My First Day

Well, it is finally here. Today is my first day on Sabbatical. I must confess, there is a lot of confusion about the specifics of a sabbatical rest (SR). So I thought I would make my first SL blog entry about the specifics on this event.

First, "what is a SR?" A quick google search renders the following definition..."a year or shorter period of absence for study, rest, or travel, given at intervals (orig. every seven years) as to some college teachers and now to people in other fields, at full or partial salary." For one year, our church entered into a discussion about how we would define a sabbatical leave. Here is the definition as it appears in our amendment to our church constitution.

"A sabbatical (also known as Sabbath rest or sabbatical leave) is a resource for pastors and their families. It is an extended time away from the routines of normal ministry and daily life. The sabbatical is to be given as a separate time away from the local assignment and not to be considered as the pastor's vacation time. It is a time of special renewal for the pastor that will bring personal nourishment to his soul, a deeper relationship with the Lord, and a clearer understanding of God's vision for the church. A sabbatical helps to prevent ministry burn-out and may give the pastor a fresh perspective for his ministry."

So in essence a SR is a time for the pastor to step away from normal responsibilities to rest, refocus, and re-energize. This is a very biblical concept. The need for rest was mentioned in the very dialogue of creation. (Genesis 2) In the law, God mentions a resting of the land so that it does not become un-fruitful. (Leviticus 25) Jesus often separated himself from his ministry to be ministered unto by the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 4:1-12 & Luke 5:16) Not to mention all the times Jesus separated himself from the disciples just for a time of pray. Even though a SR is a biblical concept, rarely do we see it demonstrated in a tangible way. I have heard the term used occasionally when a minister marriage was falling apart or when a minister was having an emotional struggle. But never have I heard it used preemptively and purposefully within the Baptist circles where I fellowship. So, it not surprising to me that people have questions, just unfortunate. (Hopefully, more on this later, unless you want to just right in Kevin and comment about the statistics about pastor's being burned out and leaving the ministry.) (Kevin is my friend from Broken Chains International and deals with this specifically!)

Second, "what is the reason for your sabbatical, Pastor Mike?" Well, honestly, I am tired. I have been running on empty for the past few years. My family, the greatest family in the world and my primary ministry, has bore the brunt of my exhaustion. I have been increasingly impatient, angry, non-existent, and withdrawn. Also, church endeavors have become more of a routine than a joy. It kind of feels like going through the motions not experiencing any real drive or excitement. (I am sure someone somewhere is say, "I can't believe he just said that…doesn't he know his church people may be reading this.") And it is true, so right now, if you are a member/attendee of PHBC, I do not blame you…apart from my call into the Lord's family and my call to my family, you are the greatest call I have ever received. I love each of you with all my heart. It is because of this that I cannot keep going through the motion any longer. I must step away for a small time of rest, to be ministered unto by the Spirit, so that I can come back a better under-shepherd for you.

The specifics of my responsibilities were outlined in my official request for SR. They include:

1. I would like to refous the vision for the future of Pond Hill Baptist Church. It is easy to establish routines that seem to work in the moment, and then never evaluate those routines compared to what other churches are doing. I will accomplish this task by the following:
   

• Reading and written review: I would like to read Simple Church, Essential Church, Building the Church as a Team, and Leadership Handbook of Outreach and Care
  
• Church Research: I would like to visit ten other churches and evaluate specific areas that are essential to the church (i.e. greeting, music, announcements, service structure, and invitation.
  
• Pastoral interview: I would like to conduct one hour interviews with 8 pastors to discuss the following: Outreach schemes, visitation, church growth, etc. These interviews will last approximately 1 hour.
  
• Pastoral Survey: I would like to conduct an online pastoral survey that would ask about the number one need of pastors, the number one difficulty of pastor's as well as outreach and growth methods.
  

1. I would like to spend some time in personal reflection out from underneath the normal burden of pastoral work. I would like to accomplish this by linking up with a local Christian camp for 6 hours per day of uninterrupted devotional time. I will dedicate this time to prayer, scripture reading, journaling and spiritual disciplines.
   
2. I will be finalizing my Masters of Divinity work and attending Graduation.
   

Okay, one final thought to the people of PHBC. I thank you for allowing me to be me and to learn together. I was a young 25 years old when you called me as your pastor, and I have tried diligently to teach and lead you closer to God. It hasn't always been easy, and there are probably many things I would change. But I would never have changed the fact that we have walked together. I have never held anyone at arm's length. I have loved you up-close and personal, some might even say a little too close. These years have been my greatest joy as well as my greatest heartbreaks. We have done it together, and I look forward to many more years of living, serving and growing side by side!