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Sabbaticals are a recognized and accepted time of rest and rejuvenation away from the expected everyday duties of your chosen profession. In the academic world, it is not uncommon for a professor to take a sabbatical to explore new areas of research or perhaps write a book.
Other professionals also choose to step away from the daily demands and find ways to reconnect with the joy and passion that led them to their career in the first place.
Yet for many of us, the concept of a sabbatical is a vague, shadowy idea far removed from our lived experiences.
A sabbatical is a structured period of leave granted by the employer, allowing individuals to recharge and return with renewed energy and perspective.
Adrian Sarasa
In his article, Sabbatical: Definition and Examples in the Workplace, Mr. Sarasa lists several benefits of a sabbatical, including improved mental health, reduced turnover, enhanced innovation and creativity, and leadership development.
A sabbatical is an extended period of time away from the place of employment. More than the typical 1-2 weeks of vacation, a sabbatical allows individuals to step away from work responsibilities for several months to a year.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary‘s definition of sabbatical includes the Biblical reference to a Sabbath rest.
For six years, sow your fields, and for six years, prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.
Leviticus 25:3-5 NIV
5 Reasons To Take A Sabbatical
1. Rest and Renewal Are God’s Design
God’s perfect plan has always included rest for his creation (Genesis 2:2-3 & Hebrews 4:4). In Mark 2:27, Jesus told His followers, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath” (NLT).
Rest and renewal are necessary for us as humans, and as Christians, a sabbatical is also a matter of obedience. Rested, we are healthier, we have a more positive outlook on life, and we can approach difficulties with creativity and innovation!
2. Improving Your Mental Health
Sabbaticals offer you the opportunity to decrease stress and cortisol levels, reduce decision fatigue, and build in self-care. Many people take sabbaticals during or after a season of loss or upheaval. They use the time to reflect and carefully consider options.
3. Fostering Creativity And Innovation
Sabbaticals are perfect times to take a class or apprentice for something that you have always longed to learn or do. You would have time to devote to exploring a new artistic outlet or learning a skill that would benefit your life in the long term.
4. Leadership Development
Your sabbatical could have far-reaching benefits for the congregation. You could spend time developing your own leadership skills set, and in your absence, others would have time to learn and grow into some of the roles you have “always filled.”
Your sabbatical could be the gentle nudge someone else needed to use the tools, talents, and gifts God placed within them for the edification of The Body.
5. Reducing Turnover/Perseverance
From a Christian perspective, I think perseverance in the face of hardship is more critical than reducing turnover (though the turnover rate among American pastors is very high).
Perseverance(Forbearance) is a Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), but rarely does it spring forth fully formed. The Fruits of the Spirit are a natural result of a life lived in close fellowship with GOD. A sabbatical will give you time and space to rest, heal, and grow personally and in your walk with the LORD.
A Brief Look At Various Kinds Of Sabbaticals
As a pastor’s wife, you probably do not have a written job description. Expectations are often unspoken, but very real. In this role, you can’t just “clock in and then clock out”; your identity and title are the same- Wife of the Pastor.
As a Christian woman, you seek to fulfill the role of a Christian wife, to love and respect your husband, care for your family, and, on top of that, many pastors’ wives also work outside the home to help financially support their families.
In a 2017 Lifeway Study of 722 Spouses of Protestant Pastors, 53% were employed outside the home, and of those, 44% worked 40 or more hours. Add to that impressive list the multitude of ways you serve in the church, care for congregants (86% of the pastors’ wives surveyed were involved in church work, and only 19% were paid for it), share in the burden-bearing of the pastor, and, of course, you need a sabbatical!
Yet, as I researched for this article, I found very little in the literature or in personal interviews to suggest that wives of pastors routinely embrace and utilize the sabbatical.
- I’m not proposing that you pack your suitcase and retreat to a lonely cabin in the middle of the woods for six months.
- I am not suggesting that you leave your family behind.
- I am urging you to consider ways to build in rest for yourself.
Sabbaticals can be paid or unpaid, short (1-2 months) or even as long as a year. One variation might be that you and your husband could enjoy the benefit of a shared sabbatical and, as a family, step aside for a time of rest and restoration. But in today’s world, that variation feels elusive. What if, instead of waiting for this version of a sabbatical, you explored and planned for other options?
A sabbatical from having a role as a Teacher. Do you “always” teach Sunday School Class? Did you first take that role because your talents and gifts equip you for teaching, or because there weren’t enough volunteers to teach? You are serving the Lord and the church, and that is a beautiful example of obedience and love.
But what if you took a six-month or even a year off from teaching? Would you have time for a deeper study of The WORD, or maybe just a little time to journal and reflect?
A sabbatical from mentoring. I have observed that no matter what life stage the pastor’s wife is in, churches assume she will mentor the women of the church. Mentoring is an incredible privilege that is also exhausting.
What if, for one four-month period, you found a mentor to pour into you? This is not selfish; this is making sure you have something to give those you mentor. You need to be replenished spiritually, just as the land needs a year of lying fallow to replenish vital minerals to pass on to crops.
A sabbatical that creates the opportunity for you to find and build relationships with Christian women outside of your home church. In that same 2017 survey of Pastor Spouses, 69% reported having very few people in their lives to whom they could confide essential matters. 49% did not share prayer concerns at church because “it would become gossip,” and 55% reported, “few relationships in their life that allowed them to be themselves.” Loneliness in American adults has reached epidemic proportions.
In 2023, the Surgeon General reported that nearly half of U.S. adults felt lonely. The study found that a lack of social connection has the same effect on the body as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and increases the risk of dementia in older adults. You need friends, and a sabbatical could give you the space to build a much-needed social support network.
A sabbatical from serving in the nursery or on committees. You may love rocking babies, but what could you do with the hours you currently devote to that service every week? Are you making so many decisions for the church as you serve on committees that you now have decision fatigue in your personal life?
In cases of extreme need, you may even consider a sabbatical from attending the church where your husband serves as pastor. Are you so exhausted and overwhelmed by the unspoken expectations placed on you as a pastor’s wife that you need to consider visiting another church to be fed and served, so you can learn to set healthy boundaries, embrace healthy “no’s”, and set aside false guilt?
In this version of a sabbatical, you may also need to find a Biblically –based counselor to help you walk through the required life changes. Whatever version of sabbatical you choose to embrace, know that God intends that you rest and be restored because He loves you and wants the best for you.
Sabbaticals are not widely embraced or utilized by pastors and even less so by pastors’ wives in America. However, a sabbatical is a Biblical principle, and I think, as obedient followers of Christ, we should examine why. I confess that, until I began researching this article, I was uneducated about the benefits or the need for sabbaticals.
If, like me, this is a new concept for you, I hope I have encouraged you to explore the benefits of a sabbatical. If, as you read, you find yourself thinking, “I could never…” I hope you will prayerfully explore the root of that thought.
Ask the LORD to show you why you are struggling. Is there a root of fear? Of pride? Or, are you so overwhelmed with everyday life that you can’t think beyond the next item on your To-Do list?
Talk to the LORD. I promise you, He is not surprised, He isn’t mad that you are struggling to hold it all together, He doesn’t think you should try harder. He loves you and wants the best for you. He created the Sabbath rest and the seven- year sabbatical for you!
As a pastor’s wife, you carry many responsibilities, and you probably do it so well that no one has noticed. But I encourage you to consider which type of sabbatical would be beneficial for you.
Remember, sabbaticals come in all shapes and sizes! You don’t have to abandon all you hold dear and disappear. You can customize your sabbatical to meet your needs at this moment. Find one area where you need margin in your life and build the sabbatical that you need.
Serving alongside you,
Carla
Read More:
22 Ideas To Appreciate Your Pastor’s Wife Or First Lady
How A Reluctant Pastor’s Wife Found Real Sabbath
Finding True Belonging Beyond Church Titles
Carla Adams is a wife, a nurse, and a women’s ministry leader. As an author and a speaker, she seeks to encourage women to use their God-given tools, talents, and gifts to serve Him and others.
