.
I will be unavailable all summer, but if you need to get ahold of me, you can contact Phil VanLaan. He will be the liaison for me this summer. He will field the calls and contact me if he feels it is something I need to be contacted about. This is simply a boundary the elders wanted to set up. Trish and I will be attending a variety of churches over the summer, and will not be at FBC for obvious reasons. Trish may be back in August.
How can you pray for me?
- Pray that I will be able to truly rest and be recharged for another season of ministry.
- Pray that I maintain healthy practices with diet and exercise throughout the three months.
- Pray that I will establish healthy rhythms in my marriage.
- Pray that God would reveal areas in my life that need to change so that I can minister to others in a way that is healthy and meaningful.
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