Some years ago I realized that the congregational provision to provide pastors with sabbatical leaves for spiritual renewal had the right intention but the wrong model. A time of spiritual renewal, refreshment and time out was, to be sure, essential. You can't expect to provide effective and ongoing leadership without recharging. Continuing education provides one aspect of that formula; learning and retooling for ministry. Vacations are another. But the focus of a sabbatical leave is unique and important: intentional time apart and spiritual renewal.

Though I applaud congregations that provide sabbatical renewal and though I have myself taken several through my years, I eventually came to the conclusion that the model of the pastoral sabbatical - borrowed mostly from academia - didn't fit pastoral life as a whole. The academic model focuses on research and the teaching load is often absorbed by other colleagues in the department. Pastoral and congregational life is different. This is not simply a matter of professors covering a teaching load for students who come and go.

Though I benefitted from my past sabbaticals I came to believe that the congregation lost traction and momentum during that time and it took weeks to catch up. In addition, waiting for five to seven years to pass before taking a sabbatical is way too long. What is needed is something tailored to pastoral life and its peculiar needs.

When I first proposed an alternative to sabbaticals, a model focusing on regular spiritual renewal, pastors and lay leaders alike intuitively understood it. We need to scatter regular opportunities for renewal through the yearly schedule. I devised a way to take twice-a-year mini retreats in fall and spring and an annual renewal week in the summer. Then every five years I would take a long month of spiritual renewal, to which I could add weeks of vacation if so desired. The end result was more regular and shorter times of spiritual renewal.

I am enjoying one of those spiritual renewal weeks even as you read this column. I am resting, reading, writing, praying, walking and observing silence. My schedule is my own. I am unplugged. I can work on projects in an unhurried and reflective way.

We all have to carve out islands of Sabbath in our lives. It is more important now than ever. God bless you as you find the way to do so.