Preparing for Sabbatical—Executive Director Style

I was about halfway through my last sabbatical five years ago when it started raining. As Houston was beginning to feel the first effects of Hurricane Harvey, I filmed my video responses for the second round of UBA Executive Director search committee questions. A day or two later, I officially and prematurely ended my sabbatical to start helping my fellow Houstonians put our city back together again. 

We have an internal joke about big things happening while executive directors are on sabbatical; my predecessor once had a sabbatical last one week due to Tropical Storm Allison, so maybe I’m just continuing a tradition.

Even so, sabbaticals are important times to refresh my soul, my body, and my vision for UBA and its future.

I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that I get to serve churches who consistently hold up sabbatical time as a value.

A long five years

In the five years since my last sabbatical, UBA has been in a state of near-constant change. I was voted on as the new Executive Director for UBA in December 2017 and officially took the office on April 1, 2018. In 2018, we hired six new team members, saw two retirements, and lost a dear teammate to cancer. We launched a new website and began wrestling with what new initiatives would look like.

The Houston Chronicle series “Abuse of Faith” dropped in February of 2019. That same year, we refined our membership guidelines, updated our bylaws, and began casting a new vision for our churches. We wanted to reemphasize the association’s commitment to collaboration between churches and to undergird the churches' call to send out the called for Great Commission tasks. 

2020 brought with it another retirement and new teammate, COVID, mobilizing to help the people of Louisiana ravaged by multiple hurricanes, a tropical storm that wrecked the UBA building, and a tumultuous election season amidst a backdrop of severe racial tension. Last year included a building renovation, a freeze, and yet more adjustments to the team due to retirements, moves, and additions. 

We also had our first Annual Celebration—a city-wide service of prayer and worship with over 300 people in attendance. We celebrated adding more than 20 churches to UBA, and it was good to say we’re “better together” after such a long time of being apart.   

Friends, I’m so thankful that it is time for me to go on sabbatical again. 

Why sabbaticals?

I’m so blessed to serve an organization that grants sabbaticals after every five years. UBA highly encourages its member churches to implement a sabbatical policy, and we can offer resources and assistance to help—including pulpit supply to ease the burden on the congregation.

“UBA highly encourages its member churches to implement a sabbatical policy, and we can offer resources and assistance to help”

There is an art to preparing a sabbatical policy and having the discipline to maintain it, just as there is in making sure that you and your staff take their time off every year.

If you don't have sabbatical practices at your church, these articles may be helpful to you in understanding how sabbaticals are different from vacation time or sermon calendaring time and how to best develop a culture in which sabbaticals can benefit everyone in the system.  

But first, a few more things

I will be attending the SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim, CA, where I will be giving my full attention to two things in succession: 

First, the Southern Baptist Conference of Associational Leaders, where I serve in a leadership position, meets Sunday and Monday. The SBCAL helps associations be more effective in serving their churches, and this is a valuable time for me to learn from my peers and also share what I have learned in my 17 years of associational work. 

Second, the SBC Annual Meeting will be in session from Tuesday to Wednesday. Messengers will be considering, among other things, how best to confront the issues brought to light by the independent, third-party Guidepost Sexual Abuse Task Force, rid the SBC of all forms of abuse, care for victims, and see that churches are places of transparency and safety.

My sabbatical plan

Following the SBC, I will be devoting the following 11 weeks to my sabbatical, June 20th - Labor Day. In my two previous sabbaticals, I worked hard to pack the agendas and redeem the time to the maximum. I spent the majority of my first sabbatical in a classroom graciously loaned to me by South Main Baptist Church - Pasadena, studying for my PhD comprehensive exams and then writing my dissertation. 

“The coming years present leadership challenges, and I will use some of this to help me prepare myself and UBA for what lies ahead.”

My second sabbatical I spent studying fundraising, finance, and accounting, which of course, was then cut short by Hurricane Harvey.

This year, I will still redeem the time and steward UBA resources well. But as a good friend and pastor told me, since I am now the Executive Director, I need time to “think and work on the organization instead of the daily grind working for the organization.”  

The coming years present leadership challenges, and I will use some of this time for research and writing to help me prepare both myself and UBA for what lies ahead. I will visit dynamic associations and learn from those who are thinking on issues in a context and scale similar to Houston. I will make use of online learning subscriptions that I have put aside due to time constraints. 

I will use the following acronym as a guide to ensure that I rest, meditate, exercise, and sleep in far better balance than I have in recent months. I offer this guide to anyone planning a sabbatical; maybe; it will be helpful to you. 

Develop a skill

Experience for growth

Establish new routines

Plan for the future

Extended time for the Lord

Replenish the body, mind and soul

As my good friend Ron used to say, “I love what I do and who I get to do it with.” I’m overwhelmed with gratitude that I get to serve churches who consistently hold up sabbatical time as a value. I love the team that I lead, and I (mostly) love that they will not skip a beat while I’m gone. See you after Labor Day.

Josh Ellis is Executive Director of Union Baptist Association. He has a PhD in Leadership Studies and has served on the UBA staff since 2005. With both practical and scholarly knowledge, he leads the association into innovative collaboration for the sake of strategic gospel advancement.

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