Worship Pastors Need A Sabbatical Too
David Manner

Posted by David Manner in Church Culture, Church Health, Leadership, Ministry, Relationship Questions, Staff Conflict, Worship Leader, Worship Pastor, Worship Renewal | No Comments

A sabbatical is a way for congregations to invest in the future ministry of their worship pastor and their church. This extended time away every few years allows their worship pastor time to step aside from the daily responsibilities of preparing and resourcing rehearsals and services. And it allows them time to renew their bodies, refresh their souls and reaffirm their calling to God and their church.

Many churches generously offer their worship pastor time away for vacation, sick leave and continuing education. But what most of those churches don’t realize is the amount of preparation required for their worship pastor to actually leave town. It’s almost easier not to go.

Worship pastors obviously have to secure substitutes for each of those rehearsals and services while they are away, but that is just the beginning. They also have to prepare all of the choral music, band and/or orchestra music, rhythm charts, sound, lighting and projection needs, orders of service and worship guides. Then they have to communicate all of those details with the various participants so those people are all prepared to lead in their absence. Like I said, it’s almost easier not to go.

We are often aware of the investment our worship pastors make in our own lives. What we don’t often calculate is the cumulative time and energy required when multiplied by the combined membership of those in the worship ministry and the rest of the congregation.

We depend on our worship pastors to teach and admonish us with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. They are often our counselors, mentors, leaders, friends and spiritual advisors. When our families are in crisis we look to them to referee, repair and reclaim. And yet at the same time we also expect them to challenge and encourage us with stellar worship every Sunday.

So if we all have those same expectations, then how can we not expect the stress of that responsibility to eventually take its toll? How can we expect them to continue to lead us where they can’t perpetually have the resolve to go themselves? Phillip Yancey wrote, “I wonder how much more effective our churches would be if we made the pastors spiritual health, not the pastors efficiency our number one priority?”

Offering a sabbatical to your worship pastor won’t endanger the worship ministry of your church, it will in fact enhance and extend it. It will give your beloved worship pastor permission to rest, heal, recharge and learn for future ministry. And it will give your congregation the unique opportunity to practice stewarding what God has entrusted to you, the well being of that faithful worship pastor.

The above article, “Music Worship Leaders Need A Sabbatical too” was written by David Manner. The article was excerpted from http://kncsb.org/blogs/dmanner/worship-pastors-need-sabbaticals-too/

The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.

This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”