by: Jim Schlottman
2/1/2008

Several pastors have recently called to schedule a Quiet Waters Counseling Intensive as a part of their sabbatical. Are you planning a sabbatical in the near future? Have you considered a Counseling Intensive in your planning?

Although sabbaticals have been a practice of some churches, in recent years more church leaders are becoming open to the idea of a Sabbatical for their pastor. This awareness of the value of a Sabbatical is because they are seeing them implemented in the companies for which they work.

Some companies began sabbatical programs as a response to the tight job market in the 1990's, though only a handful of companies seem to have pulled back when the economy tightened. In 2005, 23 percent of companies offered sabbaticals, according to the Society for Human Resource Management.

Ive observed a concerning trend that corporate America practices are being integrated into the church by lay church leaders. Its concerning because some of practices do not take into consideration the call of the pastor or the Spirit led nature of the church. However, this trend toward sabbaticals is one I would encourage. In fact, even though they think they are bringing it to the church from corporate America, the sabbatical is part of Biblical history.

Some think the sabbatical comes out of academia, where for centuries tenured professors have been granted sabbatical leaves to travel, study and do research. You as a pastor know that the origin of the sabbatical comes from Shmita. Shmita is the seventh year of the seven year agricultural cycle mandated by the Torah. The word sabbatical which is from the Greek sabbatikos is a prolonged hiatus in the career of an individual taken in order to fulfill some goal.

This Biblical historical concept of a sabbatical and the hiatus to fulfill a goal are so important to todays pastors. Clive Prout, in commenting on the value of a sabbatical said, In fact the freedom (provided by a sabbatical) to explore beyond the bounds of our normal routine is often essential if you are to connect deeply with ourselves and our vision for what is next in life.

A Quiet Waters Counseling Intensive does just that. An experienced counselor helps you explore beyond the bounds of your normal routine. Often it is difficult to step outside your identity of your job without professional guidance. A sabbatical well taken can truly change the direction of your life and bring new excitement to your ministry.