Deep inside, I knew that I was absolutely spent, with nothing left to give.
I hung up the phone angrily after saying some things that were very uncharacteristic of my usual calm demeanor to someone who did not deserve my triggered response. Immediately, I knew something was wrong deep inside of me, but it just did not make sense!
The year was 2001, and I had just returned from a “month off.” I had heard of pastors taking time off, but this had been my first time. After several years of very intense ministry and life experiences, I found myself utterly exhausted and in need of significant time away to recover.
Initially, I refused to use the word “sabbatical” because historically our church had experienced them as punitive experiences that pastors never came back from. Instead, I explained the reason for my time away by describing myself “as close to burnout as anyone could be without being in it.” I thought I was holding burnout at bay.
What I didn’t realize until that fateful phone call was that I was already in burnout and very much in need of an intentional sabbatical. What I learned in the experience is still transforming me to this day.
There are two primary forms of sabbaticals: reactive and proactive. What I experienced in 2001 was a reactive sabbatical, engaged due to a crisis that demanded an almost immediate break from the rigors of ministry to determine the next steps of recovery that would lead to future health.
I regularly encourage pastors to lead their churches in developing a proactive sabbatical policy. A proactive sabbatical is engaged as part of a healthy rhythm versus one that a pastor must do just to survive.
Sabbatical is rooted in the practice of Sabbath, which I addressed in a previous article. My experience counseling pastors during their sabbaticals demonstrates that these breaks are more enriching when a pastor follows a regular Sabbath rhythm.
I regularly encourage pastors to lead their churches in developing a proactive sabbatical policy. A proactive sabbatical is engaged as part of a healthy rhythm versus one that a pastor must do just to survive.
Paul Kuzma
In the Bible, we see a pattern of rest and renewal “every seven years,” which suggests a sabbatical rhythm to life. There was a cycle of rest for land, for it to be left untended so that it could be renewed (Lev. 25:1-7); debts were canceled (Deut. 15:1-3), and society was restored. A further extension is the “Year of Jubilee” happening every 49 years, which was seven cycles of seven years (Lev. 25:8-17).
This isn’t to say that a pastor must take a sabbatical every seven years. But understanding the importance of a sabbatical, and when it’s time to take one, is an important thing to consider.
A pastoral sabbatical is best viewed as an experience not only for the pastor to engage in a break from their church; I believe every church needs a break from its pastor occasionally! While God certainly is at work in the pastor during the sabbatical’s lifecycle, He is surely at work during the sabbatical in the life of His church, as well.
The concept of sabbatical has been newer to the life of The Foursquare Church in the past couple of decades, but several denominations and movements educate their pastors to engage in a sabbatical lifestyle from the beginning of their pastoral ministry journey. Some even expect their pastors and churches to embrace the life-giving rhythm of sabbatical every five to seven years.
If you find yourself ready to explore the journey toward a deeper understanding of a sabbatical rhythm, we have coaches who are experienced and available to assist you. Email us at csreast@foursquare.org, and we will connect you to an available coach for this purpose.
Resources for deeper reflection:
Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest: From Sabbath to Sabbatical and Back Again by Ruth Haley Barton
Sabbaticals Pt. 1: What They Are and Why Every Leader Needs One (podcast with Pete Scazzero)