by Pr. Dell and Diane Shiell
Why isn’t your pastor taking a sabbatical every four years?
Florida Bahamas Synod Compensation Guidelines clearly state that congregations are expected to offer paid sabbaticals for their rostered ministers and that each full time rostered leader is expected to receive two months of paid sabbatical leave after each four years of service in the same ministry setting.
The number one reason that pastors give for not taking a sabbatical is that their congregation isn’t offering this option to them. The number two reason pastors give for not taking a sabbatical is that they cannot afford to do so.
My wife, Diane, and I address the second most often given reason for not taking a sabbatical in our new book, Go, Pastor, Go!: How clergy can take an affordable sabbatical that rejuvenates their soul, reunites their family, and reignites their congregation by using a home exchange.
Next year I will celebrate the 40th anniversary of my ordination to the ministry of word and sacrament. Though none of the congregations I served ever “offered” me a sabbatical, I have requested and been given two—and both of which were financially feasible because both times Diane and I did home exchanges.
A home exchange is where we stay in your home and you stay in ours. No money changes hands between us. We just agree to swap the use of our homes.
There were not many resources available to help us when we did our first home exchange in 1988-89. That situation has changed dramatically. Today, on the Internet, one has access to hundreds of thousands of home exchange listings.
To encourage pastors to take a sabbatical, we are giving away free copies of our book (Kindle version). To request your free copy, visit, www.christianhomeexchange.com/free-1.
You can also purchase our book at Amazon.
Often people ask if home exchanges are only for pastors. No, anyone can do a home exchange! For more information about home exchanges, email us at dshiell@christianhomeexchange.com or call us at (941) 223-9461.
Pastor Dell and Diane Shiell are also co-authors of another recently released book (second edition), Fair Exchange: A Ministry Exchange Between the USA and Norway.
