Planning a Sabbatical Policy
I first heard about pastoral sabbaticals when reading biographies of British pastors. The idea sounded intriguing yet about as far away as a foot journey to the British Isles from my early pastorates. I did well to get a week or two of vacation, perhaps a week away for a conference, and maybe a little extra time during Christmas holiday. But a study leave where I could devote attention to a subject of interest while others took care of the pastoral responsibilities . . . um, no, that wasn’t even on the radar.
Thankfully, over the past five decades, some churches have recognized that the weight of mental and emotional toll on pastors cannot be eased by a yearly vacation.[1] With some adaptations, churches in the U.S. have begun to follow the sabbatical concept in academic circles (32% of churches in 2021, according to a LifeWay research study).[2] While the common one or two semesters for sabbaticals in academia may not be warranted in church settings, a few weeks, or months sabbatic period can provide a restorative tonic for those in pastoral ministry.
Although sabbaticals are getting traction, they’ve not become the norm for every church. I’ve had multiple conversations with pastors on how to broach the subject with their leadership (elders, deacons, boards) to make it a policy for long-term pastoral benefits. How might pastors lead their churches to establish sabbaticals in the church’s pastoral policies? Let me offer a few thoughts to assist the process.
1. DO YOUR HOMEWORK
Practically, what is a sabbatical, why might it be important, and why should the church grant sabbaticals as investments in pastoral care? Put it in writing as a proposal for your leadership.
Previously, one-year academic sabbaticals were granted to tenured professors after seven years of teaching, but now it’s more common for a six-month sabbatical after three-and-a-half years of teaching. Lest anyone think, “Wow! Six months’ vacation!” let’s reel that thought back. Academic sabbaticals are given for research and writing, with most professors providing a sabbatical plan to their administration before it’s granted. Often, they churn out a new book as fruit of the institution’s investment in their sabbatical. True, they’re not in the classroom but they’re pursuing what they love to do: researching and writing on their given field of study, while improving their teaching depth.
Pastors don’t have an academic schedule, yet they regularly face the demands of producing significant material for sermons, bible studies, lectures, small group meetings, and discipleship groups, simultaneously being responsible for administration, counseling, leadership, and a host of other responsibilities. In other words, the mental wear-and-tear along with the emotional drain of dealing with serious issues in the church, take a toll on pastors. Can they tough it out? Yes, some do, and do so well. Others finally get enough and either grow cynical of the ministry or move from church to church to recycle material and avoid trouble or leave the ministry for a less demanding job.
That’s why a sabbatical for “tenured” pastors is a church investment in pastoral health and longevity. It’s a pause button for pastors to catch their breath, to relax the brain sinews, and shift emotional focus for a period so that they can return refreshed and prepared for the years ahead. It must be valued as an investment in pastoral longevity.
We see the basis for this kind of rest when the Twelve returned from their labors after being sent into villages bearing the gospel. After giving their report, Jesus told them, “Come away by yourselves to a remote place and rest for a while.” Then Mark explains, “For many people were coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat” (Mark 6:30–31). We cannot argue that this period constituted a sabbatical, yet it obviously sets forth the sabbatic principle. You can only wind the spring so far before it breaks. Determining the span for that break with each pastor’s capacity, circumstances, and demands should be the responsibility of fellow elders on behalf of the congregation. Just as Jesus peered into the lives of his disciples and knew they needed to come apart from the intensity of ministry labors, lay elders need to keep such an eye on the staff elders to make sure they have good rhythms for longevity in ministry. That includes regular days off, vacations, conferences, and sabbaticals.
Research the sabbatical practices of churches like yours to see what might fit well for your context (below are some article links on sabbaticals from 9Marks and TGC).[3] Generosity in time is welcomed, of course, but easing into a sabbatic rhythm with the church might be a good way to introduce it to them. In other words, I’d rather have some sabbatical period even if not the ideal than none. My first sabbatical was for two weeks with the goal of writing—and I was required to preach in the middle. That was a start to work the idea into the congregational mind. Unlike businesses that have profit sharing and work bonuses, churches don’t operate on that basis. But a church can express their support for their pastors by rewarding them with periodic sabbaticals.
2. EDUCATE THE ELDERS AND/OR DEACONS AND CONGREGATION
Once you’ve done your homework, it’s time to educate the elders or leadership board on why a sabbatical would be a good idea. Provide articles on the subject. If you can get some testimonies from other pastors on the usefulness of sabbaticals, pass them along to your leadership team. I generally wrote a small article or bullet points on what I did on sabbatical so that I could report to the church. Cobble together some of those pastoral notes from friends that demonstrate the working-resting-restoring-refreshing aspects of sabbaticals. Part of the reason I find this important is because sabbaticals seem to be a foreign concept in many circles. If the pastor is away, then it’s deemed another vacation in the congregation’s mind. But sabbaticals are not vacations. Will they provide rest and relaxation? Yes, they should, but they have a spiritual end in this extended period for soul needs, kingdom purposes, increased education and training, strengthening marriage, or preparing for future labors in the church.
The biggest challenge may be teaching the congregation on why a sabbatical is not just reserved for the academy. Remember, the church is the one who grants the sabbatical as part of their pastoral benefits package. So, they need to see the rationale, have access to some of the articles the elders read, and maybe even invite another pastor in to speak on the need for pastoral rest and soul refreshment. They need to understand that sabbaticals are not vacations. That will take some educating to help them to grasp that you will be doing planned work on sabbatical, along with personal soul care, family attention, and rest.
The aim will be to return from sabbatical with renewed zeal for the labors at your church. It’s not a time to candidate at another church out of dissatisfaction with your present ministry. If you plan to do that, do it before the sabbatical lest the church think of sabbaticals as exit strategies.
3. ESTABLISH THE POLICY
Who will get the sabbatical? Will it just be the lead pastor or also associate pastors? Will the church’s non-paid lay elders be included in sabbatical policies?
How long must one serve to be granted a sabbatical? Will the pastor(s) accrue a certain number of weeks each year of service to be taken as a sabbatical after 3-years, 5-years, or 7-years of service? Or will the church have a policy of a specific number of weeks or months at given intervals?
There’s not one right way to do sabbaticals. Think about your context. You may have a friend that has been granted an extraordinarily long sabbatical period. But trying to do that in your setting might backfire. Be reasonable. Will you accrue one-week, two-weeks, or three-weeks every year to be used in consultation with the elders and approved by the church? Will there be a limit on how many weeks you can be gone during any calendar year?
Just as an example, a church I pastored established a sabbatical practice, granting one month leave for the first five years and two months for the pastor’s 10th anniversary and beyond. The associate pastors had one month for every five-year anniversary. The church where I’m now a member generously grants three-weeks per year that may be accumulated up to five years. Pastors must use accrued weeks within five years or forfeit that period’s benefit.
Make sure the sabbatical policy is included in your polity documents. It needs to spell out that the pastor on sabbatical will continue to receive salary and benefits. As a huge plus, if the church is able, give some flexibility for the pastor to have his sabbatical away from the community where he serves by the church budgeting travel, lodging, and perhaps some other expenses covered while traveling on sabbatical. [4] It would be counterproductive for a pastor to cover all his expenses out of his regular salary and return in a financial hole. Treat it like a convention or conference expense, except for most meals. During my sabbaticals, my wife and I covered our meals, except in traveling to our destination and returning, and those times we entertained someone as a ministry act while on sabbatical. The church graciously covered our travel and lodging.
When you add kids to the sabbatical period, then think in terms of how they will profit from dad being out of the daily routine of pastoral ministry. Make them a big part of your plans with side trips, hikes, recreation, and meals together. If you’re staying local, discuss with them about preferences for visiting other churches or staying at your church. It’s okay for them to remain at your church while you visit others. During a couple of in-town sabbaticals, my wife and kids chose to stay at our church while I visited some local congregations. It worked out great for all of us.
4. MAKE THE SABBATICAL PLANS
It’s important to have a purpose for your sabbatical. Definitely, get some rest, have a change of scenery, unplug from the communication line at the church, refocus on marriage and family, and restore the weary body and mind. But don’t treat it like a vacation! Develop a plan that fits your present and future needs. Here are some ideas:
Plan visits to like-minded churches to learn from their leadership and ministry practices.
Travel to an international mission location to serve alongside a national or international worker.
Attend a marriage enrichment retreat and/or meet with couples whose marriages you want to emulate and get their counsel. Read some books on marriage and discuss together how you might strengthen your marriage.
Set up a personal spiritual renewal plan that includes long seasons of prayer, meditating on Scripture, reading devotional material, and/or visiting with spiritual mentors who can encourage you in your walk with Christ.
Take a seminary class. It’s easier to do this now with many seminaries offering block periods of a week or two for a seminar intensive.
Work on finishing a degree. A few months off coordinated around available seminars can be a great way to be refreshed during sabbatical.
Work on a dissertation. I found sabbatical time invaluable for me in hammering out a large portion of my dissertation.
Engage in some long-anticipated writing projects for personal enrichment, journals, magazines, or publishers.
You may be physically and emotionally exhausted, so that the best thing you can do is to rest, read, pray, meditate, and be with family. You don’t have to have a rigid plan but have an outline of what you hope to read, how you’ll organize your week, and where you might travel. Becoming a “couch potato” is not a wise plan. But exercising, eating well, resting, sleeping late, reading, catching up on good podcasts, and spending time with your family is a worthy goal.
Regardless of the plans that you make, don’t cram every moment into the plan. Let it be a sabbatical so that you withdraw from the normal patterns of life and work. Refrain from working at the same pace that you’ve done for years in ministry. Work diligently but give attention to rest and refreshment too. I can remember returning from sabbatical and hearing repeated comments from our members to my wife and me, “You look rested.” That meant we used the sabbatical well.
During one sabbatical period I worked on preparing for my comprehensive exams; another I worked on a dissertation; another I focused on taking a deep dive on a theological subject with research and writing. The sabbaticals allowed me to give undivided attention to areas that I could not do as readily in my normal ministry patterns.[5]
My normal plan included getting up at the same time daily, enjoying a long and intense devotional time, and then heading to work on my project for the sabbatical. At times, I was able to have a place outside my home for a particular project, such as a friend’s office. Other times, I retreated to my home study for my labors. Yet other occasions my wife and I would leave our community where we could truly unplug. I followed my daily plan, including meeting my wife for lunch, then finished up a bit past mid-afternoon, to give more family and leisure time. My wife and I generally took long walks at the end of my day’s work. My goal was to have around six-hours focused research or study each day, giving ample time for rest, refreshment, and reconnecting.
Let the church know an outline of your plans before your sabbatical begins. That gives you some accountability and it gives the congregation points to pray for you as you follow the plans. They’ve made an investment in you and your ministry, so let them know the fruit of that investment. Don’t give any reason for the church to think you’re taking advantage of time away without specific goals for that time.
5. REPORT TO THE CHURCH
While giving a more detailed, personal report to the elders, give a summary report to the church upon returning, either verbally or in writing. This helps them to see the value of what was accomplished, e.g., writing articles, research and writing on a book, book reading list, interviewing other pastors, visiting other churches, soul nurturing, conversations, taking a seminary course, etc. Allow the church to feel a part of your sabbatical by reporting on what you did accomplish out of their generosity and care. You need not share with them intimate details of ministry exhaustion, feeling close to burn-out, and hanging on by a thread until sabbatical. They just need to know some of the ways the time away helped.
If you have a weekly church update via email or mail, then midway through the sabbatical, send a short note to let them know your appreciation, what you’re working on, and how they can pray for the balance of your time.
CONCLUSION
A pastor doesn’t have to receive a sabbatical to continue strong in ministry. Many have proven that point. But a church’s investment in the pastor by granting periodic sabbaticals can be a means to encourage longevity while guarding the pastor’s spiritual, mental, and emotional health. See sabbaticals as wise and gracious gifts by the congregation rather than something you deserve. A humble posture toward the gift of a sabbatical will go a long way in the church seeing the prudence of establishing a sabbatical policy.
[1] See Jared Wilson, “Pastor, Take a Break Before You Quit,” https://research.lifeway.com/2022/02/09/pastor-take-a-break-before-you-quit/.
[2] https://research.lifeway.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Pastor-Protection-Quantitative-Report-Final.pdf.
[3] See the following articles. Garrett Kell: https://www.9marks.org/article/sabbaticals-for-the-shepherds/; Brian Croft: https://www.9marks.org/article/ten-steps-to-a-more-fruitful-sabbatical/; Matt Schmucker: https://www.9marks.org/article/caring-pastor-sabbatical/. Ligon Duncan: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/video/duncan-sabbitacals/; John Starke: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/video/importance-regular-sabbatical/
[4] For example, Practical Shepherding has a ministry called “Shepherd’s House” to provide short-term, free lodging for sabbaticals or pastoral getaways. See https://practicalshepherding.com/shepherdshouse for more information.
[5] Here’s my counsel to one pastor for priorities on his sabbatical:
Don’t over plan but be reasonable What will help your soul? What will prepare you for the next stretch of ministry?
Don’t sleep in but have a set time daily to get up and go deep in devotion time before anything else.
Have either planned reading and/or writing. Don’t try to build Rome while doing it. Have a steady, daily pace.
Enjoy your family during the season.
What do you want to achieve? A writing project? Rest and spiritual priorities? Deep dive in a theological or ecclesiastical subject? Read through a systematic theology? Read through a set of Puritan works?
Plan and adjust as warranted where you over planned.
Read Wise Counsel: John Newton’s Letters to John Ryland Jr. (Grant Gordon, editor)— good on shepherding and pastoring.
