Sabbatical Idea for Pastors

Traditional sabbatical models provide a pastor with 3 - 6 months off to pursue training and renewal.  This requires significant investment both in salary plus the cost of training.  When the sabbatical is complete, re-entry to the church can be challenging – the pastor has changed, the church has changed, there may be power tensions and vision shift.  Often this results in the pastor leaving, creating an environment in which church boards are reluctant to grant any kind of sabbatical leave.

Pastors and key ministry leaders do need some kind of sabbatical reprieve from the rigors of full-time ministry.  As an alternative to the traditional model, The CREST Leadership Certificate Program can provide the needed training and refreshment components while preserving the relationship with the church during the process.

As a transformational program, CREST explores eight themes:

Encounters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Life Development Story Purpose and Values Strengths Conver-sation Dream Strategy People Synthesis
This is who I am, created by God What I believe I am to do on earth How I choose to live

Click the link to the right “My CREST Sabbatical Experience” to read one pastor’s experience with this model:                                                  ————————————————————>

Sabbaticals need a balance of rest and learning.  A suggested way to incorporate the CREST program into a sabbatical is:

Rest Learn Rest
4 days, including Sunday CREST Encounter 2 days 4 days, including Sunday

By combining rest and preparation days prior to each two day Encounter a leader could receive eighty days of sabbatical leave over two years at a fraction of the cost of traditional models while still providing leadership to the church.