1. Pray that he won’t feel guilty about being away from the church.
The guilt may come from a well-meaning church member who says, “Well, I don’t get a month off from my work,” because he doesn’t understand the rigors of ministry upon the faithful pastor and his family. The pastor may sense guilt from not being involved in the local church helping to keep all the “ministry plates spinning” that he himself created rather than what the Head of the Church initiated (John 5:19-20; 8:28-29; 12:49-50).
2. Pray that he will truly rest.
Most pastors do not know how to rest. Their foot is always on the accelerator, in the driver’s seat, and impatiently waiting for this wife and nine children to get in the car!!! It usually takes a pastor the first 10 days of the sabbatical to “back off the edge of the cliff.”
3. Pray that he will find this time to be a ministry leadership reset.
One of the goals of a sabbatical is to not go back into ministry and do things as usual. This is a time for him to pray and find out what the Head of the Church wants for His local church ministry. (Ephesians 4; See the John passages listed above)
4. Pray that he will use this time to refresh his marriage.
Sadly, too many pastors are married to their ministry more than their wife. Every day of the sabbatical should be an investment in his most important earthly relationship. (Proverbs 5:15-20; Ephesians 5:18-33)
5. Pray, most of all, that he will grow exponentially in his relationship with Christ through the Holy Spirit for the glory of God! (Matthew 11:28-30; John 14-15; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Peter 3:18)
Are you a pastor considering or headed out on a Sabbatical? Listen to these podcast episodes where I discussed The Value of a Sabbatical and How to Profit from a Sabbatical.
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