Q&A with Pastor John on Upcoming Sabbatical, Part 1

June 7th, 2025

In a few weeks I will be away on a sabbatical (June 20-July 31) where I will get away for concentrated time to pray, read and reflect. Every three years I am gifted a time away for this and this year is that time again. But I know that as I go on sabbatical there may be numerous questions about “why now?”, “what will I do?”, and maybe even, “what is a sabbatical?”. I thought it may be helpful in this newsletter and the next to try to answer questions that I suspect you may have. It’s my hope that it will help bring clarity and encourage you to pray for me and the church during this time.

Q: What is a sabbatical?
A: Over the last 18 years at Summit, I am gifted with time away every three years. And here is the aim: To take time away from the daily responsibilities of ministry and spend it in engaging in life-giving activities. So for instance, I spend time doing things that will help me grow personally toward the Lord and in helping me to further lead the church in the days ahead.

Q: Seems like terrible timing to go away for 6 weeks (for instance, termination of a pastor, new building project) why now? Why not wait until the Fall?
A: We wrestled with this for a while. But as an elder team we believed now was better than later because of a couple of things coming in the Fall: Our men’s seeJesus school; a Macedonian prayer team trip in the Fall. Also, this will get me back before the kick off of our 25th anniversary and launch of our new building in September. The building project is well underway and with Rick (our contractor) and the care for our people by pastor Jeremy and our elder team, we have those bases covered very well. So this felt like the timing was right – not convenient, but right.

Q: What will I do? Where will I be?
A: Each sabbatical has looked a little different. Early on, our kids were with us when they were younger. Now it is just Angela and I and our kids are in different parts of the country. For this particular sabbatical we will be spending our time on the eastern side of the country. We will spend a majority of our time in Chattanooga, Tennessee where our son and family live. We’ll also take a few days to drive up to Toronto to visit some friends. I hope to catch a few baseball games and take some day trips to a few places too.

Q: What spiritual practices do I want to focus on?
A: I will spend time in prayer and in reading and listening to a number of podcasts that I can’t catch in the usual flow of my days at home. I’ll spend time in coffee shops and walk a few civil war sites too. I am eager for some uninterrupted time with Jesus especially. I really want to get to know Jesus more and more… personally, deeply. That’s a smattering of the plans – we’ll see how the Lord works and moves. I simply want to be about my Father’s business.
Q: What are my primary goals for this sabbatical? How will I process and work through areas of my heart?
A: It’s rest, studying/reading, time of being poured into, reflection over the last few years, preparation for new series’, evaluating our staffing and needs as church to name the primary goals. I will also check in a few times with a counselor I meet with in various seasons of life. That will be good to help me process out loud various areas of my heart so I am open to the Spirit’s work in me.

That gets us started in answering questions about this sabbatical. Here are questions I will answer in our next newsletter:
· What does rest and renewal look like for me during this time?
· What books do I want to read?
· Will I have any contact while I am gone?
· What am I hoping to return with, both personally and professionally?
· How can this sabbatical benefit the long-term health of the church?

Is there anything you would want to know that I am not answering in these? Email and ask and I will try to answer those.
There are two weeks before Angela and I head out of town. I would humbly ask that you pray for us as we prepare to go. We both have numerous responsibilities to attend to well before we leave. Pray that we engage well in those various tasks and with people.
I look forward to seeing you over the next two Sunday’s and us worshiping together. Our Lord is good and faithful in all things.

Nothing on my own,