We can get so busy responding to the many legitimate demands of ministry that we don’t pause to breathe. Somewhere I read that one of the meanings of the Sabbath includes the sense of stepping back to gain perspective. After God had created for six days, God paused from work and rested. It was in that condition of having stepped back from the activity of creating that God evaluated the creation and pronounced it “very good.” If we have been invited by God to engage in creative ministry, it is also important that occasionally we step back to evaluate and keep the larger perspective on what we are doing.
One of the ways that we can do that is by taking a sabbatical. This is increasingly recognized as an important part of our ministry. Both the Lilly Foundation and the Louisville Institute have offered tremendous support in making that possible for many clergy. As I have mentioned last week, one of the great contributions that retired ministers can make is offering to support a pastor in having a sabbatical.
Properly planned, a sabbatical can both benefit the pastor and the congregation. It is also important for this policy to be applied to other program staff of the church. Educators and musicians also need to disengage from the weekly demands of ministry and gain perspective as well. There are several creative ways that this can happen without causing a heavy burden on a church.
Tomorrow we will look at another form of check point along the pastoral journey.
