A letter from Pastor Drew to Real Life concerning his upcoming sabbatical.
Hello Church!
It's with deep appreciation and love for you all that I wanted to tell you about my upcoming sabbatical. This time of extended sabbath can be confusing to some, so below are some FAQs to help you understand what is going on, but all-in-all, by God's grace, things are going really well here at Real Life. I say this with an awareness that there are many in the church with deep pain, battles with sin, broken relationships, and hardship. I'm praying, and asking that you pray with me, that this time of rest and connection with God will be a healthy pause in the weight of ministry to deeply connect with God, grow my relationship with Him, and refresh my soul so that I can pastor and love God, my family, and you all enthusiastically for years to come.
I'll be on sabbatical from May 8th- June 11th: Please contact the church office for any needs- we have an awesome staff that will be stepping up to cover my role.
One author describes a sabbatical as “a carefully planned period of time in which thePastor/Director is granted leave away from his normal responsibilities in order to spend an extended season in rest, renewal and refreshment.” The challenges of church ministry are unique compared to other jobs, and a sabbatical is a unique opportunity to speak directly to those challenges. I recognize that this sabbatical is an incredible gift given to my family and me to invest in my spiritual health and take the responsibility of stewarding it very seriously.
A sabbatical is a unique benefit given to church staff and professors. However, the intent of a church staff sabbatical is very different from one in the academic world. While in academics, the goal is to create content, in a church staff sabbatical, the goal is to practice the discipline of Sabbath for an extended period of time. And while it certainly involves rest, it is not simply a vacation or time off, but rather time dedicated to the Lord to seek and delight in him.
My commitment to our church has never been stronger, and our church continues to thrive. When I came on staff one of the things that I wanted to give our staff was the opportunity to take a time of extended Sabbath, to refresh our souls for the work of theLord. The elders were in favor of a Sabbatical for each full-time pastoral/directorial staff member every 5 years. Most of the staff has taken theirs as they were grandfathered in and this is my first one (of hopefully many) on staff at Real Life.
As I have been praying and thinking about my upcoming sabbatical I look forward to engaging deeply with God and my family to grow in love for each other, God, and YOU.
Pray for my family and I: in all the above things, and that this will be a time of rejuvenation, connecting with God, and rest.
-Drew Froese
Lead Pastor
Real Life Christian Church
