At the recent NCD Lead Pastor Prayer gathering on January 9th, acting EFCA President Carlton Harris shared 11 challenges to ministry with those gathered. The first challenge he shared was the emotional and spiritual health of pastors and a serious lack of rest. This is something that is all too common in our harried and stressed world. As we think about resting in ministry, the topic of sabbatical often comes up, and almost immediately two questions arise: “Why?” and “How?” Unfortunately, due to the scope and situational specificity, I will not even attempt to answer the “How” question here. The “Why” is another matter.
The simple answer to the “Why?” question can be addressed with a little self-evaluation:
- Are you having trouble focusing on tasks or people, even those closest to you?
- Are you feeling burned-out due to isolation and the stress of ministry?
- Have you lost the joy and passion you once had for ministry?
- Are you dealing with depression, anxiety, or addiction?
- Have you seriously considered leaving ministry?
- Have you recently doubted your faith in a significant way?
If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, you could be in need of a restorative sabbatical.
In our current ministry world, the expectations are high, and the interconnectedness due to smart phones and computers make it almost impossible to unplug and catch our breath. This leads to a draining condition called “Continuous Partial Attention,” a state in which we are pulled in several directions simultaneously and we never have the opportunity to hit the pause button which leads to the spiritual and emotional fatigue Carlton Harris spoke of. This is why a Sabbatical can be essential in the long-term health and resilience of a pastor and therefore their ministry.
The weight of ministry stress tends to accumulate over time while the demands on our time pull us away from the important things that keep us healthy, such as prayer, solitude, reflection, and connections. An intentional sabbatical allows us to pull over for a season and reconnect with those things that are most important. Pastor and author Eugene Peterson describes the importance of a sabbatical well:
“If we are going to take sabbaticals, let them be real sabbaticals: a willed passivity in order to be restored to alert receptivity to spirit-prayer, silence, solitude, worship…The original intent of sabbath is a time to be silent and listen to God, not attend lectures; a time to be in solitude and be with God, not “interact” with fatigued peers. If help is to be given to the pastor in midcourse, it is not going to come by infusion of intellect but by renewal of spirit.” (Christianity Today Leadership Journal, Winter 1988)
The Lord Jesus calls us into this sweet connection in Matthew 11:28-30:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
In the words of my late dear friend and mentor, Jim Anderson, this type of rest gives us the space to stop being human-doings and become human-beings again. It gives us the space to reconnect our withered branch back into the Vine (John 15:5) and learn to abide in Him again. In a classic, possibly painful, pastoral alliteration, here are the goals of a good sabbatical:
- Rest: Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional.
- Relationships: God, Family, Friends, Self.
- Revelation: Internal Processing of the Word and the heart.
- Recreation: Have some Fun!
- Retooling: Increase your skill set.
All of this is why the NCD encourages pastoral sabbaticals for all its pastors, lay staff, and churches. In the last 12 years, the NCD has seen our pastors take over 100 restorative, strategic sabbaticals, representing approximately 24% of our pastors and 48% of the NCD Churches. When we consider the impact sabbaticals have on the health of our pastors, churches, and the Kingdom, it is something we want everyone to explore.
But what about the question of “How?” For some initial sabbatical information, please see our Sabbatical QuickGuide. The NCD staff is available to help you brainstorm and problem solve to help make a sabbatical a reality for you. Each sabbatical will uniquly fit the indivudal, context, and church. Please connect with myself or anyone else on staff. We are here to to aid the NCD family in living as human-beings.
In Christ,
NCD Pastoral Care