Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Hey Fletch … I’ve been in my role at the church a long time. I suppose that I’m a little tired … never had a sabbatical or taken much of my vacation time … I wonder if someone else may have a fresh persecutive and take this ministry to the next level. Thoughts?
DRF—You sound tired and war weary. Slogging through the mud everyday takes it out of a soldier. You sound like you need a rest break. Ministry is hard. The weight of spiritual responsibility for hundreds or thousands of people is heavy. You may be running a sprint when you should be pacing yourself for a marathon.
Perhaps if you left now, it would be like the soldier who went AWOL—absent without leave. The church may need a fresh perspective and the ministry may need to go to the next level. However, blaming that on a tired soldier is the equivalent of shooting our wounded.
You need to take responsibility for your part in being a war-weary soldier. Your church offers a sabbatical and you chose not to take it. Your church give you four weeks vacation and you only used less than half of that. I strongly recommend that you come clean and admit your workaholic actions to your board and staff. By the way, they already know it as your life has been demonstrating it for the lest decade.
Admit that it was wrong not to take a godly sabbath rest. Take the sabbath rest from your work. Enjoy the relaxation that God has provided for you.
Once you have had a good rest, then ask the same questions. You may find that the soldier is ready to reengage in the spiritual war. You may find that your own workaholic actions put your ministry in peril.
