Becoming aware of Sabbaticals

Fruitfulness requires rest.

There was a period in my life where I was feeling really, I don’t know if I was quite burnt out, but I was approaching burnout. And so this idea came to mind, and I began searching out the process of what it would like to take a step back and take a sabbatical.

Taking a Sabbatical

I did a retreat by myself. The format was given to me by my coach, and then I just went off some in country and did that.

The focus of my sabbatical was restoration and learning more about boundaries for my own life and for my ministry.

Three main areas of sabbatical

1. Pre-Sabbatical phase: figuring out what you want to focus on during your sabbatical.
2. Taking Sabbatical: 1) Disconnecting phase. 2) The restoration phase. 3) Refection phase. 4) Realigning phase.
3. Reentry from Sabbatical. A two-week period of readjusting to the ministry.

The point of a sabbatical is very purposeful. It’s not just taking a vacation or having rest.

Daily life didn’t change. I was still a mom and I was still a wife. None of that changed. But what changed was I stepped back and I was not participating in ministry.

Beginning the process

Three categories to assess if you need a sabbatical.

1. Do you have a big change coming up?
2. Are you experiencing burnout or extreme exhaustion?
3. Has it been six to ten years that you’ve been involved in ministry?

A month is not long enough. Usually, we are so caught up in ministry and going, going, going that it typically takes two weeks just for people to really step out and decompress and process. That, in and of itself, is usually a two-week process just for people to stop and be okay with stopping.

I recommend that people take at least two months and up to a year.

Not good reasons to take a sabbatical. If you’re running away from something. If you don’t have a plan or a form of accountability. Those are not good reasons because a sabbatical is supposed to have a process and a rhythm to it.

When I wanted to go on Sabbatical, I spoke with our field leader. After you get approval, you can reach out to your member care department to see if we have coaches or people within our organization who can connect you to someone.  From your coach can guide you to see what it would look like to talk to your churches and supporters.

Taking the sabbatical

The disconnecting phase is when you are taking a step back from normal  ministry like, which can be very hard. This can take up to four weeks.

The restoration phase is where you do something you want to do, something that gives you life. This could be taking a vacation, reading what you want to read, or taking an art class—something that brings restoration.

The reflection phase involves asking God if there is anything He wants to say to you. You might ask questions like, “Am I supposed to continue in this ministry?” “Is there something I need to change?” “Is there something going on within me that God wants to deal with?”

The second part of the reflection phase is learning. It could be studying something or learning to play the guitar. In my case, it was boundaries. I wanted to learn what God-honoring boundaries are.

The realigning phase is when you are refocusing at the end of your sabbatical on everything you’re learning and what it means for your future. What does this mean? Does it mean I’m leaving this ministry and going to a new one? Does it mean I stay in this ministry but need to change some things?

The process has rhythm, and it’s hard to skip any of the steps.

Sabbatical coaches

I like to use the word “guide” because a coach can mean different things to different people.

Things to look for in a coach:

The person guiding the coaching experience should have experienced a sabbatical. They should have a passion for being a sabbatical coach. They know how to find resources and keep you accountable. And they need to have the capacity to be your coach.

It’s not boring if you stick with the plan and are intentional.

While sabbaticals are supposed to be restful in some stages, they can also be emotionally draining in others.

I’ve never had anyone regret taking a sabbatical.

After the first meeting with the coach, you should have steps to take for your pre-sabbatical.

Some of us serve so much, and it’s hard for us to be served. It can be hard for people to imagine that Jesus wants to serve them.

Sabbatical is an act of trust. If no one leads your ministry when you take a sabbatical, maybe your ministry needs to take a sabbatical, too.

What if my supporters don’t agree with me taking a sabbatical?

Pitfalls to avoid

If you don’t have a plan. Even if you don’t have a coach, you can try to do a sabbatical on your own, but it probably won’t be as successful.

People don’t have accountability, and that comes when people don’t have a plan.

They don’t fully step away from ministry, or they pull away from their ministry and join some other ministry.

They don’t do anything. They don’t have a plan. They don’t have accountability, and they’re just bored and don’t know why they’re taking a sabbatical.

They don’t know what a sabbatical is and they call home assignment or furlough a sabbatical.

Final thought

You’re not going to shrivel up and die if you don’t take a sabbatical, but I’ve never seen anyone who doesn’t benefit from a sabbatical.

You can have someone who eats unhealthy food and they live until they’re ninety, but if they would have eater better quality food they may have had a different experience of life.