In Mark 6:31 and parallels, Jesus said to his disciples, “Come away to a deserted place all by ourselves and rest a while.”
In the 2008 research on Presbyterian pastors, it was reported on the issue of clergy and sabbaticals,
Fewer than one in four respondents have ever taken a sabbatical while in the ministry (22%). Most who have ever taken a sabbatical have taken one since 1999 (84%). Most received some funding for their most recent sabbatical (77%), primarily from their congregation (60%).
Large majorities report that the most recent sabbatical was “very helpful” or “helpful” for their:
o Emotional health (91%)
o Spiritual health (89%)
o Improvement in their ministerial duties (79%)
o Physical health (77%)
We need to build a strong interpretation for the value of sabbaticals for clergy. It is good that more clergy are beginning to take them but if three-fourths are not, and that is just among Presbyterians, then we need to do a better job of advocating for them. The response among those who have taken them is striking. We need a healthy clergy.
Those of us who are retired from active service could make a gracious gift by offering to assist churches when they support their clergy in taking a sabbatical. If we could remove the anxiety from congregations of how they will receive pastoral care during the sabbatical period, many more could see the advantage to having their pastor experience a period of recreation that will bring the pastor back with even more enthusiasm and spiritual depth.
