Why a Sabbatical?
God commands and even models patterns of work and rest, patterns that we exercise by taking a weekly day of rest in obedience to Scripture. In the Old Testament, the community called by God's name was also to practice longer periods of rest every seventh and fiftieth year. Part of the reason for this is to refresh our bodies and spirits and to remind ourselves (and to testify to the world) that our success comes from the grace of God. He does not need our labor, through he graciously includes it in how he works.
The practice of giving pastors a sabbatical rest has a long history and taps into those Biblical ideas while also recognizing the dangers associated with vocational ministries. The work of a pastor can be emotionally very demanding. The marriages and families of those in ministry are especially vulnerable to spiritual attack. Pastors can also easily fall into the trap of experiencing their walk with God as just another aspect of the job, which, if left unchanged, is a spiritually toxic condition.
In many cases, a sabbatical is given when a pastor becomes overworked, overwhelmed, or in some sort of family or personal crisis. That is not the case here. TCPC practices good boundaries in the lives of its pastors and this decision is not in response to or anticipation of pastoral burnout. It is instead an effort to ensure that Rob's ministry, marriage, and spiritual life are set up to endure in a healthy state for many years to come. It is less like taking a broken car to a mechanic for repair and more like a part of regular maintenance that keeps things running smoothly.
Goals
The session has suggested that Rob's time away be directed towards these ends:
personal refreshment
deepening his love for our Lord
studying those areas that would benefit him, his family and our church
strengthen and enrich his marriage.
Expectations
*Not attending TCPC or any of its functions during this time. Though this is his church home, it's simply not reasonable to expect him to be among us and not be acting as a shepherd.
*No contact from the church family for anything church or ministry related. Rob will not answer calls or emails, and if he is needed for something urgent that requires his unique attention, the elders can contact him.
Concerns
Some of you have expressed concerns and have asked similar question about this time. We'd like to address a few of those here:
*Is Rob burned out or in trouble? No – see the explanation of sabbaticals above, especially the last paragraph.
*Is Rob considering a call to another church? No. Not at all.
*I know of other pastors who went on sabbatical and never came back. Is that going to happen here? As far as Rob and the session have any say in the matter, that will not happen. Rob has every intention of being back at TCPC on August 3rd and looks forward to worshiping with us then.
*What's going to happen with ______________ ministry in our church? One of the lessons we learn from sabbaticals is that no one is indispensable to the ministry of the church. The Spirit uses all of the gifts of the body of Christ, and TCPC is blessed with a healthy session, a healthy diaconate, many volunteers, and a fully capable Associate Pastor. The ministries of TCPC will continue as usual.