Originally Posted by RandyWayne (Post 774680)

I am pretty sure he was being sarcastic. :)

Someone brought up a good point earlier. While I have NO problem with a pastor taking a short break/vacation, and in fact commend him for it, the fur will usually fly when a normal church member decided he or she needs to skip some services.....

Originally Posted by nahkoe (Post 774555)

And not attend his church during this time either?

Can anyone think of anything?

I've visited a church 2 weeks in a row. The first week, the pastor wasn't there. Ok, he's out of town. No big deal. But tonight, he was there before service and I met him. But then not there for service, and the guy who preached mentioned that the pastor has been taking a break all summer.

??????

Originally Posted by U376977 (Post 774679)

You are either being sarcastic or you have no clue what being a pastor is all about. If it was so easy there would not be a shortage of pastors nationwide. Pastors would not be quitting all across the country.

Originally Posted by U376977 (Post 774681)

Since we all must speculate in this situtation, it sounds like health issues. Consider, he was diagnosed with Hep C or something else that REQUIRES 3-6 months extended rest? Cancer?. And I understand if he carries it all himself and does not tell anyone. I probably would not, the people would drive you crazy. My pastor was diagnosed with diabetes and it has caused many issues, everything from:
1. we will just pray...you don't even need to check your blood
2. I am like his mother and I will say what he eats...don't you dare make him a pie, no one can bring him any food anymore!
3. I have herbs that will cure it....

I know another pastor that went blind and he kept it from the church until AFTER he was healed.

What if it is mental health? Many ministers BATTLE manic/depressive personality, they may be "on" on Sunday but spend most of Monday in bed. Stress has a way of piling up.

And NO WAY can they have complete rest and just "attend." There will always be that sister that just has to say a word to "pastor." And will always be one letter or invite that he must answer.

What if the pastor is considering a change? Moving to another city? Resign? Missions? All require removal from ALL INFLUENCES to hear the voice of God. What if he is in moral failure or extreme temptation? And wants extended time to repent and seek the Lord?

Now if it is just spending 3 months at the ocean, just for fun, I really don't understand that!

Originally Posted by Revelationist (Post 774699)

When a saint doesn't show up all summer, he's backslide... I'm sorry, a pastor is suppose the be the example... why not just close the church down for the summer if that's the example that he's setting...

Originally Posted by Edward Anglin (Post 774607)

Nahkoe,

I don't know what the answer is in your situation, but I do know that there are times when a pastor needs to step away for a bit. When he needs to escape it all for a while, just to maintain sanity.

See, when a pastor is under heavy stress, it's not enough to step away from the pulpit, because the pulpit is not the real issue. I have found that carrying the weight of everybody's problems can be very depressing, at times. And if a pastor steps away from the pulpit, but comes to every service, those needs are still gonna be there. So, I understand the need for a total break.

IMO, three months does seem a bit long, but I am old school. I rarely miss a pulpit session, and rarer still, miss a service. I am learning to pace myself. My first several years as a pastor, I have chained myself to the work. The next few, I intend to involve others quite a bit more.

Originally Posted by Margies3 (Post 774713)

You know, I have really mixed feelings on this.........

Our pastor took a 6 week sabbatical 3 years ago and I had mixed feelings at that time as well.

I know that pastoring is a hard job with lots of stress. I do understand that. But on the other hand, Walt's job as a civil engineer is a hard job as well. AND after he finishes there, he comes home and in the evenings and on weekends, his VOLUNTEER position is as Assistant Fire Chief in our town. Talk about a high stress position!! But has he ever been offered a paid sabbatical? nope. never. He gets 3 weeks paid vacation per year. Our pastor gets 4 weeks. So even then, he's ahead of the game.

The real kicker for me the year that our pastor took his sabbatical was that it was scheduled to begin the day after Walt's aneurysm ruptured. Understand that ours is not a large church. Maybe 120 on a good Sunday. The church people were at the hospital constantly. They were a wonderful support system.

But our pastor came to me privately and said, "I have decided that I am not going to cancel or postpone my sabbatical. If Walt doesn't make it, give me a call and I will come out of it to preach his funeral. Otherwise, I will see you in 6 weeks." I told him bluntly that if Walt didn't make it, I would be having someone else preach his funeral. I didn't even plan to call and let him know. My feeling was that if he didn't care enough to be there to be the support that we needed to get him through, then I would find that support somewhere else. And it was at that point that I lost almost all of the respect that I had ever had for the man as a minister. I'm sorry. Maybe that sounds hard-nose. But if a shepherd doesn't care anymore than that for his sheep in his care, then he doesn't care very much at all, does he?