Our Calvary Personnel Handbook provides a Sabbatical leave for our full time pastoral staff every seven years of ministry at Calvary. Pastor Susan has been on staff at Calvary for fourteen years and, thus, became eligible this year for her second Sabbatical. Several in our pastoral staff have benefited from this personnel policy in the last 15 years or so.
Susan's original plans for her Sabbatical included (1) a time of spiritual rest and renewal and (2) development of pastoral care training under the chaplaincy ministry at Valley Baptist Medical Center, among other things. Unfortunately, a few days ago Susan hurt her knee. It seems like she will need surgery in the next few days. This means that the pastoral care training plans may change. She does plan to work on some ministry certifications during her surgery recovery time. Of course, her rehabilitation time may extend beyond the Sabbatical. (Please pray for her surgery, recovery and the adjustments that this will require).
Even with this added challenge of surgery, it is our hope that during this month Pastor Susan will have a time of rest from the high demands of everyday ministry, experience spiritual renewal, explore personal development areas and return to her assignment in January with renewed vitality. We will be communicating who are the people that will be in charge of various areas in the children's ministry and how to communicate with them. Of course, any concern during this time may be directed to me via phone or e-mail. (It just so happens that Susan and I share a ministry assistant. So contacting Katrina Williamson is also a good option: katrina@calvarymcallen.org).
There are several documents and resources that explain the background, rationale and practice of ministry sabbaticals, (which are different from the academic sabbaticals that university professors take). Here are some excerpts from two different web documents:
WHAT IS A MINISTRY SABBATICAL?
Wheat Ridge Ministries defines a ministry sabbatical as a period of time, usually three months, when ministry leaders and congregations set aside the leader’s normal responsibilities for the purpose of rest and renewal toward sustained excellence in ministry.
A ministry sabbatical is not an extended vacation nor is it an academic sabbatical that normally involves extensive study. A ministry sabbatical is a release from the routine of the call for the physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well-being of the ministry leader.
A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE ON SABBATICALS
The word sabbatical is drawn from Sabbath. The Hebrew word for Sabbath means to “close or rest” and is connected with the last day of Creation when God rested. (Genesis 2:3) God both models and commands Sabbath rest for his people. “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11)
Jesus affirmed the importance of rest saying, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27-28) The Biblical example of Jesus’ own frequent withdrawal to a quiet place to meditate, pray and be renewed is a model. In His ministry, the constant demands of people led Jesus to step away on a regular basis.
See also: Genesis 1 and 2; Exodus 20:8-11, 23:10-12; Leviticus 25:1-7 (Sabbatical Year), 24:8-25 (Year of Jubilee); Psalm 23; and Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
WHY IS A SABBATICAL IMPORTANT?
Roy Oswald, Alban Institute, suggests that the rapid change and complexity of congregational life and ministry raises the need for three months of sabbatical rest and renewal every four to seven years. He believes that 20% to 30% of ministry leaders he speaks to are in a state of severe burnout. Another 20% of the same audience is on the way to severe burnout.
Richard Bullock and Richard Bruesehoff in Clergy Renewal: The Alban Guide to Sabbatical Planning suggest the following motivations for considering a ministry sabbatical.
• Continual spiritual growth facilitated by periods of rest and renewal is vital toward being an effective minister.
• Pastoral responsibilities are not contained within normal office hours and regularly involve weekends.
• Rapid changes in parish ministry can increase the likelihood of burnout without periods of rest and renewal.
• Burnout makes ministry and the minister, dull, hollow, and uninteresting.
• Provides the opportunity for congregations to examine their dependency on the ministry leader and consider expanding the roles of lay leaders.
Here's an excerpt from a different source:
MINISTERIAL SABBATICALS
When a minister serves a congregation for six years or longer, it is time for a sabbatical. An extended time away for the purpose of study, enrichment, vision casting, travel, rest, prayer and/or visiting different cultures provides the needed respite that is pivotal in helping assure continued healthy leadership. Congregations may be strengthened by offering a pastor or an associate a sabbatical—time to briefly step away from the cyclical, unending demands of daily parish life.
A sabbatical is not a vacation. Rather it is a time for intentional exploration and reflection, for drinking anew from God’s life-giving waters, and for regaining the enthusiasm and creativity for ministry.
Genesis and Leviticus speak of “Sabbath time” in terms of days, years, and land usage. Since the Sabbath is recognized as a distinctive time in creation—as a gift of rest for both renewal and hope—Scripture infers that regular, periodic rejuvenation is vital in all areas of life. The Old Testament writers directed a time period for the soil to remain untilled so that it could replenish itself. Just like the soil, humans need a season to lie fallow for revitalization of the body, mind, and soul. Dave Ellingson declared, “We require a time to receive rather than give, to get input rather than give output, to carefully nurture and cultivate our lives so that the soul of our spirits might be rid of weeds and have an opportunity to receive nourishment (Ellingson, page 2).”
Pastors, associates, and ministry leaders are called to the work of ministry as servants of the church. Because of the spiritual dimension of leadership and the emotional energy required by the task, ministers often get into a “give and give and give, but never receive” treadmill. When there is little relief from the constant pressure of Sunday morning deadlines, committee meetings, counseling sessions, visitation schedules, community commitments, and a host of other day-to-day encounters, a leader might scream, “Stop the world. I want to get off.” Greg Asimakoupoulos discovered in his weariness, “Much of my depression was actually my body’s muffled cry for rest (Asimakoupoulos, page 102).”
A sabbatical allows the minister to get off the treadmill in exchange for a battery recharge of vision and hope. It creates an opportunity for the minister to:
recapture a sense of vision,
be nurtured in faith and skills,
become introspective,
rekindle spiritual passion,
refocus priorities,
review the ministerial journey, and
reflect on the call of God for life and ministry.
rekindle spiritual passion,
refocus priorities,
review the ministerial journey, and
reflect on the call of God for life and ministry.
A sabbatical feeds the body, mind, and soul resulting in renewed, refreshed, and revitalized energy to function as a shepherd and servant leader. Several clergy persons have expressed “ah-ha” moments as a result of the sabbatical journey. Often, the sabbatical extends the pastor’s tenure with a congregation. When the minister returns with a renewed vision, the congregation often opens a new, exciting chapter in congregational ministry.
We are grateful that Calvary Baptist Church has provided up to 30 days of Sabbatical to full time pastoral staff for every seven years of ministry since the 1990s. We pray that God continue to bless Calvary and her pastors with renewal and health.
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