A personal story of choosing sabbatical in a ministry that didn’t offer one
My wife Jess and I had been serving with a youth-focused ministry in Australia for about a decade. Ministry life was fast, full, and deeply meaningful, but somewhere in the swirl of new marriage and new parenthood, we began sensing a quiet, persistent invitation from God:
It’s time to pause.
At the time, our daughter Lilly was just a few months old. We were adjusting to life as first-time parents while continuing to carry significant responsibility in a ministry we cared deeply about. Both Jess and I were seen as key leaders on staff, people others relied on. The idea of stepping away, even for a season, felt risky not just personally, but organizationally.
Still, we couldn’t ignore the sense that something needed to shift. The pace we had sustained for years didn’t feel sustainable anymore, not for our health, not for our marriage, not for our family, and not for our calling.
So, we brought the idea of a sabbatical to our leadership team.
It didn’t go how we hoped.
The suggestion was quickly redirected toward “maybe a couple extra weeks of holiday leave.” Sabbatical, as a concept, simply wasn’t part of the organizational vocabulary. It wasn’t in the staff handbook. No leaders had ever taken one. And to be honest, it felt like the idea was interpreted as a potential threat to growth or momentum, a pause that might slow down the mission.
But what do you do when your soul is asking for something your workplace has no category for?
When the Answer Was “No”, But the Invitation From God Still Stood
We left that initial conversation discouraged. Not angry or bitter, but heavy. We had hoped for openness, for at least the beginning of a conversation. Instead, we walked away with the strong sense that sabbatical wasn’t something this ministry knew how to support.
But we also walked away knowing exactly what to do next:
We went straight back to prayer.
We had to ask the hard question:
Was an extended holiday enough?
Could a few extra weeks off really provide the space our souls were asking for? Could it truly restore what had been depleted over years of ongoing leadership, responsibility, and sacrifice?
It would’ve been easier to just accept what was offered. To push through. To normalize the ache. But when we paused long enough to listen, to each other, to God, we knew:
This wasn’t about time off.
It was about something deeper.
There was more.
The Cost of Saying Yes to Rest
As we continued to pray and process, another layer of complexity surfaced.
If we moved forward with the sabbatical, it wouldn’t be officially recognized as part of our staff roles. The only option on the table was to resign from staff entirely.
If we felt led to return after the sabbatical, we’d have to reapply and go through the process of rejoining the team, no guarantees, no safety net.
That reality clarified something for us: this wasn’t just about taking time off.
It was a test of trust.
Were we willing to risk our roles, our security, and our standing in order to respond to what God was inviting us into?
It was one of the clearest moments in our journey where we had to choose between what was familiar, and what was faithful.
Obedience Before Position
As we prepared for that second conversation, Jess and I spent time in prayer asking for clarity, not just around the sabbatical, but around our posture.
What we sensed from God was unmistakable:
This wasn’t about convincing our leaders.
It wasn’t about proving a point or pushing for our way.
It was about obedience.
God was asking us a deeper question:
Were we willing to give up our positions if that’s what it took to follow His leading?
That shift reframed everything. We weren’t walking back into the conversation to push back against authority. We deeply respected our leaders and honored the weight they carried.
This was never about who was right.
They were the leaders, and the decision was theirs to make.
But our response? That was about our obedience to God.
So we returned to the table, not with defensiveness, but simply trusting that even if stepping away meant loss, it would also mean alignment with what God was doing in us.
A Surprising Yes, and a Defining Moment
We entered that second conversation nervous, but also confident.
We knew what God had invited us into. And to our surprise, after sharing our hearts with humility and clarity, our leaders released and blessed us to take the sabbatical.
It was a sacred moment, not just because of the time off, but because of what it represented:
A step of obedience.
A response to God’s whisper.
A choice to trust Him more than a position.
This blog isn’t about how the sabbatical itself unfolded (though we learned so much).
To be honest, we wish an organization like Soul Care had existed back then, with practical sabbatical resources, reflection tools, and experienced guides built in.
We would have gotten so much more out of that season.
But we’re grateful for what it taught us:
That sometimes, following God means walking outside of organizational norms.
That rest is not rebellion.
That obedience often costs something, but it also gives more than we can imagine.
We returned from that sabbatical and served another 5 years with that organization.
Those years were the most fruitful and joy-filled season we’d ever experienced.
We believe the reason we have now lasted over 20 years, something that’s far from normal in ministry,
is because we listened when God said, “Pause.”
An Invitation to Leaders Who Feel the Tension
If you’re a leader serving in a church or ministry where sabbaticals aren’t part of the culture, maybe even discouraged, you’re not alone.
If you’re sensing that a sabbatical may be a necessary next step for your soul, we want you to know:
Your need for rest is not a weakness. It’s often the beginning of deeper strength.
At Soul Care, we offer Sabbatical Services designed to help you navigate the process, personally, spiritually, and relationally, even when your organization doesn’t have a roadmap.
You don’t have to wait until burnout makes the decision for you.
Let’s discern this next step together.
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