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Pastoral Sabbatical...what do you think?
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Should a pastor take a sabatical?
At least once a year
61%
 61%  [ 8 ]
Only when he's on the brink of burning out
7%
 7%  [ 1 ]
I am a * and I don't get a sabatical -- why should a pastor?
7%
 7%  [ 1 ]
Other (please explain below)
23%
 23%  [ 3 ]
Total Votes : 13

Message Author
Post WonderingWanderer
Experience does not equal doctrine. Many heresies have been birthed out of seeing scripture through the lense of our limited experience. While I give the utmost respect to the role of Sr. Pastor and am not "wet behind the ears" with respect to ministry myself, I still know that doctrinally my point stands. You still cannot scripturally prove that burn-out is biblical. It is losing focus of Christ and that is sin...Anyone who loses focus of Christ is in sin...period. That is not harsh and it does not mean I am uncaring, it just means that it is sinful to lose sight of the Lord.

Yes, I feel for those who have gone through burn-out and I am not saying I will never face it. But we cannot glorify it to a state where we do not see it for what it is.

.........................
It is very difficult for me to hear your argument about my ignorance of this topic because I do not serve as a senior pastor. As mentioed in a previous post, if the only things I can give advice to are the things that I have experienced, then that limits the playing field quite extensively for me and you. If you follow your own logic, then you are unqulaified and should never give counsel to the majority of your congregation because you have not walked in their shoes.

Again, I am not meaning to be offensive. I just think that Burn-out has become "OK" in pastoral circles because we assume that a person gave all they had or the church did them wrong or whatever else...and don't see it as a need for repentance and realigning our focus with God. I am not saying those things don't happen, they just should not move us from our call and purpose.
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9/10/06 8:38 pm


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Post Bro Bob
To wondering wanderer, ( et al)

You are getting hammered pretty good here, and apparently no one is itching to take up for you, so here goes.

You are stepping on two types of toes:

1) Folks who have succumbed to the fatigue that is natural in any struggle, and have been unable to dig themselves out of it. ( Obviously they don't appreciate you handing them a shovel.)

These are honest people who have fallen into a trap. They are convinced that things that are natural to the human existence are unique to them. ( read that again, it's rare for me to make my point so clearly )

The world shuns those who suffer from depression or sadness of any kind, as it seems to prove weakness. So, rather than admit that this might be the source of his pain, any sensible "pastor" will readily describe his problem as 'burn-out' because it surely can't be a bad thing that he would 'overwork himself'.

To anyone in this condition I offer the shovel of a real nice slow study of the book of Job. It helped me out of my own pit once, and all I did was what Job did to get out of his. After you 'get it' and that might take some time, you will be able to bless your congregation with a thorough expose' from the pulpit.

No less a man than Abraham Lincoln once said something to the effect, If all my sorrows were distributed to every person alive equally, there would not be one smile left on earth. These feelings are very real to anyone experiencing them, and although I understand there are some pretty good pills on the market, I think the solution you offer provides the best solution for any member of the body of Christ, even the sr pastors.

Before I leave this point, I took your assertion that such a one is 'in sin' to mean simply that he is 'missing the mark,' not that he has contemplated opening a casino in the basement of the parsonage.

The other type of toe, 2), is the poor misled and under appreciated guy who just doesn't know the right people to get his name run at the 'good' churches, which are reserved for, ummm.. I think I recently read the term 'golden-boy's.

These are also the ones who feel that pastoring is such a unique calling in the body of Christ that NO comparison can possibly be made of it and 'any other profession'. For these people, 1 Corinthians 12 does not exist, except for how they apply its truths to all the other professions!

They will often be found to have great contempt for laymen such as myself, since I obviously have besmirched (their favorite phrase coming) the 'man of God.'

Well, anytime I hear this phrase I cannot resist asking the speaker to please be more specific, as I congregate with MANY 'men of God'. Most of the 'men of God' that I know not only pay their own bills, and provide for their own families, they do it on time, and pay the bills at the church as well. These men without exception have a servant's attitude, not only to their pastor, but just as importantly to their church.

Those with toes #2 will have no pang of conscience about insisting that a local church grant them a 6 to 8 week leave of absence, at LEAST yearly ( with full pay / perks, and if they 'love the man of God' some expense money as well. Can't have them using their own salary for something so unique to their predicament as needing to eat.)

For these people 'pastor appreciation' is a big downer because no matter what is done for them, it pales in comparison to so and so who got a new car or other such non-sense. ( Heard this complaint from the pulpit folks, you can't make this stuff up. )

Wanderer, I sense that you have compassion for toes #1. In the event I haven't made myself clear, toes #2 are beyond our capabilities to reach.

For those offended by your assertion that they are missing the mark, allow me to take some of the load off of you as I assert that anyone possessing toes #2 have a bigger problem, their heart is not right. Read about Simon the sorcerer: Acts 8:23
For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. ( No wonder they are burnt out. )

..........................

Anyway, wanderer, I had a rough day at 'my profession', maybe it shows. 93 more 12 hour shifts and I will be on a sabbatical you wouldn't believe!

Feel free to give me a call sometime, I think I would enjoy getting to know you better. You have a good heart.

........................

To anyone else, I sincerely hope I came off as compassionate for toes #1, and ready to take a whip to toes #2.
Confused

BBH
Rainbow City AL
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Posts: 3945
9/11/06 12:12 am


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Post WonderingWanderer
I appreciate the help...you make some good points. It is a difficult thought to me to see that sometimes our theology is solely born out of our experience. Experience should always follow scripture, not pre-empt it.

With reference to sin, I never meant turning ones back on God. I did mean that we have lost our focus, taken our eye off the Lord and have committed a sin against Him that needs to be repented of. For someone to say “I am burned out,” to me that says “I need to repent of losing my focus on the Lord.” It doesn't mean that I don't love Him anymore; it means that He has become less than primary.

Again, I appreciate the help Brother Hodo!!
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9/11/06 6:26 pm


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Post There are no official sabbaticals in the COG OHBISHOP
After 30 years as an evangelist, pastor and missionary I know first hand that there is no mechanism in the COG for a man to step out of ministry for a period of 3 to 6 months to have R&R. My wife of 34 years and I were, quote unquote, successful yet when we hit the wall emotionally there was no one to care for our souls. Our church leaders speak ever so eloquently under the emotion of the moment in conventions, etc about caring for one another but it is my experience that this is all rhetoric. In the length of time I have been out of the pastorate there has not been one attempt from leadership to even check to see if my wife and I are OK. I'm not bitter but when push comes to shove there is no sabbatical or system whereby a pastor might have time off except to step out of the pastorate and take the consequences of starting over at entry level if he is offered anything at all after a reasonable amount of time is taken to recover. New Member
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9/12/06 1:32 pm


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Post Give the Pastor a Sabbatical every year... Phil Hoover
Normally sabbaticals are used for:

Study
Preparation
Engaging in other types of ministerial activity
and occasionally some "rest".

I would say the local church should plan to give the Senior Pastor the Month of July as his/her Sabbatical. Only for EMERGENCIES (deaths, funerals) should the pastor feel obligated to come take care "of church stuff."

Encourage the pastor and their family to "get out of town" if possible. Or at least make sure the pastor gets out of town. Encourage them to go away for a study break, or to go to school somewhere for an intensive course, or something like that.

Give the pastor a chance to regroup and refresh. And yes, maybe even vacation a little too.

Just my two-cents.

Phil Hoover
Chicago
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There is a ROCK between me and a hard place. His name is JESUS.

www.philhoover-chicago.blogspot.com
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9/12/06 2:45 pm


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Post Joals5
Why? CEO's, General managers etc of a most companies don't take sabbaticals? They are under pressure and criticism etc. I know being a pastor is not actually the same but if they get vacation time why would the need additional time off during the year? When I first heard of the sabbatical for pastors I really questioned it. I haven't seen any justification for it if they are getting and using their vacation time each year. Newbie
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9/12/06 9:54 pm


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