Messages from church leadership
Letter from pastor, staff/parish relations committee, and ministry council about pastoral renewal leave
November 16, 2021
Dear members and friends of Church of the Pines,
This letter is from me, the Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC), and the Ministry Council. During the past few months, the SPRC and I have planned a Pastoral Renewal Leave for me in 2022. A Pastoral Renewal Leave is an extended period of time, up to 12 weeks, spent away from the church. This is a time for a pastor to focus on resting and rejuvenating his/her body and soul to return to a more vital ministry in the local church.
2022 will mark 20 years that I have served churches as a pastor, 10 of those at the UMCOP. In that time, I have been a part of thousands of worship services and sermons, hundreds of funerals, countless hours of pastoral care, untold numbers of meetings, and much more. All of these take a lot out of a pastor physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In 20 years, I have developed skills and abilities that help me serve you as a pastor, as well as tendencies, habits, and routines, not all of which are beneficial.
All vocations are demanding, and pastoral ministry is not unique in this regard. However, I have found that the last couple of years have been especially difficult for me. As I worked with SPRC this year, we realized that I was struggling with significant burnout. It is impacting my personal and spiritual health and my professional performance. So, in September, we began to seriously explore a three-month Pastoral Renewal Leave to address this.
The Renewal Leave will be from January 4, 2022, to March 26, 2002. While three months is a long time for me to be away from my regular pastoral duties and responsibilities at the Church of the Pines, it is not just an extended vacation. Yes, there is time for rest and relaxation, but this is a time for me to be reinvigorated as a pastor so that I am better able to serve you.
First, I will care for myself physically and emotionally, creating healthier habits and activities to increase my resiliency. Second, I will spend time nourishing my soul and growing my own spirituality to nourish you better and help you grow spiritually. Third, I will participate in continuing education classes to improve my professional and leadership skills and pastoral caring skills. Finally, we are also planning an intentionally staggered return to ministry over the last four weeks of the leave to carefully implement new plans and routines.
As a result of my Renewal Leave, I am not the only one who will benefit; it will also provide the congregation with benefits. You can expect that I will return from my leave with a renewed energy, spiritual commitment, and vision for the UMCOP. Additional benefits include:
The SPRC and others in leadership positions in the church will ensure a smooth transition into the time of the Renewal Leave and again during my return. For each of my daily tasks, a person from the UMCOP has been identified to perform those tasks in my absence.
The SPRC has prepared a list of anticipated questions and answers about the Leave. These Q & A’s accompany this letter.
This time will be a different experience for all of us, but it will be meaningful. So again, I thank you all for your generous support. I especially thank the members of SPRC and others that have put in significant work to plan and make this opportunity possible.
Pastor SPRC Chair Ministry Council Chair
November 16, 2021
Dear members and friends of Church of the Pines,
This letter is from me, the Staff Parish Relations Committee (SPRC), and the Ministry Council. During the past few months, the SPRC and I have planned a Pastoral Renewal Leave for me in 2022. A Pastoral Renewal Leave is an extended period of time, up to 12 weeks, spent away from the church. This is a time for a pastor to focus on resting and rejuvenating his/her body and soul to return to a more vital ministry in the local church.
2022 will mark 20 years that I have served churches as a pastor, 10 of those at the UMCOP. In that time, I have been a part of thousands of worship services and sermons, hundreds of funerals, countless hours of pastoral care, untold numbers of meetings, and much more. All of these take a lot out of a pastor physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In 20 years, I have developed skills and abilities that help me serve you as a pastor, as well as tendencies, habits, and routines, not all of which are beneficial.
All vocations are demanding, and pastoral ministry is not unique in this regard. However, I have found that the last couple of years have been especially difficult for me. As I worked with SPRC this year, we realized that I was struggling with significant burnout. It is impacting my personal and spiritual health and my professional performance. So, in September, we began to seriously explore a three-month Pastoral Renewal Leave to address this.
The Renewal Leave will be from January 4, 2022, to March 26, 2002. While three months is a long time for me to be away from my regular pastoral duties and responsibilities at the Church of the Pines, it is not just an extended vacation. Yes, there is time for rest and relaxation, but this is a time for me to be reinvigorated as a pastor so that I am better able to serve you.
First, I will care for myself physically and emotionally, creating healthier habits and activities to increase my resiliency. Second, I will spend time nourishing my soul and growing my own spirituality to nourish you better and help you grow spiritually. Third, I will participate in continuing education classes to improve my professional and leadership skills and pastoral caring skills. Finally, we are also planning an intentionally staggered return to ministry over the last four weeks of the leave to carefully implement new plans and routines.
As a result of my Renewal Leave, I am not the only one who will benefit; it will also provide the congregation with benefits. You can expect that I will return from my leave with a renewed energy, spiritual commitment, and vision for the UMCOP. Additional benefits include:
- The involvement of more lay people in the day-to-day running of the church.
- Time for the congregation to reevaluate ministries and where it wants to go.
- I will return with more energy, effectiveness, and a renewed vision for the UMCOP. I will have developed new skills to help the congregation implement their goals for the future of the UMCOP while embracing the accomplishments of the past.
- A renewed understanding and appreciation of the pastor’s role in the church.
The SPRC and others in leadership positions in the church will ensure a smooth transition into the time of the Renewal Leave and again during my return. For each of my daily tasks, a person from the UMCOP has been identified to perform those tasks in my absence.
The SPRC has prepared a list of anticipated questions and answers about the Leave. These Q & A’s accompany this letter.
This time will be a different experience for all of us, but it will be meaningful. So again, I thank you all for your generous support. I especially thank the members of SPRC and others that have put in significant work to plan and make this opportunity possible.
Pastor SPRC Chair Ministry Council Chair