Best Practices from our Partner Congregations

Sabbaticals can bless both worker and congregation.  The program is designed to be, in as many ways as possible, a shared experience, and the membership expects that they, both as a congregation and as individual members, will receive specific, tangible benefits from the sabbatical.

Start planning early.  Many congregations will discuss a sabbatical for years and even formulate a policy.  Once the commitment is made, a formal planning process needs to be initiated as much as 14 months before the scheduled start date.

Wheat Ridge Ministries’ policy includes the provision that the pastor needs to submit a proposed plan for the sabbatical at least 12 months prior to sabbatical leave.  This timeline has been very helpful for both pastor and congregation to “get ready” for the sabbatical.

The planning process should be led by lay members and presented to the congregation by lay members.  This serves to reinforce the sabbatical as a shared experience (Wheat Ridge Ministries’ literature specifically used the term “Our Sabbatical”).

Write the sabbatical plan down. If you can’t write it down, you don’t have a plan.  Have clearly articulated goals that: (1) relate to the congregation, (2) are written in a way that the congregation can understand, and (3) are mission-centered.  Also, if you have a good plan, writing the grant proposal is easy. If you don’t have a plan, writing the proposal forces you to create one.

Communicate with the congregation.  Start by communicating in general terms why the sabbatical is necessary to build a consensus, then fill in the details about activities, etc.  Fourteen months before the sabbatical, the congregation was told informally that a planning team had been formed. Approximately eight months prior, there was a formal presentation of the purpose of the sabbatical at a congregational assembly meeting, and, at about the same time, information began to appear in monthly newsletters.  Four months prior, a funding campaign was launched.  About one month prior, the pastor led discussion groups between Sunday morning services.

Educate.  Educate, educate and educate the congregation about what a sabbatical is and what the goals are.  Pre-sabbatical mailings went to each family that included a letter from the committee, a weekly schedule of events and stated sabbatical goals.

Have high expectations for the sabbatical time.  It can be a life-changing experience for the professional worker but also a time for the laity to discover their strengths for ministry apart from the pastor and their ability to shine in the extended absence.  And while it is tempting for the worker to try and over-plan the sabbatical, it is best to keep the goals simple.  One pastor first thought of taking a long trip during his sabbatical time.  He realizes now that his time was much better spent reconnecting with his wife and family and spending quiet times at home and retreat centers.

A sufficient sabbatical time of three months or more allows time to establish new healthy habits and behaviors for the worker and to plant them into daily lives.  Some of our most important experiences were in the closing weeks.  We now have a benchmark against which to compare the state of our wellbeing over the course of our ministry.

A sabbatical experience is not beyond reach for a congregation due to membership size, ministry context, or somewhat limited resources.  Creative and shared planning with lay leaders who are committed to the concept of sabbatical and to the effort necessary to design an experience that is beneficial for both staff and congregation will make it happen. 

Some other helpful learnings:

• Make sure the ground rules and expectations for the pastor’s absence are made clear from the pulpit as well as in written correspondence. 

• The sabbatical is a sabbatical: the pastor must completely separate himself/herself from the congregation, physically, mentally and emotionally.

• Some congregations’ commitment to a sabbatical is included in the pastor’s call. The congregation should start setting aside money in a Sabbatical Fund at that time.

• The process of creating the proposal, presenting it to the congregation, and discussing it in pre-sabbatical congregational meetings and small groups was, in itself, a valuable exercise in self-evaluation.  Establishing interim leadership roles for professional staff and lay leadership did much to strengthen the congregation.

• One obstacle needing to be resolved is the fatigue going into sabbatical from all the extra work of planning and preparation.  Adequate time for planning is necessary and it should be expected that fatigue would be part of the entrance into the sabbatical time.

• Trusted peers can help you see if you might be trying to pack too much into you sabbatical – thereby possibly defeating its purpose.

• The blessing of sabbatical time doesn’t just come from rest.  It also comes with “difference” in ones daily life. Renewal was experienced through doing some different things – and almost everything was different!

• It would be good to have a sabbatical policy in place before a specific individual asked to use it.  Even proposing a policy can be a lightning rod experience for congregation and pastor.

• Some would agree with Roy Oswald’s urgent plea for congregations to endorse a sabbatical policy for its professional church workers.  A three-month sabbatical every four years would produce an effective ministry in a congregation for 20 years.

• With the guidance of an outside facilitator our leaders are now beginning “Coming Back Together” round table discussions with pastor about sabbatical lessons learned.

• Coming back from sabbatical can begin the discussion of a new focus of the role and responsibilities of the pastor as well as a new leadership style that meets the present needs of the congregation.

• It is highly important that a sabbatical for a professional worker be embraced as a shared experience that is integral to the congregation's vision for mission.  The planning process should be led by lay members and presented to members by those lay members.  This serves to reinforce the sabbatical as a shared experience (out communication specifically used the term "Our Sabbatical").

• If the sabbatical is for a pastor, choose a sabbatical interim pastor carefully.  One congregation used a retired pastor who was already familiar with the congregations and it was a good experience for both.