Sabbaticals, Study Breaks, Mini Sabbaticals, and the Legacy Season Sabbatical
Understanding how they advance the CHURCH'S mission
This is part 1 of this series ~900 words - 4 minutes
That time of year is fast approaching. As I speak to senior pastors of large churches, many are planning their annual sabbatical or study break.
As I speak to clients in the Senior Pastor Smart Succession process, they are considering their Mini Sabbaticals and Legacy Season Sabbaticals.
Confused yet?
Let me give a definition as part 1 of this mini-series.
Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash
Sabbaticals
Sabbaticals are often the rhythm of work to extended breaks that pastors are given over a long tenure at the same church. Adapted from academic sabbaticals originally, they are seasons of refreshment and study. I will cover some of these ideas in the next post.
Some large churches have these for pastoral staff after extended seasons of ministry. Some were granted shorter post-COVID sabbaticals in the past year to recharge.
I will have more on those in a future issue.
Study Breaks
This is the annual rhythm of many senior pastors to take 4 (most common), 6 (second most common), or 8 weeks (rare, but I have seen it), for the senior pastor to plan for the coming ministry year especially as it relates to preaching calendars. This allows the pastor to do some deep study and preparation.
At times this also includes the study or investigation of other church’s ministries so they can be adapted for the current church’s uses.
The next two are at play when working on the Senior Pastor Succession Process.
A few provisos here:
In most of my consultations, these long-serving senior pastors have not had sabbaticals in the past, or they have been very infrequent.
These tend to be for pastors planning to stay in the same community after stepping down.
For many, these also tend to be pastors accepting a new legacy season role after stepping down and a legacy season sabbatical.
(In the past dozen consultations, 10 have stayed in some role post-handoff. And while that takes careful crafting, it can be done to enable the current pastor to move from strength to strength and for the church to move forward confidently.)
The first is the series of three, three-week mini sabbaticals that come before the pastor steps down from the primary role of being Senior Pastor.
These occur when the current pastor announces they will step down within the next 15 months from the senior pastor role. My ideal is to announce that change 9-12 months before that change. Others have other ideal timelines, but that is enough time for the congregation and leaders to navigate the transition season properly.
If there is a regular study break season, that can count as one of the mini sabbaticals. The mini sabbaticals have the following emphases:
To help drain some of the leadership adrenaline from the current lead pastor. After announcing their upcoming transition, some of that naturally happens in their brain. This is to provide time from the regular rhythm to adjust their brains to new realities.
To provide some breaks so their marriage can reset a bit. Most of my clients have been married, and the church has been a silent third partner in the marriage for a long season. (Not saying that is right, just stating a fact of life.) There needs to be some gradual decompression from the burdens of leadership that helps the couple move towards a good start for their next season.
To give the staff and other leaders space to step up and allow the congregation to experience that “things won’t fall apart” when the pastor steps down.
And sometimes, it is to give the pastor time for some housekeeping, book storage planning, exploration of their next ministry time, or other space to do some planning. As one client spouse told me recently –“I am looking forward to them stepping down, but all those books and boxes are not coming home. They must clean all that out!”
Finally, this is a chance to charge up for the very emotionally draining celebration season at the end of this ministry run.
Not all of my clients take these mini sabbaticals. Those that did thank me for this input and opportunity. (so does their staff and board)
Story continues after this word from our sponsors…
Is it time to talk about your own succession plan?
My work focuses on Pathbreaker Pastors who have led long at large churches. The church would say: We are a totally different place since this pastor started our came to our church.
In fact, in the last two months, we have developed a totally new framework for understanding the Senior Pastor Smart Succession Process. It boils down to three big questions.
Soon, we will release a series of legacy season webinars, but if you want a preview, set up a time for a chat. Just email me directly at dave.travis@generis.com
Back to the story
What about the timing?
Most churches have “gas” seasons and “brake” seasons. Certain seasons are very busy and others are naturally a bit slower.
These most often happen at more natural “brake” seasons in the life of the church’s ministry calendar. That varies by the church and varies by the month they intend to step down from the role.
But some are summer. Some occur between October 15 and Thanksgiving or the first part of November. Others use the time right after Christmas to start one of these seasons.
Occasionally, if the calendar is such, one could be February or right after Easter.
Many of my clients choose to end their run as Senior Pastor in late May or June. There are certainly other times to consider. We want to leverage the church’s natural attendance rhythms to give the successor every advantage of momentum in their first months.
The final 6-8 weeks of the current pastor’s tenure are often characterized as exhausting by these couples, with many celebrations and emotions expressed.
Remember, the more the congregation can express affection towards them, the greater the chance of them embracing the next leader. But that can be draining.
In part 2, I will cover the Legacy Season Sabbatical idea.