A Time to Keep Silence and a Time to Speak

[I wrote the following reflection piece in May of 2008, in anticipation of this summer's ministerial leave.]

In 2003-2004, the elders of the Conejo Church established a ministerial leave policy for the ministers of our congregation. Full-time ministers who have been employed for seven years are entitled to a ministerial leave of three months.

I am very grateful for this policy as I plan for my upcoming ministerial leave during the summer of 2009. That summer will mark my twenty-first year in full-time ministry, my eighteenth as a preacher, my eighth as the minister of the Conejo Valley Church. At 45 years of age, I will be primed for a season of reflection, self-evaluation, and revisioning in preparation for the second half of my ministry career. After 36 years in existence, the time will also be right for the Conejo Valley Church to reflect upon its history, its gifts, and its calling in God’s ongoing mission in our changing community and the larger world.

Some questions that would be profitable for both Conejo and me to reflect upon during this ministerial leave include: What fresh and energizing goals do we need to embrace at this point in our ministries? What ministry skills and competencies should we extend and hone? Who do we need to spend time with in order to learn how to better fulfill the mandate of our callings? How do my goals and vision mesh with the goals and vision of the Conejo Church?

The beneficiaries of this ministerial leave are both the minister and the congregation. The minister receives the gift of a season away from the daily tasks of ministry with time for spiritual growth, reflection, travel, and renewal. The congregation receives the gift of a change-up in the provision of preaching, teaching, and ministry leadership. Members of the congregation also receive the opportunity to fulfill roles normally assigned to the full-time minister, thereby stimulating their own spiritual growth.

One of the greatest challenges of preaching as I experience it is having to open my mouth and declare something each week that is faithful to scripture, practically relevant, and potentially life-changing. Ecclesiastes 3:7 says that there is a “a time to keep silence and a time to speak.” After many years of speaking, a ministerial leave will provide a season to keep silence, listen, and be still before the Lord. I invite you to pray for and participate in this ministerial leave process as it takes shape during the next twelve months.