Pastor's Points May 2019
Dear Church Family,
I want to take this opportunity to speak in to the recent announcement of my ministry sabbatical that will begin on May 20th. First, I want to explain exactly what a ministry sabbatical is. The word sabbatical is drawn from the word Sabbath. The Hebrew word for Sabbath means to ‘close’ or ‘rest’ and is connected with the last day of Creation when God rested. (Genesis 2:3) God both models and commands Sabbath rest for his people. Rita Hannon of Broom Tree Ministries shares that, “A ministry sabbatical is a period of time, when ministry leaders and congregation set aside the leader’s normal responsibilities for the purpose of rest and renewal toward sustained excellence in ministry. A ministry sabbatical is a release from the routine of the call for the physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual well-being of the ministry leader.”
By now you should have received a letter from me that informed you of the plan for me to take a planned five- week time a way that will begin on May 20th. On May 19th I will have been at Oakhill for thirteen years, and they have been the most fruitful years of my ministry. I am so thankful to be the pastor of Oakhill Baptist Church, and I pray to be your pastor for many more years to come! But for this to happen, I need to take this break from the day to day responsibilities of ministry to allow me to rest, renew, and hear from the Lord. Please believe me when I say that there is nothing wrong. I am not on the verge of a nervous breakdown J, and I am surely not looking to leave and go somewhere else. Actually, just the opposite is true. I believe I need to take this time so that I can continue to be a part of ministry with my church family for many more years to come.
But the reality of the ministry is that it is a calling. I do not punch a clock, and I am never really off the clock. Ministry is consuming, and this is not a complaint. It is just the truth of the reality of ministry. As I get older, I want to work smarter. And part of that effort is to allow the other ministers that I serve with to develop their ministerial abilities as well. So, during my sabbatical, Pastor Nick will preach two times, Pastor Bryan G. will preach two times, and Pastor Brian Van Doren will preach once. These pastors as well as our two lay elders, Mike Schloss, and Nick Kessler will make sure that the pastoral care responsibilities of our church are covered. And our deacons will be ready to help care for the needs of our church as they normally do. All the ministry of our church will continue as normal. Ultimately nothing will change. I just will not be here in the day to day operation of our church during these five weeks.
You may be thinking, well what are you going to be doing while you are away? Well I am going to rest. And please pray for me because this may be the hardest thing I will try to do. I have trouble “turning my mind off” when it comes to ministry. I am always thinking about the ministry of our church, and the people that make up our church. I am sure that many of you are the same way with your career. You find it hard to “turn your mind off” as well. It is a real struggle, and I must do better at doing it. Please pray that I will truly rest so I can renew. I want to hear from God. I want to be renewed in my spirit. I want to grow in my walk and faith. And to do these things I will be seeking out a few different pastors to meet with to be invested in and learn from while away. I will also be reading of course God’s Word, but also a few books as well. One book is called, Leading with Love, by Alexander Strauch, and the other is called Church Unique written by Will Mancini. I am praying for God to use all of this to make me more into His image.
I love you and I love being your pastor,