karenoch

A while back I posted about my sabbatical. With less than four weeks left of this sabbatical, I’d like to share and reflect about what I’ve done and (hopefully) what I’ve learned. To start off, let me provide background on two issues. First, our church’s sabbatical policy. Second, my sabbatical goals.

Our church has a generous policy to grant sabbatical leaves after certain eligibility requirements are met. For pastors, that includes having served six continuous full time years on staff. Our church policy also gives three types of work to do on a sabbatical:
1. research & writing
2. course work
3. missions work

The spirit of a sabbatical is for the staff member to return refreshed, rested, and re-energized to continue to serve. So though these three goals involve much work, the staff member should take it easier, get more rest, and not drive a furious schedule with excessive work. That would defeat the purpose of a sabbatical.

Nevertheless, pastors should draft a sabbatical plan and be held accountable. This plan must be approved by the pastor’s supervisor, the Board of Elders, and the Board of Deacons.

I had four goals for my sabbatical, all beginning with the letter “R” to make it easier for me to Remember.
1. REST
2. REFLECTION
3. RELATIONSHIPS
4. wRITING

So, those were my sabbatical goals. What do they entail, and how do they fit into the church’s policy of spending sabbatical on research/writing, coursework, or missions? I’ll elaborate more in future posts.

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