Sabbatical

The SDBC elders have approved for me a three-month break from working at the church. This is something the elders included in my original employment contract from 2010. It is called a "sabbatical." 
 
The concept of sabbatical has been described in several places in the bible. For example, in Leviticus 25, there is a commandment to desist from working the fields during the seventh year. This allows the soil to rest and replenish itself.
 
In recent times, sabbatical has come to mean any extended absence in the career of an individual in order to achieve something. In the modern sense, one takes a sabbatical typically to fulfil some goal, for example, writing a book or travelling extensively for research (from Wikipedia).
 
Pastoral ministry takes a toll that is somewhat unique in the professional world. Pastors invest in the lives of other people in ways that take an emotional and spiritual toll on ourselves. We walk through life with people, often those who are strangers to us. We are often intimately involved in the lives of the people who call SDBC their church family. This includes life and death circumstances where we feel the pain of suffering, along with the joy, of major life events.
 
Pastors are subject to written and unwritten expectations from the people they serve. We are always on call; it is wearisome and takes a huge toll on our wives and families. The assignment of being a pastor is taken personally. It is not just a job. The issues we contend with are often above our human ability to cope with. More often than not, we are driven to our knees in prayer for others, asking God to intervene because we simply have no answers.
 
The goal of my sabbatical is not to take a three-month vacation (although I admit it has the feel of one). I expect to accomplish three goals between June and August this summer: 1. to read through the entire bible with Chris. We will do this via listening to the bible online, reading, and studying; 2. to prepare to teach the book of 1 John in India this coming November; and 3. most importantly, to spend time with Chris who has quit her job to be with me for the three months.
 
This sabbatical is a gift. I love being a pastor at SDBC, and I would continue to be a pastor at SDBC with or without the sabbatical. I am asking for your prayers that Chris and I would find a time of rest, refreshment, and invigoration for the coming years ahead as we continue to serve at SDBC.

With grateful hearts,
Rick and Chris Burdett