In late January, the Cell Leader Coordinators approved a proposal by the pastors to grant Joshua Grace a 4-month sabbatical, after 8+ years of serving as pastor of Frankford and Norris. As the Lead Coordinator, I thought I would share a little bit about why we are all excited about this decision and some of the opportunities we have because of it.
As you probably guessed, “sabbatical” and Sabbath come from the same Hebrew word, shabbat, meaning “to cease” or “rest.” This rest, however, is not just about “ceasing” from work or catching up on sleep (although that’s part of it!), but about re-engaging God with increased intentionality, space, and time. Wayne Muller, author of Sabbath: Finding Rest, Renewal and Delight in Our Busy Lives, says that Sabbath is an “incubator for wisdom” (157). It’s a time for energy to be renewed, desires to be warmed up, and connections to be made between one’s own life story and God’s divine story.
Even though our pastors report a high degree of satisfaction in their jobs, that doesn’t mean being a pastor of Circle of Hope, on mission and in community 24/7, isn’t challenging! We recognize that our pastors are disciples too, and we want to know them, love them into their fullness, and help them maintain their physical, emotional and spiritual health in their honored, yet challenging role in our community. Therefore, when a pastor thinks a sabbatical would be healthy, we try to find a way to offer one.
Joshua became a pastor in 2004, when he was young with a young family (see picture!). He has worked hard, consistently and passionately since then: renovating multiple buildings, helping to start Circle Thrift and other businesses, developing our network, raising up a new pastor, and launching the next congregation. Not only would he like an extended time to rest, but he’s entering a new era and he needs space to get some of that incubated-wisdom for the next chapter in his life. He has spent several months spiritually discerning the themes for his sabbatical, which will be rest, renewal, input from mentors, and re-visioning.
Keeping a Sabbath and taking a sabbatical do not happen in a vacuum – they are communal disciplines. So, although I’m excited for Joshua, I’m just as excited for Frankford and Norris, and for our network, for these reasons:
- We get to re-learn some Sabbath basics, mainly how we live on more than bread (and routine and familiarity and a great pastor) alone
- We get another opportunity to claim our dignity as leaders and remember that the church is more than the pastors
- We get to encourage and watch the FN cell leaders act (even more!) as the pastors of their cells
- We will get to experience a new level of community and imagination at FN as we take more ownership in the PM’s, use of our space, events, and teams
- We get to let Joshua’s consistent mentorship and discipleship bear some new fruit (We believe that a leader is always a mentor and preparing his/her successor)
- We get to see, exercise, and honor women in leadership in a new way! (Three of the main people carrying the torch at FN while Joshua’s away are Vanessa, Lauren, and Meg)
- We get to be reassured of our network-ness – a Body made up of four congregations, with none of the body-parts left to fend for themselves.
So here’s to a summer of dignity, possibility, and coming-together! You may have some more specific questions about Joshua’s sabbatical and what FN will look like during those 4 months. If so, click here for some FAQ’s and answers.
Expectantly,
Vanessa
