Letter from MLT - Dale's Sabbatical

Our church Ministry Leadership Team recently sent out this letter by snail mail that I thought you might like to read...

Dear Church Family,

As New Song’s Ministry Leadership Team (MLT) we are writing to share with you about Dale’s upcoming sabbatical. We recognize that the rate of burnout for pastors in America is very high. It is estimated that about 1,500 pastors leave their ministry each month because of exhaustion. With that in mind, Dale has requested and we have agreed that Dale take a short Sabbatical.

One of Dale’s life goals is to pastor New Song church for the rest of his life. Since pastoral ministry is a high stress, high commitment, and time consuming role, fulfilling Dale’s goal requires seasons of rest and renewal. This was modeled by Jesus in his ministry as Luke 5:16 says, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

A sabbatical is a purposeful time away from the day-to-day demands of ministry. It is different from a vacation in that it is an extended time with a focused plan that brings renewal. A sabbatical is a learning opportunity that includes extensive reading, prayer times, visits to other churches, and ministry learning opportunities.

As a church, we have gone through a positive season of rebuilding and stabilizing our foundation. Starting in August, we will be launching several new and exciting programs for our adults, youth, and children that help us fulfill our C2 goals. Great things are coming this fall!
To prepare for our fall launch, we feel now is a good time for Dale to recharge spiritually. We see a great benefit to you in having Dale at his best when we move forward with our new C2 ministry programs in the fall.

Dale’s desire for spiritual renewal began in January when he and Susan traveled to Colorado to visit Blessing Ranch, a pastoral retreat center. This sabbatical will be for several weeks this summer in June and July (June 15th-July 26th). During this time Dale will be traveling to other churches and retreat centers. While he is away we’ll have some great guest speakers at New Song including Roger Gibson, Bryce Jessup, and Joe Grana.

While Dale is away he’ll be checking in each Monday with Steve Caler and updating his blog weekly to keep us informed of his journey. In addition, Steve Caler’s role at the church will remain the same and he will be available at the Ministry Center during the week. To help support our children’s ministry we have also hired a part time assistant, Teri Murray, who will work with Steve in the weeks leading up to Kid’s Camp. Our Ministry Leadership Team will also be participating in our weekly staff meetings and serving on Sunday mornings to carry out some of the ministry roles normally assumed by Dale.

You might be wondering, “Is there anything wrong?” Not at all. Many pastors take Sabbaticals after five or six years of ministry. Dale has been working to start New Song since August 2000, so he is overdue. (The church officially began in February of 2002, but Dale and Susan moved to Northern California in August 2000 to work with Adventure church in Roseville to do the prep work to start New Song).

You might also be wondering, “Is the church going to be OK?” Absolutely! We have a solid leadership team in place and many of you serve so faithfully that our church will continue to function as normal. We also want to encourage you to make it a priority to join us each Sunday this summer when you are in town. The church has never been about Dale. It’s about Jesus and He will be at New Song every Sunday this summer!

If you have any additional questions regarding Dale’s Sabbatical please feel free to contact us. We’d also ask that you please pray for Dale’s renewal, encouragement, and growth during this upcoming stage of his sabbatical.

Sincerely,

Your Ministry Leadership Team: Brent Christierson, Scott Haaland, and Rick Kraemer

P.S.S. - If you’d like to read New Song’s formal Sabbatical Policy you can find it on our church web site in the media - file cabinet section under “Sabbatical Policy.”