4 Common Objections to Pastor Sabbatical
Objections to pastor sabbaticals are often rooted in jealousy, fear, worry, or anxiety rather than faith.
Category Archives: Pastor
How to Pay for a Pastor’s Sabbatical
Finding funding to pay for a pastor’s sabbatical is a daunting task, especially for a small church. However, with some advance planning there are several ways to make it possible. The first step is to plan the sabbatical in detail for both pastor and congregation. Once a detailed plan is in place, it’s easier to […]
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How to Structure a Sabbatical for Your Pastor.
In my previous article, I explained Why You Should Make Your Pastor Take a Sabbatical. Dallas Willard called it the single greatest need of the church today: “I can state without wavering that the single greatest need of the church today is the restoration of ministers. What is required is a quite different approach to […]
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Why you should make your pastor take a sabbatical
6 reasons pastor sabbaticals are good for your church Several years ago I experienced deep spiritual fatigue. You can read about this burnout in The Year I Lost My Mind. During this time, I had an intuitive sense that I needed rest – the kind of Sabbath rest that deepens relationship with God and others. […]
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Don’t Check Your Soul at the Door
How to make leadership meetings spiritual again Many leadership meetings are purely secular – they have no reference to God at all. You just hang your soul at the door and put it on again on your way out. – Ruth Haley Barton Last month my wife and I drove through blizzard conditions to hear […]
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Trapped by Tradition
The Institutionalized Church Leader Are you an institutionalized leader? Brooks had been part of one particular institution for 50 years. It was all he knew, and over the years he grew to love the familiar walls, the fulfilling work, and the predictable patterns. So when Brooks was forced to leave, he couldn’t cope with the […]
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What to Expect on a Prayer Retreat
Prayer retreats are an essential part of my self-care strategy (or rule of life). A few years ago, I learned that I needed time away with God to refocus and recharge for ministry. Without these retreats, I will burn out or become depressed. I suspect that more people than just pastors would benefit from extended […]
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Your Pastor’s Constant Burden
When you are struggling in your fight against sin, your pastor is there to encourage you in Christ. Who encourages your pastor in his fight?
Signs Your Pastor Needs Rest
Compassion fatigue in pastors is a serious problem. As a pastor, I love to help people find joy and freedom in Christ because I love people. I find that love draws me to people who are willing to admit their pain or their sin – people who want to be healed. Through this gift of […]
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A Pastor’s Son Tells of His Father’s Burnout.
We Did Not Know to Call It Burnout When I arrived at my father’s office, I saw him sitting in the chair behind his desk crying. My mother was at his side. Several deacons and other leaders of the congregation were also in the room. It turns out my father was preaching, had a panic […]
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