Sabbath keeping for clergy

[DanSSwing]

Can anyone recommend a good resource on Sabbath-keeping specifically for clergy and their immediate families? I'm in the process of retiring from the military, where perfect Sabbath-keeping was impossible. But now, as I train for the ministry, I'll be going into another profession where I'll be doing MOST of my work on the Sabbath. I'm really unclear what to do, especially if I'm going to keep the Sabbath together with my family, who are mostly stuck on a Monday-Friday schedule. Thanks.

 

[jwithnell]

Can't quote a book, but what I've observed over the years is pastors keeping the social aspects of the Sabbath -- not going into businesses, extending and enjoying hospitality -- but taking another day for much needed rest. In churches like ours, with members across four counties and two states, our officers get a lot of meetings on Sunday.

 

[Theoretical]

One of the appendices of the excellent new book by Daniel Howe called Worship, Feasting, Rest, Mercy includes a section on Sabbaticals and helping care for pastors, including suggestions for Sabbaticals and pastoral rest. He draws from the principle of giving the land a sabbath rest and the consequences of not doing so.

One church I know of that is particularly blessed with a number of men under care, a retired pastor RE, and an excellent associate pastor gives their main pastor (who's also a seminary prof) 3 months in the summer off. That's an unusual situation, but is something to aspire to.

Another church I know has recommended sabbaticals every five years for the pastors.

While it is not the Sabbath, the physical and emotional rest should definitely be planned on a different day of the week - for some it's Monday and others it's Friday.

Just to clarify based on posts below, I believe the Pastor (or elders and deacons for that matter) serving the congregation on the Lord's Day as part of worship and mercy is definitely not breaking the Sabbath. Nonetheless, they need physical rest and probably need to get it on a different day.

 

[TylerRay]

Can anyone recommend a good resource on Sabbath-keeping specifically for clergy and their immediate families? I'm in the process of retiring from the military, where perfect Sabbath-keeping was impossible. But now, as I train for the ministry, I'll be going into another profession where I'll be doing MOST of my work on the Sabbath. I'm really unclear what to do, especially if I'm going to keep the Sabbath together with my family, who are mostly stuck on a Monday-Friday schedule. Thanks.

WSC 60: How is the Sabbath to be sanctified?
Answer: The Sabbath is to be sanctified by a holy resting all that day, even from such worldly employments and recreations as are lawful on other days; and spending the whole time in the public and private exercises of God’s worship, except so much as is to be taken up in the works of necessity and mercy.

The pastor's work on the Sabbath isn't worldly employment; it is worship. That's what we're all called to engage in on the Sabbath, laying aside worldly things.

Of course the Pastor must also avoid the sins forbidden with regard to the Sabbath.
Q. 61. What is forbidden in the fourth commandment?
A. The fourth commandment forbiddeth the omission, or careless performance, of the duties required, and the profaning the day by idleness, or doing that which is in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thoughts, words, or works, about our worldly employments or recreations.

 

[greenbaggins]

I basically agree with Tyler. What the pastor does in the worship service is his part of leading worship. The work is mostly done during the week. But, in my opinion, most of the things a pastor does that are pastoral are not breaking the Sabbath, within certain limits. I do not see sermon prep, for example, as breaking the Sabbath. It is highly conducive to worship (and how could studying God's Word be breaking the Sabbath in any case?)! I know there are many who would disagree on this one, but the pastoral ministry is different in this respect from most other callings. It has at least some continuity in this regard with the OT priests who offered sacrifices on Sabbath but were not breaking it. On the other hand, pastors do not usually get much physical rest on Sundays, unless they take a nap, which is why I highly recommend taking another day off for physical rest. What I find happening way too much is a one-to-one correspondence of the pastoral ministry with secular jobs. This is an illegitimate comparison. The pastor is not a CEO. He is not a "day laborer." He is a pastor, and sheep need pastoring every day of the week.