Pastor Sabbaticals
A sabbatical is…
a time set apart from normal ministry activities for a purpose - generally for rest, connection with friends and family, or deep study. The word “sabbatical” is borrowed from academia, but comes from the word for “sabbath” or rest. All over Scripture, we see Jesus taking time apart from his disciples, from the crowds, even from his ministry responsibilities, in order to connect with God in a different way. Following his example, we encourage our pastors to take 3-month sabbaticals once every 5 years (full-time) or 7 years (part-time) in order to connect with God, themselves, and their loved ones in a different way than is ordinarily afforded in the day to day rhythms of church life.Pastor Brynn will be taking a sabbatical May 1-July 31st, 2023! Read on for what that means for pastors and for the church.
What Happens on a Pastor’s Sabbatical?
We stop to recenter our identities in Christ
Throughout the year, some of the ministries in our church take what we call a “Rest Month.” During this time, we pare our activities way down so that as a church, we can remember that we are loved and valuable to God and each other, not because of how hard we work or how much we do, but because God says we are loved and valuable. The sabbatical is a bit like a pastor's version of Rest Month. We take a 3-month sabbatical after a certain number of years to remember our value and our identity as beloved children of God - beyond what we do or how hard we work. The emotional, relational, and spiritual complexity of leadership that most pastors carry on a day to day basis is heavy, the decision fatigue is real, and the hat switching from meeting to meeting can take its toll without proper attention. Since our call centers on pointing others to Christ, it's important for us to take time and recenter ourselves on who Christ is in our own lives and set down those weights for a season.
We stop to renew our creative energy
In some ways, sabbaticals are like cross-training for athletes. It's a different kind of work that enhances our regular activity. Sabbatical is a way for us to take some time to refresh ourselves in God's grace and truth so that we can bring it back to the Church with fresh perspective and new eyes. During sabbatical, many pastors take time to visit other churches, have conversations with other leaders and mentors, read and study new resources, and try some new creative endeavors (like engaging a new hobby) to keep our minds elastic and learning. Additionally, most pastors only take one full day off every week. Two days off in a row are a rare treat, and weekends away happen just a few times a year. Sabbaticals are a way to acknowledge that humans need more rest than that, and to give space to our brains to think differently!
We stop to connect with friends & family
The traditional work week in the United States is Monday to Friday, with Saturday and Sunday off. Since pastors work many Saturdays and almost every Sunday, we take Mondays or Fridays off as our sabbath day. The tricky thing is that our spouses and friends often do not have the same days off, so personal relational time has to be very intentional, usually taken at other times during the week. While shared weekends away or weekend activities with loved ones are common in our culture, pastors often work those hours - whether prepping for and leading Sunday services or leading church events on the schedules of our parishioners. Sabbatical is one way pastors can reconnect with our friends and families on their schedules.
FAQ
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A 3-month vacation would be nice! But no. While vacation time is built into the sabbatical plan, as is time set apart to rest and play, a Sabbatical is really time to do a totally different kind of work. In some ways, it's deferred maintenance on body and mind and relationships, make-up days for weekends worked for years.
We borrow the concept from the academic world - professors are often encouraged to take a break from their regular duties in order to study and publish. In the same way, pastors take a break from our regular ministry duties in order to do a different kind of activity, namely, rest and deep study.
Additionally, pastors spend a lot of time offering guidance and counsel to others, so we believe it's healthy for us to take a step back and receive guidance and counsel from other pastors, counselors, and spiritual directors, both for our own direction and growth, but also for the direction of our church. Conversations like these are also built into the sabbatical plan.
These seasons also provide ample time for uninterrupted study, something our schedules can sometimes work against. Since we want to lead in a way that reflects prayer and thoughtful study, a sabbatical can offer time to disconnect from regular routines and responsibilities so that we can focus on more concentrated reflection.
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Our dream is that unless Jesus decides to come back sooner, our church will outlive us - we hope this community will multiply for the next 200 years! Sabbatical frees our community from becoming too dependent on the leadership or personality of specific individuals, so that we can be healthy no matter who is at the helm, long into the future.
Sabbaticals are a chance to reset church practices and systems that might have become too centered or dependent on one person, and give others a chance to “hold the keys” and to practice leading, in the hopes that this training will empower them to lead in our church beyond these few months.
The good news is that pastors who take sabbaticals typically stay in ministry longer and at their local churches longer than pastors who don't. The hope is that after taking a few months to recharge, our church will have a newly refreshed and rejuvenated pastor, and that when we return, we will have new energy and perspective to follow Jesus with our congregation all the more.
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Our church contributes $8,000 to sabbatical costs for full-time pastors and $3,000 for part-time clergy. Additionally, pastors may choose to fundraise or apply for grants to fund sabbatical expenses. These expenses usually go toward the cost of retreats, books, self-care appointments, spiritual direction, and travel to visit family.
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We still have 3 other credentialed pastors on staff, as well as many gifted leaders who are ready to support other church members in this time - including our Lifegroup Leaders, Church Board, Ministry Team Leaders, and Prayer Team to name a few! Sabbaticals demonstrate that congregational care is not dependent on one pastor but is spread throughout the church and provided by the many gifted and caring leaders in our community.
If you need a place to start, reach out to gene@anchorbaychurch.org or ethan@anchorbaychurch.org and they can help connect you with the right person or team.
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Our church is gifted with many wise preachers and teachers (seasoned and in training!) and this summer, we’ll have a chance to hear from some of the voices we don’t always get to hear in the pulpit!
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We’re so glad you asked! You can support the church by:
Praying - Pray for the leaders who will be taking on new things this summer and carrying more weight, for the congregation to grow and thrive in fresh ways, and for Pastor Brynn and her husband, Aaron, to have quality time with God, one another, and with good friends and family
Showing Up (& Volunteering to Help) - Don’t use Pastor Brynn’s absence as a chance to take a break from community yourself! This will be a unique summer for us and we need all hands on deck! Continue showing up to Sunday worship services and other community events so that we can grow together as a church.
Having Patience - Our team will be down one full-time staff member, so while spring and summer months tend to be lighter, our team will still be shorter staffed. Additionally, we won’t be making any long-term decisions for the church while Pastor Brynn is away. So please be patient with our team if they take a little longer to respond or connect with you than normal, and if you have a great idea that we’ll need to keep in the parking lot until the fall!
Resting - Lots of us have been through a heavy few years. Make sure you are taking time to rest and recharge throughout the summer.
Giving - If giving has not been a regular practice for you, we’d invite you to consider giving a portion of the financial resources that God has entrusted you with to further the work of the Kingdom on the North Shore and support the on-going every day ministry of our church.