Nick and Naomi’s Sabbatical

Nick and naomi are going on sabbatical

At the Vision Evening in January Nick explained that him and Naomi will be having a sabbatical this summer. It will start on Easter Monday (6th April) and end at the Wildfires summer camp (23 July).

They are very much looking forward to this sabbatical, not only for their own sakes, but also because they strongly expect it to provide room for others in the church to spread their wings, and for God to change us all personally in ways that will overflow in blessing to the whole church.

Why give church leaders a sabbatical?

Nick explains: “Pastoral ministry is a joy and a privilege, as we connect deeply with lots of people and enjoy being available for the diverse needs that arise. At the same time, this means we are very active (typically working much longer than our employed time), and also that our personal walk with God – and our own hopes and dreams – can easily get side-lined to an unhealthy degree. It's no surprise to us that, whilst surveys have repeatedly shown that church leaders top the tables for job satisfaction, there are also many pastors who end up burning out in later life, or else feel hollowed out by their calling. This is something I've experienced personally at times over recent years.

In common with many other churches, Oxfordshire Community Churches (the parent charity of the King's Church) aims to proactively care for its pastoral staff by encouraging them to take a 3-month sabbatical every 7-10 years. 

We began leading King's Church in 2015, and around three or so years ago, our overseers first suggested we consider taking a sabbatical. We did not feel it was right at that time, but over the last couple of years we have felt God saying we should take a sabbatical this coming Summer term and have been working with the leadership team and our apostolic oversight to prepare for this – we're convinced that now is the right time and that God has great things for us and for King's Church as a whole through it.

A sabbatical gives an opportunity for several things:

·       Rest/retreat: Jesus' ministry began with 40 days in the desert, and he often withdrew from people. He even took his disciples outside Israel for a seaside break (see Matthew 15:21-24)!

·       Renewal: An extended time to receive what God wants to give to us, rather than what he wants to minister through us.

·       Re-sourcing: We expect God not only to meet with us personally, but to give us fresh guidance, insight and power for the next stage of our roles as church leaders.

What will we be doing during our sabbatical?

We are still figuring out details but here's the rough plan. We will be laying down all of our church responsibilities for this period, and will be attending churches elsewhere on Sunday mornings. We have booked three weeks holiday in the north of England to rest and recover. We hope to travel to some Biblical locations (possibly Israel, Turkey or Greece). We will engage with the School of Emotionally Healthy Leadership. We will be seeking to establish new rhythms of prayer, worship and meeting God. We will be engaging with other opportunities to grow spiritually. We hope to study New Testament Greek. We will also be taking time to catch up on our neglected house and garden, spend time with family and friends. We will of course be praying for our and the church's future.

How will our responsibilities be covered?

We have been thinking very carefully about this over the last year, and have a document listing over 30 different responsibilities, and who will carry them in our absence!

We do believe that the church is not simply led by a single pastor, but by a team. In particular, as King's grows, there is a need to share responsibility and empower many people – actually us going on sabbatical now is a great opportunity for the church to develop new structures and ways of operating that will fit us for the great future God has for us, so we see this process as essential at this time and part of God's purposes to help us grow as a church community. It's also an opportunity for each of us to ask God how he wants to grow in service and faith.

Nick and Naomi Sabbatical cover plan v4 short version.pdf 

Full details are in the above Sabbatical cover document, but in terms of key roles, Andrew and Rachel Sheard will take a lead on spiritual oversight of the church, Chris and Jo Preston will take a lead on pastoral oversight, and Jansen Jacob, who is currently volunteering one day a week as Operations Manager, will oversee the operations and practical elements of church, together with Josie Mottershead, who is employed as Church Administrator. Matt and Estie Warren will continue overseeing Welcoming new people and Prayer as they currently do, Annetta Slade will continue overseeing Alpha and follow-up and Adam Ritchie will oversee evangelism. We are very blessed that God has now provided us with Sam Melia as our youth pastor, so that area will be well covered.

Please note, however, that all these people apart from Josie and Sam are volunteers and will be serving the church alongside their full-time jobs. Josie and Sam are only working for King's two and two and a half days respectively, so their time will also be limited. It is likely that some things will not happen or will happen less intensely over the Summer term to reflect this – that may also be a blessing to us as a church as less intense activity can help us to hear God.

One of the great blessings of being part of the Salt & Light Advance family of churches (advancechurches.uk) is that we will have great support from beyond King's. Mark Eley and Andy O'Connell will be providing direct support to the leadership team, meeting with them and being on the end of phone as needed. We are inviting a number of visiting speakers and worship leaders from across Advance to help us on some Sunday mornings – I think it will be a wonderful time of receiving blessing from others.

Please do pray for all these people, that the summer term would be a joyful stretch for them.

Please also include us in your prayers in the coming months, as we shall also continue to pray for you!

As ever we welcome questions and discussion, so do please talk to us or any member of the leadership team about our plans.”

God bless,

Nick and Naomi