Temple Baptist Church

SABBATICAL FAQs

• • What is a sabbatical?
    • The word “sabbatical” comes from the Hebrew word “Sabbath” which means “to close or rest”. Therefore, a ministry sabbatical is an agreed upon period of time in which the church allows a ministry leader to set aside their normal responsibilities so they can rest, reflect, and prepare themselves for the next season of ministry.
  • Why does TBC give pastors and directors a sabbatical?
    • The Personnel Ministry Team for Temple Baptist Church believes that rest is a vital concept in the life of all Christians. Rest is both modeled and prescribed in scripture as a means for God’s people to maintain spiritual health and to experience spiritual renewal. If rest is important for God’s people, it is all the more important for the undershepherds of God’s people -specifically, our pastoral and directorial staff here at TBC.
      In November of 2021, the Personnel Ministry Team unanimously endorsed the idea that the spiritual health of our pastors is of utmost importance to the overall spiritual health of our church, and that a sabbatical rest for our leaders would be offered on a five-year cycle. At a time when pastors are leaving the ministry in record numbers, this would serve as a great blessing to them and, ultimately, a great benefit to our church body.
  • How long will pastor David be gone on sabbatical?
    • Pastor David will be taking his sabbatical during June and July. This time frame will allow Pastor David to take advantage of the summer school break and spend time with his family.
  • Who will be preaching while Pastor David is on sabbatical?
    • During the 8 Sundays Pastor David is gone, various members of our Pastoral Staff, along with Pastor Randy Turner, will be preaching messages that are based upon their favorite Psalm.
  • What are the benefits to the church?
    • The benefit will be Pastor David’s return with a renewed, revived and refocused spirit to the work of the ministry.  But understand that the work of the church does not stop while he is away.  Our other pastors will benefit in leadership and spiritual growth while covering Pastor David’s responsibilities.  Moreover, we in the congregation will have the opportunity to step up our ministry while Pastor David is away and appreciate him even more upon his return.
  • Who will be making decisions normally made by Pastor David in his absence?
    • Since the primary goal of a sabbatical is to allow Pastors or Directors to rest, the other six members of the Strategic Leadership Team (Trenidy Davis, Larry Ponder, Drew Chapman, Brad Hodges, Kelli Brent, and Daniel Williamson), along with the TBC Personnel Team and Finance Ministry Team will continue to oversee the day to day and week to week operations of the church.  Pastor David and the ministerial staff have planned around his coming absence and anticipate no key decisions being made while Pastor David is gone on sabbatical.  In cases of major issues or emergencies, Pastor David will, of course, be contacted.

   

Still have questions? Email the Personnel Team at