- Tunnel Hill FMC (Wabash Conference) 2 years [Student/Pastor]
- Jeannette FMC (Pittsburgh Conference) 2 years
- McClellandtown FMC (Pittsburgh Conference) 4 years
- Oakland FMC (Pittsburgh Conference) 13 years
- Spencerville FMC (Maryland/Virginia Conference) 2 1/2 years
- Cornerstone FMC (Ohio Conference) 5 1/2 years [Lead Associate]
- New Middletown FMC (Ohio Conference) 9 years
- Teaching English in China (VISA Department) 3 years
- Kittanning FMC (Pittsburgh Conference) 2 years [Part-time]
Toward the end of my tenure at New Middletown, I felt a growing need for a sabbatical leave. I researched the topic and cleared the idea with my conference leadership and then began to cultivate the idea of a six month sabbatical with my Board. Gradually, they came to embrace the concept and we put a plan in place that would allow me to step away in the early spring of 2012. My plan was to embrace the long-held dream of backpacking the Appalachian Trail!
But, my preaching and personal development had also begun to move me toward a missions experience. God had begun to ignite a passion in me for working in an environment that would put me in contact with spiritually lost people. With much pain, I surrendered the sabbatical and left a healthy, vibrant ministry for one, two, then three years of teaching English in northeast China!
I know I made the right choice. My years in China were three of the best years of my life! However, it was difficult to give up the hiking dream...
Just this morning I had a conversation with a fellow pastor who retired a year ago. He is about six years younger than me, but had endured a difficult appointment and felt the need for respite. However, after having a year of "doing other things", he is re-engaging in ministry! Here's another example of a pastor who needed a sabbatical and had to find his own way of getting it.
He stated to me: "Harold, the only way that a pastor can get a sabbatical is to either have a heart attack or a moral failure." What a shocking and sad statement.
Since I'm coming to the end of my official career, I can speak more straightforward than others. Being a pastor is hard work! It requires a wide array of skills:
- public speaking
- diplomacy
- leadership
- change agent
- counseling
- negotiating
- teaching
- vision-casting
- wisdom
- tact
Add to this the 21st century demand to be technologically savy and the need to be outgoing.
Some would say that vacations should more than meet the need for rest and restoration. However, the work I had to do to prepare for vacations was significant. Plus, I was called home from vacations for funerals and other emergencies quite a number of times (mostly when my family was young). I recently realized that in all my years of ministry, I have never taken two weeks off in a row. Trust me: vacations don't do it!
Needless to say, our ecclesiastical leaders don't promote it! I'm sure they see the burn-out; I'm confident they have to deal with the aftermath of moral failures. Yet their burden of stimulating and sustaining growth seems to overshadow any tendency to promote sabbaticals.
Yet, a practice of sabbatical leave could reinvigorate pastors and extend their ministry years! My friend told of a very successful pastor who told him that he could have served longer if the church had provided a sabbatical leave to give him opportunity for restoration.
One of my literary mentors, Henry Nouwen, created his own sabbatical by moving himself to a small parish in the mountains of a Latin American country for several years. Some of his most effective writing came as a result of this experience!
Even now, I admit that I never intended to retire at age 65. To some extent, my retirement surprises me. I truly thought that I would continue until I was at least 70. But, I have been disappointed by the rigors of being a "commuting pastor". Living one place and pastoring in another has been difficult. Being away from my wife and home for three days a week has been challenging.
I've already indicated (in another blog post) that I am conflicted about this transition. I wonder if, like my friend, I might find myself wanting 'back in' a year from now? We'll see.
But for now, I choose to speak on behalf of my peers. The value of a sabbatical leave for pastors needs to be reconsidered. The evidence is in:
- being a pastor is a high-pressure role that can lead to burn-out.
- churches tend to flourish when they have long-term leadership.
- experiencing a pastoral change interrupts a church's growth and stability.
Perhaps the best way to get a new pastor is by giving your current pastor a sabbatical leave. You might be pleasantly surprised at how innovative, fresh, excited and passionate s/he could be after a period where s/he is free to follow pursuits that captivate them.
Some pastors will use this time to continue their education. Others may take an extended vacation or may travel. Perhaps a few might turn to writing. I've read of more than a few who decided to hike the Appalachian Trail! :-) I don't think it matters what they do or how they use the time. Relief from responsibility is the key!
I challenge any church leaders who may read this to more seriously consider the value of sabbatical leave for pastors under their care. I encourage them to lend their significant influence to any pastor pursuing this possibility.
I also challenge you who are parsihoners to have an open mind if your pastor ever raises this subject. Why not ask your pastor what he thinks about this blog post? Perhaps you could advocate for a sabbatical for your pastor. There are no set rules for sabbaticals; some might appreciate a month while others might need a more extended time (three to six months).
With so many people's lives being influenced, it seems a valuable topic to be considered.
As for me: I guess you could say that I've engineered my own sabbatical by retiring a good bit before I ever thought I would...
Stay tuned! We'll see what develops in the future...
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