…is that after they have been at their present church for a stretch of years they would be given a sabbatical.
Various SBC outlets regularly, though not frequently, promote the idea that pastors should take sabbaticals. The latest that I have seen came from Michael Lewis, NAMB’s Executive Director of Pastoral Care and Development in an article: Why Sabbaticals Matter
Only megapastors can “take” sabbatical. If the rest of us average guys want some extended amount of time away from the church we’ve generally had one voluntary route (resign) and one involuntary route (get fired). But we can be “given” a sabbatical by our congregation. I like the idea.
Oddly, the statement is made, “My hope is that your church will fully support you in this by providing continued salary and benefits during this time and by providing for some of your other expenses.” I’m guessing that the average pastor would have difficulty not staying on the payroll, although some churches might appreciate the pastor offering to pay for pulpit supply or a temporarily reduced salary.
I read of megachurch pastors getting an entire summer month off every year. I know of a few large church pastors who have received occasional sabbaticals. But I don’t know of any average sized church pastor who has ever had a sabbatical. Pigs don’t fly and average pastors don’t get sabbaticals.
While my clergy colleagues have been known on occasion to whine about low pay, long hours, gripes in the church family, relentless demands and deadlines for sermons and lessons, unrealistic expectations and the like, as if other occupations do not have similar job stresses, I have come to the place I believe that a long-serving, dedicated, faithful, pastors and staff should be given a longer period of time away from the pulpit and church. Paid, of course.
Being a pastor can be tough, not that it’s ever been easy. Occasionally, someone will share with me their church difficulties. Sometimes the complaint is about the pastor. Regardless of the situation, I find myself responding, “It’s really tough to pastor a church these days.”
The pastor can make his own schedule in a sense and in another sense routine events like planned services and events, regular pastoral visits, and some modicum of office hours have daily and weekly demands that are not subject to rescheduling. Probably a few times a month some unexpected and unplanned event changes the schedule. A few times a year maybe, a major crisis causes the regular personal and pastoral schedule to be discarded. Someone dies and the schedule for the next few days is altered. A catastrophe like a sex abuse case might come along once in a decade and such might change the pastor’s situation for months, perhaps permanently. I’ve heard pastors speak of sudden, unforseen church disasters in terms of BC (before catastrophe) and AC (after catastrophe).
Pastors may be recalled from a vacation. Pastors may have to deal with messes left by predecessor. Pastors may have obstreperous members. Pastors may be forced to live in the church’s house. Most of us have an “almost quitting” story.
All these generate stress.
After he has endured these for some time and has proven his value and worth, a sabbatical would be a good thing.
Little things count for all of us. A church recognized a staff member’s anniversary with the congregation. He was both surprised and elated. No church had ever done that. The October pastor/staff appreciation is good. A sabbatical might be the best thing ever for a pastor.
What would it take for sabbaticals to move from being a megachurch and large church thing to an average church thing? I speculate on a couple of things that it might take:
1. The pastor being comfortable with the idea.
“Who wouldn’t,” one asks? Well, a lot of the brethren wouldn’t. They might be insecure about letting others take up the preaching and pastoral care for a month or two. They might feel an intense sense of duty or obligation that hinders their approaching the subject.
Brother, stop being so mulish and stubborn on this. You don’t have to be a modern day martyr by crashing and burning. Get comfortable with the idea of a sabbatical. Find the right church leader to initiate a discussion and sound him out. I doubt anyone is going to do it for you.
2. The church being comfortable with the idea.
Most working folks don’t get sabbaticals. Why should the pastor? It’s hardly ever admitted outside the clergy guild but sometimes the work is grinding and wears you down. A pastor who has served faithfully for a number of years, who has labored diligently, whose work ethic is known by the church, whose love for the congregation is evident, whose years of service have demonstrated that he is with the congregation for the long haul ought to be considered for a sabbatical.
Deacon chairman, I know you never had a sabbatical and that you worked 50 or so weeks every year for 40 years. God bless you. Considering your faithful pastor for a planned sabbatical is a good thing. It will likely make him a more relaxed pastor, a more effective pastor, and a more enduring pastor. All of these are good for the church.
Ask a school teacher about those summer breaks between school years. I bet the pastor could find some allies among them in his quest for a sabbatical.
I’d vote for it.
Of course, if the pastor is lazy, plagiarizes his sermons, is slack in his pastoral care, intemperate, impatient, unloving, combative, maybe he ought not to bring it up. I have confidence in laypeople knowing who deserves a sabbatical and who doesn’t.
The church where my husband and I are members has sabbatical time built into the pastor’s covenant. It has made a major difference for our pastor. We are blessed to have a deep “bench” of experienced ministers in our congregation, so our congregation continues to be well fed during these rest periods for him. It is a benefit that all churches, big or small, should implement for the long-term spiritual health of their pastor and his family.
May I ask a few questions:
1. What is the attendance and budget range of the church?
2. Is yours an established church or a more recent church plant?
I ask because it sounds like a large church. What I’d like to see are sabbaticals in the 40k congregations that aren’t large or megas.
William,
My church has about 200 members. Our budget is about 4000$ a month or so. Our pastor gets vacation time and also a one week sabbatical per quarter or at least 3 weeks per year. He used his last week to go to a pastor’s conference with the elders and the associate pastor for 3 days. He usually uses his weeks to study the Word and to write.
Would your pastor be bivocational?
There is a lot of education that needs to occur in the average church before this became an accepted practice. Our state convention here is SC will even pay for whoever preaches in the pastor’s absence but the idea it totally foreign to most congregations
The state convention paying for supply during a sabbatical is a great, great idea. I’ve mentioned it over the years but was unaware that any SC had implemented it.
Actually William, I wasn’t aware of it until this morning. Posted the article you referenced on Facebook last night and through the conversation that occurred a member of our convention made us aware of it. I’m positive it’s not a well known policy and should be part of the education process
A friend of mine in a (400ish) size church will be enjoying an 8-week sabbatical this Summer. He is an associate pastor for music & discipleship. I believe he has been at his church for 10 years. I think it’s great.
Our Pastor will be reach 10 years in less than 2 years. When that time comes, I will likely be the one at the lead of a push to give him a sabbatical. It might be a hard sell.
1. I wonder what you all might say to those who would object?
2. I wonder if the NEED for extended sabbaticals is not driven by unrealistic expectations, both by churches, and by pastors themselves, that a pastor work himself raw 60-80 hours a week? Perhaps with a more healthy view and limits on his role, a man could pastor a church for 30-40 years, and never feel the need for 8 weeks away…if he has been able that entire time to have adequate family time during each week, and several good, real vacation weeks each year?
Why might it be a hard sell?
If the pastor has worked hard, done well; if the church is moving along smoothly; if the pastor has established those deep and meaningful relationshios with leadership and members, I’m not grasping why it would be a hard sell.
If the pastor has used up most of his bank of goodwill; if the church generally feels that his work is done and it’s time for a change; if he has been irresponsible and unaccountble; if he has been phoning it in for some time now, then severance rather than sabbatical might be an easier sell. You know, not I.
On your second point, it is toughter to pastor in a time of generally declining church membership etc., but my WWII generation pastor colleagues never had any expectation of doing anything other that preaching and working 50 or so Sundays year-after-year. Altered expectations are found in both pastor and pew.
Nonetheless, I favor a sabbatical for brethren who have served long and well in a church.
The hard sell would not be any fault of the pastor, rather simply that some who have worked long and hard at their proffessions without such a break might wonder the point.
Requires a sales pitch. If you think the pastor deserving you probably know what to say. A sabbatical doesn’t have to be 6 months or 3 months. A one month stretch out of the pulpit could be refreshing.
BTW, whose idea was the sabbatical after ten years? If that’s not workable, give him another vacation week or a $40k bass boat or something.
At the church I pastor, pastoral staff (including the lead pastor) get a 4 week sabbatical after 5 years, and the lead pastor’s sabbatical will extend by 2 weeks every 5 years, capping at 3 months away.
We’re asked to take time away for 3 things: rest, family time, and to study both the Scriptures and other ministries.
I’m a year and a half away from my sabbatical!
We are a re-plant, and I built this into our re-planting process.
Thanks, Jeremy. What size budget and attendance?
“If I were pastor…” one of the things I would do is try to raise up pastoral replacements. That is, I would pray for men inside the church to have the willingness to grow in the ministry such that they will be willing to be mentored to be fellow teachers and preachers as well as visiting, praying, and even marrying, burying, baptizing, etc. The idea is to have a deep bench and strong spiritual leadership in the church in the event something happens to the pastor like a physical emergency, imprisonment for preaching the truth (that kind of persecution may be closer than we think), or even just taking sabbatical. Too many churches rise and fall because their pastor comes and goes. It should never be about the pastor.
I’ll get around to sabbatical after I start taking my vacation in smarter ways.
I pastor a church of 50 with a budget of $55,000. I’ve been the pastor for 6 years this summer. A few months back, I asked the church to approve a 6 week sabbatical for the pastor to be used after every 6 years of service. It was approved unanimously, but I heard of some chatter concerning it afterwards, mostly from people who were not at the meeting which approved it. I’m planning on taking my first sabbatical in January or February. I plan, in the weeks leading up to it, to teach on how great it will be for all of us, the whole church, and how thankful I am that the church loves me and my family enough to give us this time. Please pray that it goes well, as I’m still a little nervous about it all, even though I know it will benefit my ministry.
I think that’s a great idea and one that will benefit you and the church, Jeremy.
Are you part time and/or bivo?
I’m full time. I’m only the second full time the church has ever had. I’ve reminded the church time and time again that I have no intention of ever leaving, and that I believe God gave me this desire to stay. They needed to hear this. And it helped to establish a good relationship of trust. But I wonder if it also caused some to take it for granted that I would always be there, so they don’t see the need to try to retain me with “perks” such as sabbaticals.
Sorry I got your name wrong.
It is the rare church that always remembers things that might be helpful and beneficial to the pastor. Relative to pay and benefits, I considered that part of my role was to educate church leaders about things like inflation (not much of a problem now but a big issue early in my ministry), housing allowance (and lost equity), vacations, insurance, retirement planning…stuff like that. I didn’t make demands but occasionally asked church leaders to “consider” increasing my retirement contribution that the church made in conjunction with any pay raises (or to make a retirement contribution of X% of the pastor’s salary and housing allowance). Church leaders almost always responded positively.
God bless you.
My first reaction is that mega-church pastors can take sabbaticals because many aren’t really pastors. They’re CEOs who preach.
Having gotten that off my chest, I’m not opposed to the idea, but I think the gap should be filled by folk within the congregation.
One way to make it easier is the Lilly Foundation Clergy renewal program. Through both national and Indiana grants, the Lilly foundation provides up to 50,000 to eligible churches (15,000 can be used for the church itself) to allow their pastors to take a sabbatical. There are specific guidelines for how the money can be used, but I know several SBC pastors who have taken advantage of this great program!
Check it out here: http://www.cpx.cts.edu/renewal
I’ve looked into that. I’ve never heard of an average size SBC church pastor doing it. I like it but it still has the impediment of getting the church on board. Doable…worth trying. Thanks for reminding me of it.
The pastors I know that have gone had memberships less than 200. One had a membership less than 100.
Also, it’s easier to get a church on board when it doesn’t cost them anything (i.e., Lilly pays for the supply preaching, etc)
Most of the Churches around this neck of the woods would NOT be for a sabbatical. This is something totally foreign to them. And, the fact of the matter is….most of them think that the Church pays the Pastor too much, and he gets off too much, as it is. Sadly, that’s just the truth. I think a pastor taking a sabbatical every 5 years is a great idea….say like, give the Pastor a month off….paid time off….and, the Church pay for the supply preacher. But, getting a lot of churches to see this would be like pulling teeth without any pain killers….IMHO.
David
David, I’d bet that your church would show their appreciation of you in some non-traditional fashion if they had an idea what would be appropriate for your tenure and record of service to them.
Of course, if you’re always out at a UT game or fishing or hunting or golfing…maybe not. But I’d bet you are a good pastor.
A sabbatical IS foreign to the average congregation and when I write on the subject I try not to be like what is usual in this – a big church pastor writing for other big church pastors.
Finances are tough in many (most?) average sized congregations these days. Pastors have gone without pay increases for years. One alternative to (not a substitute for) that is to say, “Pastor, we can give you that pay increase but we would be glad for you to take a stretch off and we will take care of things here while you rest, recharge, get some fresh ideas…stuff like that.”
I think many people misunderstand what a sabbatical is. It’s not a vacation. It’s a time for certain kinds of people in academic positions to study, write, or do some kind of travel that would enhance their work that they wouldn’t be able to do otherwise. So they get a break from the normal rigors and pursue some fresh enrichment. We sent our senior pastor on a sabbatical a few years ago and he took the time to visit people that we have made contact with over the years doing mission work in a key part of the world.
If I’m in the pew I’m seeing the sabbatical as my pastor vacating his regular job. In a sense I would be ambivalent about exactly what he did. I might hope that he wouldn’t go to some monastery and come back as an ascetic preaching asbout how worldly the rest of us are.
If I had a month or longer, I’d arrange to be overseas like your pastor.
I’ve often thought that a month or longer pulpit exchange with another pastor in a different part of the country or world would be good. Not exactly a sabbatical but a change for both pastors and churches.
I think you’re right in that’s what most people see. They see the pastor “vacating” and they see it as his “regular job”. Practically speaking, there’s some truth to that perception.
But in a more real sense, it’s not a job as such that can be vacated. Biblically speaking, pastors are a gift from God to the Church. Just as a pastor is called to tend a flock that belongs to Jesus, that flock should take care of the gift that’s been given to them. In part, that means seeing to his enrichment. Inasmuch as he is enriched, they are enriched.
The pastor exchange is an interesting concept, particularly between churches across international borders. I wouldn’t want to do it between two different American churches. That could be disastrous. But I also wouldn’t want to consider it a sabbatical, although there are elements that are sabbaticalish. Our church often recognizes visiting ministers from overseas giving them an opportunity to address the church, and also to have a time of prayer for them and their ministry.
I know of a church where the pastor received a 2 month sabbatical after around 10 years of service – he took that time, in part to travel to churches he’d sent resumes to and within a short time of his return resigned.
That church still offers sabbaticals but now requires the pastor to repay the church for the sabbatical should he resign within a certain amount of time afterward.
I think it’s a good idea, and most would not take advantage like this guy – but it’s a reality that should be considered.
Also this idea should come from and arise from laity not a pastor. Any “sell job” will likely be better received that way.
About 3 or 4 years ago, I reached a point of personal and ministerial burnout. I met with my deacons and told them I was spent. I took off in my car for 3 weeks. Jenni went with me for part of it, but I went by myself for a couple of weeks, saw my daughter in Cedarville and my grandkids in Virginia and Boston. I was out of the pulpit for 3 Sundays.
It was a time of restoration for me, and turned things around for me.
A pastor needs two or three weeks of vacation a year – in a row (this is an opinion, not a dictate from heaven). My problem has been that I am taking my vacation in bits and pieces. I used to take my family to Florida (when my parents had a big house in Kissimmee) for 3 weeks every summer. Don’t do that anymore and I think I need to. We need to just go away for 2 or 3 weeks.
My dream vacation (very expensive) would be to go to Israel and volunteer at either the Jerusalem Prayer Center or the Nazareth Village for about a month.
My “getaways” in recent years have been mission trips to Taiwan or Senegal, or trips to Israel. Great times, but when I get home, I am anything but refreshed.
Good advice…get several Sunday’s off consecutively.
I took my first sabbatical last Fall. It was great. What led up to it?
1. I was having failing health due to a thyroid crash and having a hard time getting over it
2. Our former DOM was filling the pulpit for me when I was out of town for a Sunday and he took 5 minutes at the end of the service to explain the benefits of a sabbatical.
3. Our chairman of deacons is a grown PK and a mercy.
4. We now have a sabbatical policy for all ministerial staff.
5. Get others to help you communicate it. It will be less awkward.
6. But there is no getting around the fact that some will not understand.
7. But some would not understand nearly everything.
8. Show true gratefulness for whatever is given.
9. I would be glad to help you communicate the benefits to your congregation or send you our sabbatical policy (we may sit down and look at it again – I am interested in going to shorter sabbaticals at say 5 years rather than 4 months at 7 years – but I will take whatever they give.)
10. My church is better to me than I deserve.
Mechanics of it:
1. I was gone for almost 4 months. Wow! Couldn’t believe the gift they gave. Chairman of deacons originally suggested 6 months, but I said I couldn’t do it that long. 4 months was outrageously generous.
2. I have 10 or more fathers in our church who can do at least one message (I regularly charge our men to read the Bible to their families at home, which also means that many of them now go beyond just reading the Bible and I conducted a men’s discipleship group where among other things I walked them through the process of studying and preparing an expositional message). I filled the 15 Sundays half with Baptist guys from the association and state office and the other half of the Sundays with guys from our church who preached through Titus.
3. So it cost the church very little – 7 honorariums (we only have Sunday morning services)
4. I do have an Associate Pastor, so that certainly helped.
5. Wednesday night messages were done by teenage interns I have trained to preach short messages.
6. After this experience, I would agree with Dave that if you can’t manage to receive sabbaticals right now, at least take the bulk of your vacation in one chunk so you get away more. And for smart phone addicts like me (my wife was shopping for perfume that smells like an iPhone), find someway to disconnect for a while.
I don’t know what the industry standard is for professors, but I believe at SEBTS they grant Sabbaticals in proportion to the weekly Sabbath – that is, one semester off for every 6 semesters worked (or one whole year for every 6 years worked). Now, that seems like a long time off when they also get a lengthy Christmas break, portions of summers, etc. But it’s not as if they are not expected to work – they report back to class with journal articles and books published and have plenty of new content for courses.
I’m guessing that sabbaticals make the academic class seem overly generous. I know these aren’t highly paid folks as a rule but the gap between an average pastor in regard to pay and benefits is quite wide.
Seems like the case could be easily made that the value of a sabbatical would be far greater for the hardworking, long serving and suffering pastor.
But it’s not as if we have to choose between them.