Have you ever had a sabbatical? An engineer in my church was recently given one by his company and he used the time to drive to Alaska! This summer I will be on a three-month sabbatical, my third in my 21 years as a pastor at my church. I’ll be working on some projects around the house in June, traveling most of July, and moving my oldest kid into college in August. I’m looking forward to the time to decompress, read, pray, hang with family, and be rejuvenated to keep going for the long haul. I’ll also be taking a break from most responsibilities with Chicagoland Baptists. If you need something June through August, reach out to our Office Manager Mindy Cobb (mindycobb@chicagolandbaptists.org) or the Chair of the Admin Council Jon Pennington (jon@chicagolandcc.org).
If your church doesn’t have a sabbatical policy, I strongly encourage you to consider it. Here is a very thorough treatment of the matter, with practical steps on how to implement it. I would just say:
It’s a way to remind yourself and the church that Jesus is the Chief Shepherd (1Pet. 5:4). You’re not the one holding everything together.
You need it. Pastoral ministry is uniquely burdensome and burnout is real. Planned sabbaticals can help preempt crises.
Your church will benefit in the short and long term. Others will get to step up in your absence. And you’ll come back refreshed and more effective. Before the Mormon Stephen Covey talked about ‘sharpening the saw’, the Baptist pastor Charles Spurgeon said – “Rest time is not waste time. It is economy to gather fresh strength. Look at the mower in the summer’s day, with so much to cut down ere the sun sets. He pauses in his labour – is he a sluggard? He looks for his stone, and begins to draw it up and down his scythe, with ‘rink-a-tink – rink-a-tink – rink-a-tink.’ Is that idle music – is he wasting precious moments? How much he might have mown while he has been ringing out those notes on his scythe! but he is sharpening his tool, and he will do far more when once again he gives his strength to those long sweeps which lay the grass prostrate in rows before him. Even thus a little pause prepares the mind for greater service in the good cause.”
Here is somewhere to know about – Englewood
Some of the churches we’ve been praying for on Sundays lately (see here) have been around the Englewood neighborhood on the city’s southside. Bolstered by the Stockyards and the railroads, Englewood became a bustling community with a shopping district second only to the Loop.
63rd and Halsted in the first half of the 20th Century
Like everywhere, Englewood has stories of spiritual darkness (think of the mass murderer H.H. Holmes in Devil in the White City) and God’s light breaking through (A.W. Tozer pastored in Englewood from 1928 to 1959). In the second half of the 20th Century due to suburban sprawl and white flight, Englewood lost over half of its population and still suffers from many of the typical symptoms of urban decay. Pray for Pastor David Sutton and the saints at Bread of Life. And for Pastor Michael Bruce and that the balcony of Good Hope would be full of people worshipping Jesus.
The sanctuary at Good Hope at 71st and Union
Here are some events to know about –
Weekly Prayer Calls every Wednesday from 9:00 to 9:30 AM. Next week (5/21) we’re meeting online and at Smith Park and playing pickleball together afterwards.
Monthly Discussions on the first Wednesday of the month from 9:00 to 10:00 AM.
On 6/4 our topic will be – “The Baptist Faith & Message Article IV – Salvation”
Upcoming Pastors’ Lunches for fellowship:
The next Women’s Hangout is 5/20 at The Rockwell/Send Relief Ministry Center at noon. RSVP here.
Send Espanol is putting on a Discipleship Workshop at Ashburn Baptist Church - Orland Park on 5/31 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Email jrodriguez@namb.net for more info.
The SBC is in Dallas 6/8-11. Find out all about it and register here.
We’re hosting the Minister’s Wives & Widows Luncheon at the Garfield Park Conservatory on 9/27. Brenda Croston is the speaker. Mark your calendars.
IBSA is hosting a Strategic Planning Retreat at Streator Baptist Camp 10/14-15. Each participant will receive free meals, a private room, and space to do long-range planning. Contact paulwestbrook@ibsa.org for more info.
The annual All Church Equipping Conference (ACEC) put on by our African American Pastors Fellowship is 10/17-18. Jeff Iorg is the keynote speaker.
Send Network is having a One Day Gathering on 10/29 at Cityline Bible Church in Niles. Check it out here.
The Chicagoland Baptists Annual Meeting is on 11/15 from 10:00 AM to noon at the Torrey-Gray Auditorium on the campus of Moody Bible Institute. We want you to bring a bunch of people from your church and make it a city-wide celebration.
Here are a couple more things to know about –
Send Relief will send your church up to 72 free backpacks that you can fill with back-to-school essentials and give out to your community. Act now. Supplies limited. See here for more info.
If you have a Guidestone account (which you should), you can get a special discount subscription to FaithFi – a personal finance tool that can help you and/or members of your church keep track of budgeted spending, saving, and sharing. Learn more here.
For the Sake of the Name,
Nathan Carter
Chicagoland Baptists
Executive Director/AMS
1356 N. Rockwell Street, Chicago, IL 60622
nathancarter@chicagolandbaptists.org
312.493.3726
You can see a map of all the member churches of Chicagoland Baptists here.
You can apply to officially affiliate with Chicagoland Baptists here.
You can donate to Chicagoland Baptists here.
You can see past editions of ‘Things to Know’ here.
You can sign up for our weekly ‘A Quick Word’ here.
The mission of Chicagoland Baptists is to facilitate relationships among the Baptist churches of this Great City so that they can more effectively fulfill the Great Commission.