Over June, July and August, Rosie and I will be taking a sabbatical. The trustees and the team here have made it possible for us to take 3 months off, away from our day-to-day leadership responsibilities. The concept of sabbatical is well established in many church denominations, as well as in the Vineyard Church. The focus for us is personal growth and development, and investment in the next decade of ministry – all in the context of extended rest.
We’ll take extended time to be with Jesus in personal prayer, study and reflection. We’ll be travelling to the United States for the Vineyard USA pastors’ conference and we’ve also planned some time to meet with other church leaders and visit other churches.
We’ve attempted to answer a few of the questions that you might have below:
What does sabbatical mean?
The concept of sabbatical is rooted in the idea of “sabbath” or rest. It’s about ceasing from regular responsibilities, to enable an extended time for prayer, reflection and study.
Why are you going on sabbatical at this time?
It’s been seven years since we last took a sabbatical. We’ve also chosen this time because we’re confident in the health and vitality of the BV sites, the pastors, leadership teams and the ministry leaders; and all the teaching themes and events have been well planned for the rest of the year.
We are embarking on this sabbatical knowing that everything is in God’s hands, with excellent leadership in our absence.
Can people still contact you?
This is a unique time for us to step back from our regular contact and communication so we can fully engage in this time of rest, prayer and reflection. All our normal communication channels will be responded to by the team in our absence.
When you are away, who's in charge?
As usual, your site pastors are on hand in each location and the rest of the staff team are present, leading and overseeing the different areas of ministry. A senior team is carrying responsibility for the whole church, ensuring that all of our normal oversight relationships are covered between them. That senior team includes Jon Solway, Cap and Jo Ramdas-Harsia, Becky Stamps and Liisa Wiseman, and in our absence we’ve invited Jon to lead that team.
Will anything change about our church while you are away?
In many ways it’s business as usual. We’ll continue to gather to worship and we anticipate God’s continued growth of our church in depth of love for God and in new people finding a place to belong and being enabled to grow in faith. The only change is that we won’t physically be amongst you for three months. The same staff and team members who lead Sunday services will continue to be available each week, and they gather weekly to pray and catch up. We have full confidence in the team to lead and make wise decisions in our absence.
What do I do if I hit a problem or I become aware of one?
We’re so glad that we’re not limited by a “pastor-centric” model of church. The gifts of so many add to the health of our community. Small groups remain the first point of contact for emergencies or moments where help is needed. Small group leaders have oversight and support in place and situations can be raised to pastoral staff/site pastors. That’s our normal pattern and it remains that way for the sabbatical period. As ever, if you have a concern or complaint you can communicate in confidence with the chair of trustees directly at: trustees@birminghamvineyard.com
What if there is a real emergency?
We have never made important decisions in isolation. We’ve always valued the wisdom of pastoral colleagues, the trustees, and wise “elders” in the church. The team mentioned above have our trust and the authority to lead in our absence, and they will have the full support of the trustees. Mike McMaster is the chair of trustees and that group meets monthly. We also have the support of our colleagues in Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland, just a phone call away. Our colleagues have our schedule and contact details throughout the time of our sabbatical and they are empowered to communicate with us if they feel it necessary.
How can I best support the church at this time?
The most helpful thing you can do is to be present, prayerfully engaged and supportive of the leaders. The health of this church is maintained by the small and consistent choices we all make to prefer one another, serve one another, and pray for one another. This is another moment for our whole community to grow together.
How can we pray for you while you are on sabbatical?
Pray that we enter God’s rest and that we can simply hear God’s voice in prayer, in the scriptures and in our reflection and relationships. We know that the invitation to know Christ and become more like him is offered to us in every season of life. We want to grow both as surrendered followers of Jesus and in our leadership. Our prayer is that we remain Spirit led and fruitful in our lives and leadership.
We are also stepping back from our national responsibility as Associate National Directors of Vineyard Churches UK & Ireland for this three month period as well. Please pray for those who are covering our responsibilities in our absence (VCUKI & BV).
We are deeply thankful for the ways God is working in and through Birmingham Vineyard Church and we pray for God’s blessing over the summer months and look forward to seeing you all in September. We do hope these FAQs have been helpful. If you have any unanswered questions then please do be in contact with one of the team.