Tag Archives: sabbath

Challenge, Encouragement, Issues of the Day, Leadership, Men, Women

Need a Sabbatical?

Recently I was requested by a local church to speak about sabbaticals. Why should we have them or not have them? Some churches have instituted them and some avoid them like a disease. Why are there such different beliefs about sabbaticals? 

When I first began to study sabbaticals and talk to leaders about them, I seemed to receive two opposing responses: 1. We don’t need them. We’re to work six days and then rest on one. Take your vacation and your day off and you’ll be fine. 2. I know what burnout is and apparently God knew the potential as well. He created the weekly sabbath and the 7-year break; it must be important to Him. 

Who’s correct? Well, both in different ways. Yes, take your day off and yes, take your vacations; keep your work, rest, play, worship in balance and you’ll be fine. The problem is most ministry leaders do not incorporate this level of balance in their life. In fact, MarketWatch reports that 51% of those who earn annual vacations don’t even take them. To those who have taken a sabbatical, they are convinced this is a plan from God for mankind. 

Busyness is not necessarily godliness. Busyness can rob us of what is truly important: relationship with God and man. We can be so busy that we become disconnected. The most valuable resource you have is time. Don’t waste it!

Sabbaticals are not for those who are totally burned out; they need intervention. Sabbaticals are an offensive tool designed to provide a time out. We see the concept of a time out on the athletic field; why not in the ministry field? Why do churches allow their leaders to burn out trying to heal everyone? It’s an old mentality that says, “Get all we can from them because we hired them to take care of us.” That is a “hireling” mentality.

We are not called to be hirelings, but rather equippers of the saints. Ephesians 4:12-13 reveals we are to prepare God’s people for the work of service to the body of Christ to become mature. We teach, we train, we counsel to bring those we serve to maturity so they can go and do likewise. 

Before you push back and tell me the sabbath is an Old Testament principle only, let me remind you that Jesus also discussed the sabbath. He said in Mark 2 that the sabbath was made for man, not man made for the sabbath and then He said that He was Lord of the sabbath. The sabbath is no longer a burden of rules and regulations, but rather rest, refreshment, and a blessing for mankind. Jesus said, we were to come to Him in our weariness because His burden is light and He’ll give us rest. (See Matthew 11:28-30.) 

He’ll give us rest. I love that reminder! 

Would you like to read a book on taking a sabbatical. Here is one I would recommend. :)

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Challenge, Encouragement, Healing, Issues of the Day, Leadership, Training

Leadership Fatigue and Burnout

I can recall an important part of a message that I heard many years ago. I remember one small but impacting statement the speaker made. It went like this: “If the evil one cannot move you away from God, he’ll push you into God!”

What does that mean? 

It means he is relentless at letting you know you’re not doing enough, not praying enough, not studying the Bible enough, and not testifying enough. If he can push you to believe these lies, he can discourage you and cause you to think you simply are not enough. 

The end result is spiritual exhaustion, physical depletion and emotional discouragement. And that can affect your work, your ministry, your marriage and your family. In the last decade over 29,000 evangelical pastors have left the pastorate. Lifeway Research has noted that 71% of churches have no plan for sabbaticals; 66% lack a support group for the pastor’s family and 33% do not have a list of counselors for referrals. 

Leaders burn out, fail and fall. Our leaders are sheep as well and we all need shepherds in our life. 

That’s where sabbaticals come in. It’s not a new idea, just one that is rarely utilized. In the Monterey Herald newspaper article “Beating Burnout,” writer Cindy Kirschner Goodman reports, “Among the Fortune 100 Best Places to Work, 22 companies boast of offering a fully paid sabbatical.” She writes, “These companies find if they don’t do something, their workers will burn out and leave, or even worse burn out and stay.”

A sabbatical is preventative medicine. It is some of the best preventative medicine/maintenance a company or a ministry can initiate for their long-term, full-time workers. 

So, how is it done? I believe in and have written about a four-phase approach:

  1. Disengage and Rest – Disengage from life as normal and then engage in what will provide rest to you physically, mentally and spiritually.
  2. Retooling and Refocusing – After rest, one is often ready for some input into their life that promotes personal growth and health.
  3. Regeneration or Renewal – This is the evaluation phase and then the vision stage; assessing the past and looking toward the future. 
  4. Resolution – This phase is a firm or unwavering determination toward a solved problem or solution toward healthy boundaries to sustain a balanced lifestyle. It is a written plan for your future so you do not return to life as “usual,” but rather implementing the changes that are necessary.

You can catch an in-depth look at sabbaticals in this book. 

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