Sabbatical Defined: A ministry sabbatical is a planned opportunity for Pastors and Ministers to step back from their position of authority and responsibility to wholly pursue rest, connection with Jesus, vision for the future, perspective on their contribution, and specific topics that they can’t normally prioritize.

As a normative part of our staff development philosophy and strategy, Grace Bible Church offers a ministry sabbatical to Ministers and Pastors. We desire our staff to minister from an overflow of their own walk with Jesus, as well as a position of role clarity and strategy. Although incredibly rewarding, we can easily acknowledge that consecutive years of ministry can take a unique toll on leaders who often help bear the burdens of many in the congregation.

A sabbatical is a specified period of time that is set aside where the leader and church can investigate, reflect and evaluate what the Lord is teaching them and how they can continue to press forward to more years of service. It is an opportunity to remove many of the distractions that over time can cloud judgment and diminish perspective that is hard to overcome during the normative work rhythms.

On occasion, our Church also offers a leave of absence for those staff (not limited to Pastors/Ministers) who are undergoing specific personal or medical issues, are suffering from signs of burnout, or need to complete specific academic pursuits. These types of leave have no direct bearing on the timing of a sabbatical.

Difference between a sabbatical and a leave of absence:

• Sabbaticals are designed to be planned and executed by Pastors and Ministers that are already applying good habits for mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health.
• A leave of absence is designed for those who have already fallen below a healthy mark and need immediate time to regain an aspect of mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical health, or need a specific and short timeframe to complete seminary studies. Though given graciously due to extenuating circumstances, these are not accrued over time and are not part of an employee’s compensation package.
• Sabbaticals are not designed for the weary. Rather, they should be seen as a normative rhythm, not a time and place to crash and recover.

Sabbatical Guidance

• Eligible Parties: Pastors and Ministers
• Goals
  • Rest and Reflection (not escape) — capturing in a communicable way what the Lord has been teaching you through the past few years.
  • Re-envisioning — clarity and commitment to your calling — whether a reaffirmation of what you are presently doing or having a deeper understanding of how God might be calling you and/or the Church to move in a different direction.
  • Renewing this vision into a broader family context (where applicable) — acknowledging that the demands of ministry roles often take a toll on those around us.
  • Wrestling with a topic (biblical, theological, practical, applicational) that is an area of need or interest toward which is difficult to pursue in the regular rhythms of ministry.
• Length of Leave
  • A Sabbatical is given a time frame of 4 weeks.
  • Eligible staff can use up to 2 weeks of Vacation leave to extend their sabbatical with supervisor approval of the time frame; the maximum time out of the office would be a total of 6 weeks (including Holidays occurring during the planned time).
  • If a Holiday falls within the intended sabbatical timeframe, it may be accounted for by the addition of a corresponding number of days on the front or back end of the sabbatical.
  • Employees planning a sabbatical near/during extended Holidays (e.g. Thanksgiving, Christmas) should make their plans congruent with the Holiday calendar in order to ensure that they are out of the office for no more than 6 weeks total.
• Accrual
  • Pastors and Ministers will become eligible for their first two sabbaticals at the four-year and eight-year mark, with each additional sabbatical every three years thereafter.
  • When a staff member has been promoted to Minister or Pastor, their years of time on staff as a full-time Coordinator will be counted in full, and as a Resident will be accounted for at a 50% rate in order to determine eligibility for their first sabbatical. Their rotation will then follow the 4-4-3 rotation as described above. Years in the Fellows program (and other non-Coordinator/Resident roles) will not be counted.
  • If a sabbatical must be postponed for a year because of organizational responsibilities or due to unforeseen circumstances, the Pastor/Minister will remain on their original rotation timetable for future sabbaticals.
• Criteria for Approval
  • HR verifies a list of eligible staff at the start of each Fiscal Year and verifies that sufficient pre-sabbatical time has been accrued.
  • Eligible staff are notified, and must then submit their “out of office” request to their supervisor to approve the general sabbatical time window.
  • Eligible staff must submit a Sabbatical Application (via the HR Admin) to the sabbatical council which will consider the sabbatical plan and timing.
  • Final approval will be given after review by the Ops and TP/CP Teams.
  • Ideally, sabbaticals need to be fully approved (supervisor, sabbatical council, Ops) at least six months prior to the start date.
  • Financial and time commitments, such as reservations for travel, etc., which are made prior to full approval will not have weight during the approval process; doing so is at the risk of the employee.
• Pre-Sabbatical Desires
  • Demonstration of regular Sabbath habits - Sabbaticals don’t start with a Pastor or Minister barely making it to the release date but should fall into a rhythm of healthy weekly practices. Otherwise, the first two weeks of a sabbatical will be wasted.
  • If possible, meet in a Sabbatical Cohort with others who are similarly scheduled to cover plans and personal expectations.
  • Minimum requirements would be one common reading (done by everyone on sabbatical) on rest/Sabbath, a self-selected reading list on an area of ministry leadership and learning, and a spiritual vitality assessment.
• Expectations of Behavior/Activities
  • Not a time to do pulpit supply or speak at conferences
  • Not a time to earn extra income
  • Not a time to engage in similar responsibilities in different venues
  • Not a time to be working virtually with the same leadership responsibilities
  • Can be used for further education with approval
• Examples of Sabbatical Activities
  • Learning loops at other Churches and/or ministries
  • Specified times of solitude and extended time with spouse, and refreshment through God’s creation
  • Spiritual retreats and extended times of planning
  • Opportunities for specific areas of learning (classes, seminars, meeting with coaches, financial planners, counselors, or spiritual advisors)
• Role of Sabbatical Council
  • To receive applications of sabbatical proposals and guide a person through the process
  • To conduct an expectations review six months prior to a sabbatical to help people maximize the benefits of a sabbatical (good habits now, better sabbatical later)
  • To administer a spiritual vitality assessment and help Pastors and Ministers identify a few key areas of focus for sabbatical
  • To review potential topics and plans/schedules for sabbatical and, along with the appropriate executive level team, approve sabbatical topics
  • Be a part of a presentation upon a person’s return from the sabbatical (if needed)
• Timing Considerations
  • General and desired windows for sabbaticals - the organization will make general suggestions as to when sabbatical fits into the ministry calendar: The beginning of the calendar year (January/February), the beginning of summer (June/July), and the end of the calendar year (December) seem to be the best opportunities.
  • Take into consideration positions with normative and non-normative rhythms.
  • Sometimes sabbaticals will need to be delayed for personal or organizational reasons; if delayed due to organizational needs, the sabbatical schedule will need to be adjusted/amended, and partial compensation can be considered (see above comments).
• Responsibility Coverage
  • Clear and written communication on the coverage of responsibilities is vital
  • Clarity on when to call, assuming 95% of issues will be handled while gone
  • Communication (including auto-responder email) to other staff about specific dates of sabbatical and who to contact for daily questions and ministry needs