This blog is one of the intended fruits of a Sabbatical given to me by Bethlehem Baptist from January 18, 2010 to April 30, 2010. Below is my letter to the church body informing them of my sabbatical.
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A Sabbatical for Pastor Kenny Stokes
[Jesus said] “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).
One of the observations that encourages me to acknowledge my own limits and finitude is the fact that Jesus in his earthly ministry, along with his disciples, stepped out of the flow of ministry from time to time. For instance:
· Jesus personally “…withdrew … in a boat to a desolate place by himself….” (Matthew 14:13).
· After the disciples returned from their missionary journey finding more ministry with the crowds, Jesus told them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while” (Mark 6:31).
You may know that Bethlehem Baptist Church has a policy to permit pastoral staff a 3-month sabbatical after 5 years of ministry. The policy states: “Bethlehem wants its pastors to be spiritually and mentally healthy, growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ, and on the cutting edge of the best biblical and strategic thinking in their particular ministry areas. We desire for our staff to thrive in ministry, find periodic refreshment and avoid burnout.”
Yet in 21+ years of pastoral ministry, the last 11 of which have been at Bethlehem, I have never taken a sabbatical. That is probably more an evidence of a problem, than anything else. Observing this among several of the pastoral staff, our “Pastoral Care & Compensation Committee” contacted me and three other Bethlehem pastors encouraging us to take advantage of a sabbatical leave.
What is a sabbatical? “The background to the word for “sabbatical” comes from “Sabbath,” the day of rest on the seventh day of the week. In the Old Testament, every 7 years there was a Sabbath year (a year of rest for the soil), and every 50th year was to be a Jubilee (also a year of Sabbath rest for the land). The idea of a pastoral sabbatical goes back to the Middle Ages when the university professors and the doctors of the church were one and the same. The sabbatical, granted every 7 years, was an opportunity for these teachers and leaders to become regular “students” and “worshippers” for a season….”
What does a Kenny Stokes Sabbatical look like? Last year, the elders approved the following sabbatical for me:
Time Frame: January 18 – April 9; April 21-30. Note: The purpose of the April 10-20 interruption is to host Dr. Steve Childers preaching at BBC, participate in the TCT network Meetings and in the Pastors and Wives Retreat.
Aims:
· Rest
· Reflection, Prayer & Extended Devotions. Seek the Lord for a renewed sense of his direction for the next season of life and ministry.
· Marriage and Family time.
· Physical Exercise: I aim to increase my weekly swimming distance and time (Yes, in an indoor pool!)
· Read, reflect and write on Christian Community (i.e., the “Relational Culture” we are praying to grow more and more at BBC)
· Blog, Wilderness Mercies: Write thoughts from devotions, reflections on racial harmony, ministry, marriage, sufficient-grace, observations, personal, corporate, pastoral ministry,
· Write 6 Songs (1 every 2 weeks if the Lord wills)
· At the end of the sabbatical, I am expected to submit a written report to the elders detailing how my time was spent and what was accomplished.
Thank you Bethlehem for the gift of this sabbatical. Please pray:
· That we would be spiritually refreshed in our fellowship with God and benefit from physical rest;
· That Kathy and I would be renewed in our marriage and family relationships by the time afforded by the change of pace;
· That I might be able to write, blog and song write for the glory of Christ in my own heart and for the joy of others.
Spreading a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ,
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