{"id":340,"date":"2016-05-29T23:01:00","date_gmt":"2016-05-29T23:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/johnmark.net.au\/kz\/?p=340"},"modified":"2017-07-12T23:04:54","modified_gmt":"2017-07-12T23:04:54","slug":"a-great-guide-to-sabbaticals-from-bill-gaultiere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johnmark.net.au\/kz\/?p=340","title":{"rendered":"A great guide to Sabbaticals from Bill Gaultiere"},"content":{"rendered":"

A Sabbatical Guide For Pastors<\/h3>\n

Bill Gaultiere<\/a><\/h6>\n

<\/i>First posted on April 29, 2016 from
http:\/\/www.soulshepherding.org\/2016\/04\/sabbatical-guide-pastors\/
<\/a><\/p>\n

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This Sabbatical Guide is for pastors and other Christian workers on the mission field, in education, or in the nonprofit sector. <\/p>\n

I hope this guide leads you into a refreshing Sabbatical experience in which you rejoice with the Psalmist: \u201cThe Lord has brought me into a delightful wide open space!\u201d (Psalm 18:19, paraphrase) That spacious place is called the Kingdom of the Heavens and Jesus teaches us how to bring our whole lives into this overarching and undergirding eternal spiritual reality.<\/p>\n

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However, as I explain below, be careful about putting high expectations for renewal on your Sabbatical, as you\u2019ll probably encounter some challenges. It\u2019s important to look to Jesus as your Sabbatical Director and abandon all outcomes to God. If at points your Sabbatical doesn\u2019t feel good it may still be good. <\/p>\n

Ideally, you\u2019re reading this Sabbatical Guide a few months or even up to a year before starting your Sabbatical. But if you have less time to plan don\u2019t be discouraged, as you can still have a very restorative and meaningful Sabbatical experience! <\/p>\n

I wrote this article because in recent years more and more pastors have been coming to me for help with their Sabbaticals. Often their initial thoughts are that they\u2019ll use their Sabbatical for vacation time. Or they want to work on a project like writing a book or home improvement. Or they want to learn how they can improve their leadership as a pastor. These are good things to do, but they limit the intended effect of a Biblical Sabbatical. <\/p>\n

In this Sabbatical Guide I suggest that you consider making your Sabbatical a time of true Sabbath-rest. <\/em> <\/p>\n

A Pastor\u2019s First Sabbatical<\/h6>\n

One Lead Pastor who asked for help from Soul Shepherding had run hard for ten years without a Sabbatical and he was so depleted and compassion fatigued that he developed painful hives all over his body! His elders told him that he was past due for a three-month Sabbatical and mandated <\/em>him to leave. (In his case this was a great blessing, but in other cases pastors forced to go on \u201cSabbatical\u201d felt unfairly disciplined<\/em>, as if they had a moral failing.) <\/p>\n

For three months he didn\u2019t step foot on his church campus. No preaching. No pastoral counseling. No meetings with staff or congregants. No planning of future sermon series or new church visions. No mission trips. No visits to learn from other churches. No pastoring!! <\/p>\n

He wanted to set these boundaries, but it drove him crazy at first! In this way he made a BIG space for God in his personal life. He needed to remember who he was apart from being a pastor and cultivate his personal life. His marriage needed special care and rest, as did his family. <\/p>\n

In counseling my friend learned how to set better boundaries and to put more priority on his own spiritual formation and soul care. He was rejuvenated and came back to his church with new and healthy habits for his life and his pastoring! <\/p>\n

What is Included in This Sabbatical Guide<\/h6>\n

This Sabbatical Guide will help you to prepare and plan for an extended time of spiritual rest. It will help you in the whole Sabbatical process, start to finish: <\/p>\n