Earlier this summer, I learned of an email from James Griffin, lead pastor of CrossPoint City Church in Cartersville, Georgia, to his congregation explaining why he was taking a sabbatical. I thought it was so well done that other pastors might want to read it. James graciously gave me permission to share it with you.
If your church has a sabbatical policy, you may want to consider taking a similar approach for communicating with the congregation about what it means, how it contributes to the health of your church, and how to be praying for their pastors.
Important Sabbatical Information
Dear CrossPoint Family,
Recently our elders made the decision to institute a Sabbatical Policy for the pastors and directors of our church. The policy states that for every 5 years of full time service at CrossPoint, a pastor or director is eligible for a four week sabbatical. During those four weeks, the pastor or director is completely relieved of his or her duties, both routine and emergency, and is encouraged to focus solely on personal rest, spiritual rejuvenation, and professional growth. Prior to taking a sabbatical, each pastor or director is required to submit a written plan to the elders outlining how they intend to use their sabbatical time, and by taking a sabbatical they also commit to at least two more years of service at the church.
THE REASON
Why did our elders make the decision to institute this policy? Well the simple answer is this: to proactively protect and care for the pastors and directors of CrossPoint in hopes of increasing their longevity both in ministry and on our staff.
According to statistics from Barna Research, Focus on the Family, and Fuller Seminary, almost 1500 pastors leave their ministry positions each month due to spiritual burnout, moral failures, or issues within the church. 80% of pastors feel discouraged in their roles. 50% of pastors say they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living. 80% of seminary and Bible school graduates leave the ministry within the first 5 years. 70% of pastors constantly fight depression. Only 1 out of 10 pastors retire as a pastor.
Please hear my heart. I’m not sharing those statistics with you to whine or complain about how tough it is to be a pastor. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life, and your encouragement and support make it a joy and blessing to serve as your pastor (our staff knows how good we have it–you people truly are amazing!). However, it’s still important to me and to our elders that we proactively care for our pastors and directors to ensure personal, spiritual, and emotional health so that we can lead and shepherd in a way that honors God and helps you.
MY PLAN
As I’ve been sharing the last few weeks, starting Monday, June 22 I’ll be gone for a four week sabbatical. My amazing staff will take care of all the day-to-day stuff like they normally do, and I’ve already scheduled different people to speak in my place for the four Sundays I’ll be gone.
My sabbatical plan includes 2 weeks of travel: (1) for my family vacation and (2) for a preaching workshop. I’ve built in time for a few personal prayers retreats, and I’ll also be meeting with some other pastors to glean wisdom and insight on some of my dreams for the future of our church. Other than that I’m going to rest, I’m going to read some books that I’ve picked out, and I’m going to enjoy time with my wife and my daughters.
HOW YOU CAN PRAY
Amber and I would greatly appreciate your prayers in the coming weeks. Here are a few ways that you can pray:
1. Pray that my time with God will be refreshing and invigorating: My prayer is that I would come back after these four weeks spiritually rejuvenated, having received from God fresh insight and vision for the future of our church. Pray that my time with Him will give me new insight and perspective, helping me to love Him more deeply and become a better leader in all aspects of life and ministry.
2. Pray that my family can rest and make great memories together: I pray that I not only benefit from my sabbatical time, but my family benefits as well. Pray that we make the best use of our time together, that the normal stresses of life can be put on hold, and that our time together is enjoyable, life-giving, and full of lasting memories.
3. Pray that the CrossPoint staff leads strong in my absence: I don’t worry about this one bit. I have an amazing staff team who is clear on our mission and values, enabling them to make smart decisions just fine without me. I still ask that you pray for their strength and leadership while I’m away. Pray that God would grant them greater wisdom and courage to lead strong.
Finally, thanks for all your support and encouragement. I can’t tell you how much it means to me and my family. It’s a true joy and honor to be your pastor, and I can’t wait to see what God has in store for the future of CrossPoint!
Love you church,
Pastor James
2 Comments
Hello Tony, thank you for sharing this letter from James Griffin at CrossPoint. I am currently preparing for a sabbatical next year and am interested in the kind of statistics and research James highlighted in his letter. Unfortunately, I am not finding a lot of sources to corroborate the statistics he mentions above and would love to know where he did his research. Any thoughts?
Hi Eric, Thanks for reaching out. This article was originally published in 2015, so research and statistics may no longer be up to date.