Pastor Wife on Sabbatical (Amy's perspective)

What is a sabbatical for pastors?  According to our denomination (the Christian Reformed Church) it is this:  A sabbatical is a change or a break from the normal routine. It’s an opportunity to step back, reflect, relax, recharge, and renew.

Why sabbaticals for pastors?  Because pastor burn out is very real.  Consider these statistics also from our denominational website:

• 1,600 pastors quit or resign from their jobs every month
• Nearly 20 percent of pastors suffer stress or burnout
• 50 percent of pastors become divorced

I was a pastor's kid (i.e. PK) in the 1980's and 1990's.  This was during a time period when sabbaticals were not common.  I daresay if they were the norm, more pastors might have stayed at their churches beyond the five year mark.  Many moved on to avoid burnout.  For some churches, it might have been necessary and brought new growth for that particular congregation.  Other churches, pastors, pastor wives, and pastor kids may have benefited from the longevity.  

We have been in our first church almost eleven years.  I was telling someone this weekend if I followed the pattern in my childhood, I would be nearing a move to my third church.  I am grateful for the pastoral/church relations that has been established within our denomination in the past 10-15 years.  Pastors and pastor wives (and hopefully pastors kids) are not placed on this huge pedestal like they once were.  More people are understanding we are normal imperfect people too.  More congregations are aware and wish to prevent pastor burn out.  I believe more churches are reaping the advantages of having a pastor stay in their church for more than five years.  

I have this unique opportunity to take a sabbatical from being a pastor’s wife as well.  I have the added bonus of not working this summer.  I ran an in home day care during the school year the past five years.   Due to a new job opportunity, I have decided to close my day care permanently.  In home day care burnout is also very high but that is a whole other blog post…or blog for that matter.  I will be working in a preschool classroom in the fall.

So it makes perfect sense that if the husband is on sabbatical…we all are.  What does this mean for us?  We will not be worshiping at our church on Sundays though we will still participate in events here and there.  We want to continue to cultivate the friendships we have with our church friends through random events and outings.  Our three children (ages 11, 9, and 7) all have at least one close friend in the church.  We need to be intentional about giving them opportunities to see their friends.

We will be doing traveling which I will highlight on this blog.  We have several trips planned to various places that all serve different purposes.

What the husband’s day to day work is like, I am still uncertain.  I trust him to figure that out.  Knowing his time management and organization skills, I am sure it will be a time of reflection, renewal, recharging, and growth.  My day to day life will not be much different from other summers.  I am looking forward to having the husband home more.  It might allow me to get out during the day when I normally would be home.  Or it might allow some extra family time.

One of the reasons I am blogging about this is because it is such a unique opportunity.  If we are ever given three months like this again, it will not be for many years.  Our children will be high school aged or even older if we ever did another sabbatical.  This is a once in a lifetime opportunity—having these three months when our children are in their prime elementary years.  Our kids don’t have jobs yet.  They are involved in some activities, but a minimal amount in the summer.  They spend time with friends but not the extent teenagers do.  I want us to embrace this and remember this gift.