Matthew Williams' Upcoming Sabbatical
KingsWay’s lead pastor, Matthew Williams, is soon to head on sabbatical. Below, he shares his goals for his time away as well as several ways you can support him through prayer.
And [Jesus] said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. (Mark 6:31)
Pastoral ministry is a tremendous privilege. Who deserves the honor of leading, feeding, protecting, and caring for “the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28)? It also comes with significant costs, both physically and spiritually. Pouring out your soul is part of the job description. And there’s a sense in which you are always “on.” The opportunities and challenges of vocational ministry do not fit into a weekly 9-5. Evenings and weekends are part of the joyful labor.
Thanks be to God for the way he pours his love into our hearts “through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rom 5:5). And thanks be to God that he ordains seasons of rest no less than seasons of work (Gen 2:2). If a pastor is to joyfully endure in gospel work for 30 or 40 years, he must carefully guard time for his body and soul to be renewed. The Father’s goal for under-shepherds is not a short burst of fruitfulness ending in burnout. It’s a life of sustainable sacrifice.
With sustainable sacrifice in view, our elders began talking last year about sending me on a 3-month sabbatical this summer. We’re eager to establish a healthy precedent where we release our full-time pastors at least once every 6-7 years for an extended season of proactive rest. In the long run, it’s good for the man. It’s good for his family. And it’s good for the church. The timing also seems right as we anticipate bringing a full-time pastoral resident, Caleb Collins, on board in early August.
We began pulling our members into the conversation at the end of January. My fellow pastor, Josh Kruger, is bringing another update during our members meeting this Sunday. I’m deeply grateful for the support many of you have expressed over the last few months for the sabbatical concept. We also didn’t want regular attenders who are not members to be surprised when May 1 rolls around and my sabbatical begins! Hence this blog post and some brief remarks Chris Deloglos, another one of our pastors, will be sharing this Sunday.
In cooperation with our elders and the wisdom we’ve gleaned from other churches and pastors who’ve gone before us in this area, I developed a list of 8 goals for my sabbatical (May 1 – July 18). I freely share them so you can know how to pray! Thank you in advance for doing that, my friends.
Give focused attention to my functional theology of rest & prayer
Draw spiritual encouragement from the well of church history & Christian biography
Spend time enjoying hobbies that renew my mind and bless my family
Refresh the Hebrew language skills I gained in seminary
Invest in relationship with my family through planned trips and spontaneous events
Sit under the preaching of another pastor
Practice healthy rhythms of sleep & physical exercise
Strengthen friendships outside a work context
When our family isn’t out of town, I’ll be worshiping on Sunday mornings with my wife Aliza at Grace Bible Church. Rick Zaman, their senior pastor, is a good friend and I look forward to benefiting from his Christ-centered preaching. Our boys will continue attending KingsWay with help from our extended family and friends. You may also see Aliza periodically when she comes back to serve on the Sunday music team.
Serving as your pastor is one of the greatest joys of my life. And I’m eager to do it for years to come! May the Lord use my time away this summer to remind all of us that Jesus is the head of his church. We are his body, his bride, his people. Our endurance and fruitfulness do not ultimately depend on a man like me. They come from him. “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt 16:18). Amen and amen.
Posted by Matthew Williams