Thoughts from a Sabbatical
My church gave me an 8-week sabbatical this summer. Not just as a gift but as an expectation, holding me accountable to take this kind of intentional time off every 5 years. My time away was both a blessing and a challenge.
As I reflect back on my time of rest, I want to share with you a countdown: 3…2…1. Three suggestions, two challenges, and one blessing for you to consider if you are preparing for a sabbatical.
3 Suggestions: 1. Ask God for help. 2. Prepare the church. 3. Plan your time.
Begin by asking God for clarity and guidance for what He wants for you and from you during this time. No matter if it is 2 months or 2 weeks, ask God for help in granting you wisdom to find the purpose of this sabbatical. Is it to grow closer to your family or your spouse? Is it to give you more study time? Is it purely for you to get much needed rest to recover from a challenging season? Ask God to help you have clarity in your purpose.
Prepare the church by having gifted individuals fill your role each week. Make sure there is a plan for funerals, hospital visits, emergencies, and even day-to-day tasks. As you do these things, communicate with the church how you hope this will also help them. Remind them that the church is more than any one individual and that the Lord has equipped the people of God to serve in a variety of ways.
Finally, I would suggest you strategically plan your time. Depending on how God answered your question for clarity, plan your time accordingly. If you need to grow closer to your family or your wife, plan intentional time on vacation or at special events. If you need rest, plan time to sleep and go to a relaxing place where you can recharge. If you need study time, purchase the books you need and get to a place you can enjoy that time in preparation.
2 Challenges: 1. Missing your church. 2.Your church missing you.
Hopefully you like serving at your church. If you are anything like me it is hard to go to worship somewhere else. Not because the music isn’t good, or the preaching isn’t edifying, but because it is not with your people. Sunday mornings during my sabbatical were the hardest part for me. I love my church family and wanted to be with them and be a part of what was happening in their lives. This is a challenge, especially when they miss you too. The church members worked so hard to not bother me, but their words of encouragement and some of them reaching out to share that great need in their life were evidence that they missed me too. But I do believe these are challenges that can be navigated and are worth overcoming.
1 Blessing: 1. Rest in God.
The reality is God is enough. In fact, He is more than enough for all that I need. He showed me Himself in beautiful ways during this sabbatical. Through time spent in His Word and sweet reminders of the abundant gift of my family, I found rest in God. I am more recharged than I have been in a long time. I am thrilled to see how God will use this rest for His glory.
With that rest in mind it really does feel like a countdown 3…2…1…GO!
Author: Chad Hunsberger, Lead Pastor, Colonial Heights Baptist Church, Ridgeland MS
