Part 5 of 6 by Pastor Karl-John
Each congregation is a unique community of faith within the Body of Christ. Just as there is not “one right way” for a pastor to do a sabbatical, the same is true for a congregation.
When I was figuring out my plans, I found it helpful to ask myself, “what will feed my soul and bring me joy?”, as well as “what will help me grow closer to God?”. Likewise, as individuals and as a community of faith, you—the House of Prayer congregation—might also find it helpful to reflect on these questions in your prayers, and with each other. As you carve out some time to listen for the Holy Spirit’s nudging, ask God to lead you to experiences, whether they are familiar or new, that will be life-giving and renewing for your soul and faith. This is our shared “work” for the sabbatical period—and it’s appropriate to include rest as part of that “work” as well.
One thing to keep in mind is that the sabbatical is not the same as an interim ministry period, such as when Pastor Kathy Brown helped House of Prayer to transition from Pastor Myron’s leadership to my own. Instead, it is a time for both you and me to be re-centered in God, so that after the sabbatical we will re-engage our shared ministry with fresh energy and insight.
Beginning with the formulation of our HOP sabbatical policy, our leaders have been doing behind-the-scenes planning for several years to make the sabbatical possible. In the past few months, we have also arranged for members of HOP to lead our worship for 3 of the Sundays, supply pastors to preach and preside at the sacraments for 9 of the Sundays, as well as colleagues from our synod to take turns being on-call for pastoral emergencies for all 12 weeks, from May 5 to July 27.