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Why Sabbaticals Matter

Getting Up in the Balcony of Your Life and God's Ministry

Lee Hinson-Hasty

By Lee Hinson-Hasty

Space really does matter.  I’m one of those people that needs to have my desk and computer desktop cleared or at least in some configuration of order before I can do anything.  I don’t know about you, but the ambiance of the space can encourage or discourage my creativity and even my productivity.

My fall sabbatical in Debrecen, Hungary only deepened my conviction, that physical space matters.  Removing myself from my North American majority culture context and living as a stranger in a strange land opened my eyes, mind and heart wider to the ministry and life questions that I ask most often.

Ron Heifetz encourages leaders to get off the dance floor and into the balcony to gain clarity on situations from a broader perspective before re-entering the dance.  The VocationCARE process being developed by the Fund for Theological Education talks about the practice of “Creating a space to explore Christian vocation together.”  Dorothy C. Bass and others highlight the practice of keeping the Sabbath.  I think they are responding to a question you may be asking, why sabbatical matter.

It’s not cheap, it is not easy and it is not always fun, but taking time away to ask awakening questions, receive the days God has given, and to profoundly reflect and renew matters.  Sabbaticals done well create the space and the freedom to move beyond the chronos time of the clock and live into the kairos time of God.

A guiding question will shape the purpose of a time of sabbatical, be it a few weeks, a few months or even a year.  But be prepared and willing for your question to change as you learn and grow.  I know this happened to me.

The biggest question, at least for ministers and session is how to fund a sabbatical.  Who will pay the travel expenses?  Who will preach and provide pastoral care and how will they be paid?  These and other questions could stop the conversation before it gets started. 

Thankfully, the Lilly Endowment through the Louisville Institute is a place where you can get resources and request grant funds.  Now is the time as the next round of applications are due in August and early September. 

Seminaries are a great place to camp out for a part of a sabbatical.  Libraries and conversation partners and programs abound. 

For me, I am still grateful to be married to a minister and professor, Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty, who was selected as a Fulbright Scholar last fall at Debrecen Reformed Theological University.  The Hungarian-US Fulbright Commission funds made it possible for our entire family to step back and out of our busyness and into the lives of faithful and creative leaders who approach many of our same questions in enlightening ways. 

I’d love to hear about your sabbatical experiences or dreams.

Peace, Lee in Louisville

• Posted at 12:00 p.m.
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Categories: Theological Education