Sabbatical leave is an extension of care to our full-time ministerial staff.
Our Senior Pastor will be on sabbatical leave from May 29 until July 5. During this time, we will have guest preachers (from within the congregation, and from outside of it). Other staff members will be assuming the ministerial and administrative duties until Dr. Powers returns.
From Dr. Powers on his sabbatical leave:
It is hard to believe that my tenure at Benson Baptist has already reach the three-year mark! It has been an interesting time – to say the least – but a rewarding ministry path as we’ve walked together.
As you know, the Covenant that the church agreed to between myself and the congregation states that:
At the end of the third year of service, the church will provide the pastor thirty (30) days of paid sabbatical in addition to the other annual benefits.
With January 1, 2023 being the conclusion of my third year, this means that we have reached the year that my sabbatical leave will take place.
First, let me say how thankful I am for this leave. In a ministry world where my colleagues are burning out and 42% of pastors have left the ministry for other careers (BARNA, 2022), I am thankful to serve a congregation that believes in this time of rest and renewal for your ministers.
Second, I am thankful to serve with such a great staff and lay leadership. Many senior pastors would be nervous to even think of stepping away for thirty days, but I am not worried because I serve with some of the best leadership in the Church today! I know that they will professionally and thoughtfully continue the ministry of the church during my absence.
Below this letter you’ll find my approved sabbatical plan as well as the Sabbatical Leave Policy approved by Benson Baptist at our January 2023 church conference. These two texts outline what I’ll be doing on my sabbatical for rest and renewal, as well as the parameters of sabbatical leaves as approved by the congregation.
Again, I am thankful to serve such a thoughtful and gracious congregation. I look forward to reporting back in July ready to journey with you even further into the future!
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Lawrence B. Powers
Senior Pastor
It is hard to believe that my tenure at Benson Baptist has already reach the three-year mark! It has been an interesting time – to say the least – but a rewarding ministry path as we’ve walked together.
As you know, the Covenant that the church agreed to between myself and the congregation states that:
At the end of the third year of service, the church will provide the pastor thirty (30) days of paid sabbatical in addition to the other annual benefits.
With January 1, 2023 being the conclusion of my third year, this means that we have reached the year that my sabbatical leave will take place.
First, let me say how thankful I am for this leave. In a ministry world where my colleagues are burning out and 42% of pastors have left the ministry for other careers (BARNA, 2022), I am thankful to serve a congregation that believes in this time of rest and renewal for your ministers.
Second, I am thankful to serve with such a great staff and lay leadership. Many senior pastors would be nervous to even think of stepping away for thirty days, but I am not worried because I serve with some of the best leadership in the Church today! I know that they will professionally and thoughtfully continue the ministry of the church during my absence.
Below this letter you’ll find my approved sabbatical plan as well as the Sabbatical Leave Policy approved by Benson Baptist at our January 2023 church conference. These two texts outline what I’ll be doing on my sabbatical for rest and renewal, as well as the parameters of sabbatical leaves as approved by the congregation.
Again, I am thankful to serve such a thoughtful and gracious congregation. I look forward to reporting back in July ready to journey with you even further into the future!
In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Lawrence B. Powers
Senior Pastor
Senior Pastor’s Sabbatical Leave Plan, 2023
Rev. Dr. Lawrence B. Powers
Approved by the Diaconate and Pastor Church Liaison Committee before being presented to the church in conference.
_______________________________________________________________________
Term: May 30- July 5, 2023
Plans/Goals:
Activities/Learnings That Will Take Place:
Outline of Benefits for the Ministerial Staff Member:
Outline of Benefits for the Church:
Rev. Dr. Lawrence B. Powers
Approved by the Diaconate and Pastor Church Liaison Committee before being presented to the church in conference.
_______________________________________________________________________
Term: May 30- July 5, 2023
- May 30, 2023-June 26, 2023 will be the first twenty-eight days of the Sabbatical Leave.
- June 27, 2023-July 1, 2023 will be Continuing Education Leave while he attends the yearly gathering of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship at the CBF General Assembly in Atlanta, Georgia.
- July 2-3 will conclude the remaining two days of the thirty-day Sabbatical Leave.
- July 4th is a staff-given holiday, and he is off on July 5, so he will return on Thursday, July 6.
Plans/Goals:
- He will take this time to intentionally unplug from ministry work for rest and renewal,
- He will spend time reading and doing other activities that are restful and enjoyable,
- He will spend time with friends and family that he does not have the opportunity to see often,
- He will focus intentionally on his spiritual, emotional, and physical health by establishing a health plan that can be made part of his regular routine upon returning to the office.
Activities/Learnings That Will Take Place:
- To truly unplug from his work routine, some of his sabbatical will be spent with time away at St. Francis Springs Prayer Retreat Center. The goal for this time will be prayer, relaxation, reading, rest, and unplugging.
- Some of his time will be spent catching up around his house on projects and additional needs.
- Much of his time will be spent intentionally with his children who will be on summer break.
- Some of his time will be spent traveling to visit friends and family who do not live close enough for a ‘weekend’ visit and thus do not get visited often.
Outline of Benefits for the Ministerial Staff Member:
- A chance to unplug from the heavy rigors of regular ministry work –– including being “on-call” 24/7,
- Intentional time to focus solely on self and meeting the needs that he has that may often get neglected during his day-to-day routines of ministry work,
- Intentional time away to recharge relationships through time spent with family and friends that does not require taking vacation leave to do so,
- A chance to catch up on readings and other tasks that must be often put on the back-burner due to work,
- A chance to establish new and healthy routines that will benefit the church through his continued ministry.
Outline of Benefits for the Church:
- He will return as a more self-differentiated and adjusted pastor due to the intentional time spent away,
- The associate staff and laity will have the opportunity to lead in more intentional ways in his absence which enhances their own ministry at Benson Baptist,
- The time away aids in preventing burnout in himself as a pastor, which strengthens our continued path forward as a congregation.