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IntroductionA Word of EncouragementGreetings fellow traveler and welcome to the "Sabbatical Handholds" Solomon page. If you're here, you are most likely considering or requesting a sabbatical. Our hope with this document is that we could provide some "handholds" for you as you begin the process of dreaming and discerning with the Lord what your sabbatical season should be like. As you read, please keep this important thing in mind: no two sabbaticals will look exactly alike, so feel freedom to renew in your own way! During a sabbatical your "role is to rest" and as long as your accomplishing that goal you will find some modicum of success! Below you will find a collection of tips and suggestions which we hope will help you as you plan. Proverbs 16:9 tells us "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." During the planning and execution of your sabbatical, keep this verse in mind and be willing to surrender your plans to the Lord as He establishes you during this time of renewal and recovery. We hope and pray you sense the Lord and His Spirit during this process and we ask Jesus to guide you as you plan. God bless! I've Been Asked to be a Sabbatical Advisor/Coach?First off, thank you for considering or agreeing to be a sabbatical advisor to our staff. As you can imagine, a sabbatical is a unique and powerful opportunity to hear from God. However, potential “downsides” do exist – people have experienced discouragement, loneliness, isolation, and loss of perspective. A significant part of the solution to avoid these pitfalls is a spiritual friend, and that's one of the most succinct ways to describe a sabbatical advisor. The sabbatical advisor doesn’t do much teaching or directing, rather they take the initiative to come alongside and listen, clarify, suggest, and possibly protect. A sabbatical advisor shepherds the staff through the sabbatical process, helping them achieve their God-directed goals. The content below could be helpful for you to read, so you have a sense of what our staff will be walking through. If any questions come up along the way, please don't hesitate to reach out to our liaisons below. Overview of a SabbaticalWhat is a Sabbatical?A sabbatical is an extended time of spiritual rest, renewal, rejuvenation, reflection and refocus. It is not a vacation or Paid Time Off (PTO), nor is it only continuing education. It is a guided process where one deliberately trusts God for the outcome as they disengage from normal ministry responsibilities and leadership involvement for study, rest, renewal and evaluation of life and ministry. This can include reading books, attending seminars, studying, writing, prayer, etc. A sabbatical has an intended purpose and plan at the outset. This plan and purpose should be agreed upon between the local church leadership or ministry and the employee. At the conclusion of the sabbatical, individuals will be expected to give an account of their sabbatical time to both their local ministry leadership and to Reliant. Why Offer Sabbaticals?They're a Tool for Longevity: As many of you know, much of ministry is accomplished from the inner life, and many of the challenges and difficulties face in the field often take a toll on this inner life in unique ways. Sabbaticals provide field staff with an opportunity to stop, assess, and reflect on how their own walk with Christ is going, and provides a season of respite from the unique physical, emotional, and spiritual demands of ministry. All that to say, we have found sabbaticals to be one of the most effective tools for longevity that our staff have. Said another way, "The messenger must embody the message" and when this is no longer true, a sabbatical can be an impactful strategy for recovering the personal message of the Gospel of Jesus. They're a Safeguard Against the Cult of Personality: Sabbaticals also offer a a safeguard against the cult of personality, because it requires key leaders and key up-front teachers to step away for an extended period of time. Pragmatically this requires pulpits to be filled, responsibilities to be covered, and information to be de-centralized. All of these things create opportunities and latitude for other leaders to step up and take on various responsibilities. And it also gives great opportunities for the congregants to be impacted by other leaders from up front. They Create a Helpful Leadership Vacuum: From this, Sabbaticals also create a natural leadership vacuum for younger leaders to be inspired to step up into. Multiplying skillsets into youger doesn't happen organically, and by stepping away for a season, your leadership roles can become new opportunities for excited young staff to sink their teeth into. There are loads more reasons to offer and take sabbaticals, but in short, they're good for the staff, and they're good for the ministry at large, and we hope by offering them, that our partner ministries will embrace and institute a rhythm of sabbatical into the lives of their organizations. Testimonials
How to Communicate with Donors
Typical Phases of a SabbaticalThe timeframe below is based on a typical "6 month" sabbatical. Depending on your circumstance your sabbatical may be a shorter length. If so, just adjust the timeframes to fit your window of time
Scaffolding for your SabbaticalHave you ever seen a historical building being renovated? The first step to this restoration process is for scaffolding to be constructed around the edifice. This scaffolding provides support and access as artisans and restorationists do the heartfelt work of bringing out the beauty beneath the layers of time. Your Sabbatical in many ways is a restoration project and the Holy Spirit is the our gracious artisan doing the healing work of renewal. During this process you'll want scaffolding around you so you have the support in place for the Holy Spirit to do His work. Below you'll see three primary modes of scaffolding. These are just starting points - feel free to add in any further supports that will help you find success. Sabbatical AdvisorA sabbatical advisor can be a trusted friend, mentor, counselor, or spiritual director. It is not a formal role and they don't need to be affiliated with Reliant or an employee with Reliant The main qualities you'll want your advisor to meet are:
Sabbatical RhythmsSabbatical rhythms are daily, weekly, and monthly practices that can act as anchors in your schedule. Many staff have reported feeling unmoored as they stepped back from their ministry duties. Establishign some rhythms in your schedule can help you with this feeling of drift. Sabbatical rhythms will also require some experimentation as you figure out what works and what doesn't work during that first month. Feel free to cast aside any planned rhythms if they end up not serving your sabbatical practice. Here are some examples of the various rhythms. These are just a starting point, feel free to different rhythms that may work better for you.
Optional Sabbatical Support GroupAnyone taking a sabbatical is in danger of experiencing lack of community, loss of perspective, and a sense of isolation. While we all need times alone, we live and minister in community. To meet this need for community you may find it help to establish a sabbatical support group. Ideally, this group consists of 3-5 people who have a good relationship with you. This group meets with you (and your spouse if married) each month to help process your journey in a safe environment. You facilitate the meetings, sharing first your current progress and then asking for input. (If possible, your sabbatical advisor can participate in the group.) Caveat: The Sabbatical Support Group is optional, and may not serve every person's sabbatical. Consult with your sabbatical advisor on whether or not a sabbatical support group would serve you during this season. Here are some handholds for what you should be looking for in a support group. Ideally, the people in your sabbatical support group should meet the following criteria:
If people in your support group are looking for further handholds on their roles, feel free to share the list below with them:
Goals & ObjectivesGoals and objectives are similar to sabbatical rhythms, in that they can provide some structure and a point in the horizon for you to walk towards as you battle feelings of being unmoored. Goals and objectives need to be approached with caution as they can often become surrogates for "work." As you create a list of goals and objectives, be sure to share them with your sabbatical advisor and support group (if applicable) to help vet them and ensure that they will serve you in your sabbatical project. As a rule of thumb, we usually discourage house projects being on your list of goals and objectives. What is Reimbursable?
ResourcesBooks and Articles
Sample Away Messages for your Email InboxesOne of the best safeguards you can set up during your sabbatical is to have a helpful and clear away message. Below you will find some sample messages that you can feel free to copy and customize to your context. Sample 1:
Sample 2:
Sample 3:
Retreat Centers & ProgramsWe do not currently offer any official recommendations for retreat centers or programs. If you're curious about these options, please reach out to people within your network or movement that have take sabbaticals and see if they have any suggestions or recommendations. CreditsMany thanks to the following people:
Questions?
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