Concordia College

About Clergy Sabbaticals

A pastor is, above all, an authentic spiritual leader who has a number of specific tasks and roles, but underlying all of them is his or her role as spiritual leader. So what kind of sabbatical is appropriate for a spiritual leader? It probably needs to include components that permit time for reflection, for rekindling the spirit and the sense of calling by God, for reconnecting more deeply with the tradition (Scripture, theology, liturgy), for deepening one’s own spiritual life. It may also need to include time away from church things, time with family or time alone.

A sabbatical is not only for the pastor himself or herself. It is also for the congregation. A good sabbatical can provide the following:
      •    A great time to develop lay leadership that might otherwise not step up because “the pastor does that.” A well-planned sabbatical can be a great occasion for re-visioning, re-invigorating and recommitting lay leadership. For this very reason, it may be desirable not to seek a replacement, except for emergencies.
      •    Give the congregation and especially its leadership a much clearer picture of what actually happens in the congregation and what the pastor does.
      •    May be a time for the whole congregation to get into the Sabbath mood – a distinctively counter-cultural stance of letting go and letting God, and rethinking the busyness of congregational, family and individual life.
      •    Can provide refreshed, re-energized pastoral leadership – and may well extend the useful life of the pastor.
      •    May enable the pastor to bring back to the congregations new ideas picked up from other churches.
      •    Lets the pastor experience life from the perspective of the pew, which can help the pastor sympathize with some of the concerns and assumptions of the people in the congregation.
      •    May be a time for equipping the pastor for a new challenge or program chosen by the congregation.

Learn More:
Preparing a congregation for a sabbatical
How to make the best use of your sabbatical
Helpful sources
Grants for sabbaticals
Programs and retreats