By now, most of you reading this know that I am taking a 12-week leave of absence. I partially explained the reason behind that on Sunday when I announced it during our morning worship. Since not everyone was there on Sunday and since some might want more of an idea of what I’m going to be doing, I’m posting this today.

The shortest explanation I can give is that I am tired. I have been under a great deal of stress in my personal life and was finding myself less and less able to do my work as a pastor. There are things – weaknesses, if you will – that I want to work on personally that I know are going to take even more energy. Knowing that I could not face my weaknesses while at the same time serve our congregation, I asked for the leave of absence.

During the leave of absence, I will be focusing on two areas:

The Past: I plan on dealing with the losses and grief of my childhood so that I can live in the present, rather than the past.

Relationships: I plan on forging relationships individually and in small groups so that I can learn how to be in relationship with others more fully.

FAQs:

1. What are you taking time off from? Pretty much everything. If there are crises or deaths, I will want to be available to the congregation still. But I will not be attending meetings, preaching, doing regular pastoral care, maintaining office hours, etc.
2. Where will you go? For the most part, I will be around. I am going to look for private places where I can work through the past. But I’ll still take my kids to school and pick them up after. Most evenings, Ill be at home – as much as my kids schedules will allow me to be.
3. Can we still talk to you? I will be meeting with some people for breakfast, coffee, lunch…whatever. I have been advised to limit that so that I can get the rest I need.
4. When will you be back? The 12 weeks will end on March 28. I should be preaching again on April 3.
5. Will you get paid? No. I didn’t feel it was fair to ask the church to pay me while I was not working.