sabbatical
/səˈbatɪkl/
noun
a period of paid
leave granted for study or travel,
traditionally for one year for every seven years worked.
"she's away
on sabbatical"
adjective
1. relating to a sabbatical.
"sabbatical
leave"
2. ARCHAIC
of or appropriate
to the sabbath.
Baptist ministers are encouraged to continue to pursue
learning as ministerial formation is seen as a life-long process. One part of
this is to take a period of study leave, or sabbatical, every seven years from
the date of accreditation. My
opportunity for sabbatical falls during 2025 so my plan will be to take three
months for this between April - July.
A sabbatical is not a 3 month long paid holiday, but rather a time which allows me to step back from my usual regular duties to study, reflect and pray in a way that the demands of ministry don't often allow. This is intended to be a time of enrichment both for myself and YBC.
My plan is that this time will be an intentional season
dedicated to slowing down and spending time with God as I take time to pursue
some other activities focused around the theme of pilgrimage. This comes from
God continually drawing my focus over the past couple of years to some verses
from Matthew 11 taken from The Message:
Come to me.
Get away with me and
you'll recover your life.
I'll show you how to
take a real rest.
Walk with me and work
with me - watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced
rhythms of grace.
I won't lay anything
heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me
and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.
I've got lots of ideas about what I could do (probably far
too many!), but I'm looking forward to walking with God and learning more about His unforced rhythms of grace.
I'll share a bit more about my plans as they come together - so watch this space...
