On A Personal Note…
A few thoughts about my upcoming sabbatical
This coming summer, beginning on the first of June, I’ll be taking my first ministry sabbatical.
2020 is my fifteenth year in full-time ministry at Groton Bible Chapel, spanning 10 years as GBC’s Youth Pastor, 2 1/2 years as an interim Associate Pastor, and the last three as GBC’s Lead Pastor.
It truly has been an amazing ride! Yet, as anyone in full-time ministry can attest, ministry can also be a rhythm of insane intensity, leaving you leaning into an expectation that next week, next month, there will be time to really rest — time to process the deep losses, and time to rejoice in unimaginable victories. So I am very grateful for this opportunity, afforded to me by the GBC elder’s, and the congregation that I love so much, to disconnect, rest, pursue non-ministry things, and to dream about what God has next for our church.
Since the elders announced this in January, a growing number of folks have expressed thoughts of encouragement, and even gratitude, that we as a family have this opportunity. Several people have also asked about what this sabbatical means, what led to this point, and what they can do. What immediately follows is the “why”, and at the end of this entry, (in case you want to skip ahead), is the “what you can do”.
What is a sabbatical?
A few things probably need to be said about sabbatical in general and my sabbatical in particular. First, sabbatical is rooted in the biblical idea of “Sabbath”, and generally speaking, churches that offer them, tend to do so every 7th year. A sabbatical can serve specific purposes, such as a “study” sabbatical, or a “travel” sabbatical, to such as the Holy Land or some other special location. Strictly speaking, though a sabbatical is primarily about rest, and so they are often part: vacation, projects, reading, travel, writing, and connecting with family or other ministry colleagues.
This sabbatical is for three months — June, July, and August — and my intention for this upcoming sabbatical is to focus on three primary areas. Restoration of our house. Restoration of family. Restoration of vision & passion.
Restoration of our house.
- When we bought our house in 2014 there were many things that needed attention, small things, many of which have been addressed on days’ off and evenings. We also prioritized building our kids a tree house first, while they were still relatively young, and a much needed shed over the last two summers. What has not been attended to is our back deck, which is rotting through, and so small that its really not usable for our family. In addition, we have a hallway that has been torn apart for over two years that needs attention, and a few other things. Rightly so, other things have taken priority, but this summer we’ll tackle these issues in the month of June primarily. I truly do find joy and relaxation in working with my hands and taking on these kinds of projects, and so this will be the first “phase” of my time off.
Restoration of family.
- It goes without saying that in ministry, many of the sacrifices are borne primarily by the spouse and children of the one in ministry. Beyond the more dramatic sacrifices of dates cancelled and birthday parties abandoned for the sake of a GBC family in need, there is also the reality of many many times where I have not been fully “present” while with my family. Admittedly, sometimes that is negligence, and perhaps at times even sin on my part, but at other times it is simply the cost of ministry. There is no time clock for a disintegrating marriage, a nearing death, or a myriad of other things that inevitably “join” family time, whether at the dinner table, in the car, or at the child’s sporting event. So this summer, we will schedule all of the normal beach days, carnival nights, ice cream runs, without the “fear” of interruption, and with my focus certainly less divided. In addition, Kristi and I will reconnect through some short trips away and date nights. But the event we’re really excited about is the five week, cross-county national parks trip, which we are working to plan at this writing.
Restoration of vision & passion.
- I don’t want to be either melodramatic, or to raise unnecessary alarm, but perhaps it’s also true that some of this is apparent — I’m tired. Without cataloguing everything, (and turning this blog into some sort of cathartic therapy exercise for myself, at your expense), suffice it to say, I am exhausted and at times, even somewhat weary of ministry. Over the last fifteen years I’ve buried a lot of people, including close relatives, a few young people, some of whom were former students that I loved deeply from my season as a youth pastor, and I’m not sure I’ve fully processed all of that. Granted, that’s probably true for many people, and no one more notable than those who’s children or spouses or dearly loved ones these folks were, and I’m not pretending to know their pain whatsoever. But, there is a cumulative cost too, and I know that I need to be emotionally and spiritually healthy to care for others.
In addition to loss of life, there have been a host of weddings — which sounds great, and truly is — weddings are wonderful! But, in the process of weddings, what precedes them is six months of what can often be emotionally intense, mentally consuming, pre-marriage counseling, as Kristi and I walk through this redemptive work, preparing young couples to be one. This is both an honor and a burden, and I am excited for a respite. Beyond all of this, are the normal rhythms of ministry — sermon preparation, staff development and care, visitations, vision casting and execution, and administration — all with an ever-increasing scale over the last several years.
All of this leads to what I have heard some call, being “tired in the soul”. So… I will intentionally do a fair amount of reading, spend some time with pastor’s who’ve had a mentoring presence in my life, and take significant time to rest, seeking Christ in my practices and processing for what He wants to do in me, before considering what’s next for GBC.
Here’s my reading list for the summer thus far. You’re welcome to join me in reading one or more of the following as I do…
- What’s So Amazing About Grace- Phillip Yancey
- The Emotionally Healthy Leader- Peter Scazarro
- Knowledge of the Holy- A.W. Tozer
- A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23- Phillip W. Keller
Now, don’t panic…
Loosely said, those are my goals and aims for my time away from GBC this summer. But, one other note about sabbatical. While I’m almost positive that I will ponder existential questions about this time of my life, (I’m turning 46 in April after all. Mid-life crisis?), and what I have done with my life to this point, as well as the role God has me in at GBC, this is neither:
1. A punishment by the elders, as they made clear in announcing this sabbatical in January, OR
2. The beginning of my departure from GBC as your pastor. Since I was about 16, I’ve always felt called to serve at GBC as a “lifer”, so unless He says differently, you’re stuck with me! :)
What you can do:
First and foremost, pray. While we make our plans, as we all know, many times the Lord “directs our steps” in another direction as Proverbs 16:9 says. So please be praying that no matter the actual events and rhythms of the coming summer, that I and my family would know Christ more, and would invest more deeply in each other.
Second, there are practical needs that we have. Things like places to stay to break up our trip out west. (We’ll be renting an SUV for part, staying in some hotels, and then renting an RV out west), and some needs associated with the home projects we’re doing in June. Anyone have a Kubota with an auger? Private Message me or email, (gary@gkcampbell.com), if something comes to mind, or the Lord lays something on your heart.
Finally, and I say this with grace and love...
Leave me alone :) I will have a different phone for the summer, I will not be checking email or on social media, other than possibly posting to instagram, (we have to figure out how best to catalog our trip), but I am committed to stepping away from all of these things.
“Who’s on first”?
In my absence, Jason Wallace, our Caring Pastor and one of our elders, and Zak Stevens, our Associate Pastor, will be running the day-to-day operations of the church, along with of course our amazing staff team!
In addition, Brandon Barnes, our chairman of the elders, will engage the entire elder team as needed. Only these three people, will have the permission to collectively decide to “break radio silence” and contact me in the event that something that cannot be addressed without my input or personal involvement.
If you’ve endured this entry to the end, thank you for doing so. Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement. One of my greatest joys is to serve this Body, and I am so excited to see how this time away further equips me to carry out this call to pastor the church I’ve attended my entire life and love so much!
Blessings! Gary
