Sabbatical Theme: Living & Leading with Unusual Wisdom, Peace, & Joy 

Sabbatical purposes: 

• To provide a period of rest, reflection, and spiritual renewal for Pastor Edrin after year 9 of pastoral ministry here at Sanctuary, including the last 4 years as Senior Pastor
• To provide a respite for Pastor Edrin, Shanequa and their daughters away from the demands of pastoral ministry upon their family 
• To provide distance from daily pastoral ministry, allowing Pastor Edrin and family to gain fresh vision and energy, and to focus on their comprehensive renewing, refreshing, and re-equipping for the next leg of their ministry here at Sanctuary 

Sabbatical Dates: July 24 – November 1, 2023

What is a pastoral sabbatical?

Dallas Williard, the famed Christian philosopher, is quoted as saying: “I can state without wavering that the single greatest need of the church today is the restoration of ministers. What is required is a quite different approach to their life and work. It is a matter of leading them into a massive shift of the dynamics of their personality under God, and one that cannot be done by more books and conferences. They need to be taken out of the circulation for a sufficiently long time to re-vision and restructure their lives in communion with Jesus and his kingdom.”

That quote highlights what pastoral sabbatical is about. In a phrase, it is “renewal by stepping away.” A pastoral sabbatical is much more intentional than a vacation. This is a time for pastors to be distanced from the demands of church leadership, allowing them to gain fresh vision and energy. It’s an opportunity to focus on comprehensive renewing, refreshing, and re-equipping for long-term ministry. A pastoral sabbatical typically includes time for rest, prayer, travel, and the broadening of one’s sense of God’s work in the world. Understood as an extension of the Sabbath practice – stopping, resting, delighting, God’s creation from a new perspective. 

What this means to Pastor Edrin:

Sanctuary Family, I am approaching this pastoral sabbatical with a great deal of gratitude for what it will mean to me, my family, and our church in the future. I realize that this time is a generous gift from God and our church, and I’m honored by the opportunity to pause, reflect, and just be.  Even as I am heading into it, I know that I’ll emerge from it with a restored mind and body, a revived spirit, and a renewed, clear sense of God’s call on my life for the next season of pastoral leadership at Sanctuary. 

What this means to The Williams Family:

Pastor Edrin and Shanequa came to Sanctuary 12 years ago as a young married couple with a 1-year old baby girl. In their time here, they’ve welcomed Harper Grace (now 6), guided Taylor into becoming a wonderful 13-year old, built a home in North Minneapolis, served in many civic organizations, all while faithfully serving our church. The last 5 years of Pastor Edrin serving as Transition Pastor and becoming Lead Pastor have been full, with Pastor Edrin leading our church through a global pandemic, historic civil unrest after the death of George Floyd, and a long list of community challenges. This sabbatical will mean a chance for the Williams Family to experience some more concentrated time together, enjoy one another’s undivided attention, and develop new rhythms for the next season of life and ministry. 

What this means for us as a church: 

This sabbatical has the potential to be a very significant time in the life of our church, serving as a reminder to the congregation to continually rely on the Lord to complete the work He has called the church to. It will be an opportunity to grow our overall congregational engagement, as everyone recommits themselves to being a part of the mission and vision in real ways. Additionally, staff members will need to lead and work collaboratively in some new ways, with each of them taking on stretch responsibilities that will challenge and grow them in healthy ways! 

Will Pastor Edrin and family be at church during this time? We can contact them if needed, right?

Pastor Edrin and family certainly are allowed to attend worship services during this time, but their plan is to use this sabbatical as a time of intentionally stepping away from ministry. While they will miss the church, they will be taking time away for renewal. This will mean distance from weekly responsibilities and rhythms such as Sunday services or Life Groups, providing them an opportunity to worship together in ways and spaces that will refresh them over these months. Pastor Edrin, Shanequa, and the girls live in the neighborhood, enjoy the parks and trails, and are big fans of North Market, The Get Down Coffee, Cuppa Java, and other Northside essentials. It’s very likely that you’ll see them out and about, and you’re more than welcomed to greet them and connect to them as friends, community members, and your family in Christ. If there’s a ministry need that you have, the staff and elders are ready to serve you well during this time. A quick email to [email protected] is a great place to start! 

Will we hit pause on regular ministry during this time? 

As Pastor Edrin has said many times, Sanctuary’s mission and vision has always been bigger than any one person. Our staff and elders are very capable and will lead the church forward during this time, continuing to make disciples of Jesus who go on to make other disciples! This season is a great time for each member and regular attender to recommit to praying for each other and for our leaders, while also stepping forward to engage through The Sanctuary 5 – CONNECT, GROW, SERVE, GIVE, INVITE.

What can the congregation do to support Pastor Edrin and his family while they’re on sabbatical?

You’re invited to pray for them, asking that God would meet them and bless them in this sabbatical time. If other needs arise, we’ll be sure to update the congregation.