SABBATICAL PROPOSAL
A STRONG FINISH AND A NEW BEGINNING

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race,

I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7

A-1: SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL

In the summer of 2017, I will be beginning my 20th year as Pastor at Crossroads Church and my 43rd year in ministry. My plan is to serve about six more years at Crossroads before retiring. My desire is to be proactive in my retirement plan, using my sabbatical for physical, spiritual, and emotional renewal so that those final years willbe fruitful and intentional in purpose.

The desire of our Elders is that the sabbatical will provide the impetus and opportunity to refocus the church’s vision for serving the Lord and our community in the coming years. The Elders have already had several conversations about their desire for my last years of ministry to include a smooth, seamless transition to the ministry of the next pastor. The hope is that we are able to find the next pastor and have him serve alongside me for the final one or two years of my time at Crossroads. We believe the timing of this sabbatical will position us all to receive the future that the Lord has for Crossroads – one that is strong, bright, fruitful, and God-honoring. In short, we dream of a strong finish for me as a long-serving pastor of the church and a fresh beginning for Crossroads and for its next pastor.

Both our church and I are beginning to seriously engage in dialogue about our ministry in an obvious period of transition that we all are facing. The church is moving from a season of having mostly young families to being more of a multi-generational congregation, with a growing older middle-age and senior adult component. We believe the sabbatical process willgive us some time and opportunities to begin to discern the implications of the changing demographic of Crossroads.

I have benefited from the writing of J. Robert Clinton, who has studied Biblical leaders and blended those findings with contemporary research of those in vocational ministry. He says a leader’s lastyears in high-visibility ministry can be said to finish in one of four ways: running; walking; limping; or, disqualified. My desire is to finish my race running with joy for the opportunities of serving the Lord at Crossroads.

A-2: THE SABBATICAL DESIGN AND THE RATIONALE

The proposed itinerary is intended to maximize the opportunities to do things which Vanessa and I have long dreamt of, but never had the opportunity to do, and at the same time, present a balance between intensity and relaxation. Vanessa is a high school math teacher and will not be finished with her school year until the second week of June. The sabbatical will begin for me a few weeks prior to that and will allow me to begin to relax, read, and implement new spiritual and physical disciplines into my life before the period of travel begins. At the end of the summer, Vanessa will have to go back to the classroom. I will have a couple of weeks to reflect and prepare myself for re-entry into the responsibilities of pastoral leadership and consider how to gracefully resume my leadership role at Crossroads.

A-3: ACTIVITIES AND TIMELINE

I have built into our itinerary time alone, both before and after our trip to England. My commitment is that those early weeks will be used to unplug from our church responsibilities and to begin to spend more time relaxing, reading, and praying. I will also have time when we return to make sure those spiritual habits are carried out and practiced in my home context before stepping back into regular pastoral duties.

Sunday, May 7: Church-wide Lunch Event and Launch of Sabbatical – Time of prayer for the
church and for us. Challenge from me and presentation of a book on the subject ofspiritual disciplines to each family unit, as a gift from Vanessa and me.

Sunday, May 14: Final Sunday for me to preach before Sabbatical begins.

May 15 - June 9: Time of physical and spiritual renewal, including a week of spiritual retreat.

June 10 – 17: School of Preaching Week, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, London.

June 19 – 24: Participate in leadership of a Pastor’s Conference with Sindhu Pani in India.

June 26 – 29: Evangelical Ministry Assembly 2017 Conference, London.

June 30 – July 8: Leisure time touring Scotland and Ireland.

July 9 – July 20: Germany and Switzerland. Martin Luther sites and events.

July 22 – 28: Keswick Convention, Lakes Region of England. Spiritual renewal.

July 28 – August 11: Group tour to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel.

August 12: Return to North Carolina.

August 14 – September 9: Rest, reflection, writing, and planning for return to responsibilities.

September 3: Worship with Crossroads Church family. Church-wide lunch and initial report to the congregation on Sabbatical experience.

September 10: Return to preaching responsibilities Crossroads.

A-4: PASTOR’S STATEMENT OF DESIRED BENEFITS FOR HIMSELF AND FOR THE CONGREGATION

PERSONAL NEEDS:

  1. Physical Rest and Renewal. 1 Corinthians 9:24–27 (ESV) 24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

I just turned 60 years old. I have served continuously in ministry since I was 18 years old. I earned my undergraduate, Master of Divinity, and Doctor of Ministry degrees before I turned 30. My wife and I have poured our lives into the people and churches we have served. Over the years, I ignored my physical fitness and gained too much weight, developed blood pressure problems, and have become too sedentary. Long days, fatigue that overpowered any desire for exercise, and the always present demand of preparing the next sermon became an excuse for not taking a walk or going to the gym. Thissabbatical will be an opportunity to seriously engage in walking and other physical activity to further weight loss and a regaining of physical energy.

I started seriously addressing my health issues 18 months ago. So far, I have lost 40 pounds. My desire is to lose another 50 pounds by the end of my sabbatical in September 2017. I have already seen dramatic improvement in my health. My family physician has said, “You are now putting years back on your life, after a long run of taking years off of your life.” That same doctor has reminded me that taking care of my health is a matter of stewardship.

  1. Emotional and Marriage Renewal.
    In 42 years of continuous ministry there have been few real breaks. There was the occasional vacation, days at home, and some conferences that I attended. Crossroads did generously provide a two month paid sabbatical for me in 2007. Looking back, I see that it was an unbalanced schedule and more of a working vacation than true sabbatical. We traveled by car from North Carolina to southern Texas, to Oklahoma, back to the Carolinas, to New York and back home. We were, by my own design, always visiting churches, interviewing pastors and writing up reports. The pace was too quick and the financial pressures on the church and my family were too heavy.

Vanessa and I have been married since 1978. Since that 2007 break, we have seen all three of our children graduate from college, marry, and have children. We have eight grandchildren and love to spend every minute we can with them. In ways, we have neglected one another, using vacation time to keep grandchildren and rarely getting to pull away and do things for just the two of us. Vanessa has always been an amazing partner in ministry, doing whatever she could, helping out in areas where she had skill and ability and many times where she was inexperienced, but willing to serve simply because there was a need.

This break from our typical routine and responsibilities will allow us to be better spouses to one another, better parents to our adult children, and better grandparents to our eight grandchildren.

  1. Spiritual Renewal.
    One of the occupational hazards of pastoral ministry is neglect of one’s own relationship with the Lord. The daily demands of counseling, administration, preparation for meetings, sermon and lesson preparation, and the unexpected interruptions of ministry and life put pressure on the minister that often results in a neglect of personal prayer and reading of scripture. My desire is to use the sabbatical for a fresh beginning of my commitment to these three spiritual disciplines in my life: Prayer, Journaling, Scripture reading and Meditation.

With 4 months of not having to prepare sermons and meet with anyone but the Lord and my wife, these spiritual disciplines will be deeply rooted in me.

4. Professional/Ministry Skills Renewal.
Having finished my seminary training more than 30 years ago, I have a strong desire to once again be challenged intellectually and in my preaching and study skills. There are two conferences which focus on expository preaching that would be beneficial to me and to the church. I want to stay sharp anddisciplined in my preaching and not rely solely on past study and preparation.

5. Ministry and Travel in Different Cultures. Acts 20:24 (ESV) “But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”

I have received a gracious invitation from Sindhu Pani to meet him in his native India. I will lead a conference for pastors in a network of church pastors which Sindhu leads. My wife and I have never traveled beyond Mexico and the Caribbean. The opportunity to be in such a vastly different culture, like India, will give me a greater understanding of the missionaries which our church and family supports and also help me in our local ministry. Though we are in a historically rural county, we are bordered on one side by Fort Bragg with its many international families and on the other side by the Research Triangle Park region on the other side, with its numerous Asian, Middle-Eastern, and North African tech workers.

Vanessa and I have both dreamed of one day getting to go to the Holy Land and walk and learn about the places, cultures, and people of the Bible. This has been a particularly strong desire of my wife, and I think of this as a special gift to the woman who has stood with me through a lifetime of local-church service. We will spend around 10 days in Egypt and Israel. This will not only enhance our own understanding of the stories of Scripture, but will enrich my teaching ministry.

A-5: CONGREGATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE’S STATEMENT OF DESIRED BENEFITSFOR THE CHURCH AND FOR THE PASTOR - SUBMITTED BY HOWARD LUCAS, ELDER

Ken has faithfully pastored Crossroads Church for the past eighteen years and the church has experienced growth and depth under his ministry. Our location between a university and a major military installation means that we experience significant turnover of our congregation as service members and graduates move to new places of responsibility. We view this as a strategic advantage for the gospel as we equip followers of Christ who can spread the gospel to multiple arenas. Some may become church planters or members of existing church staffs. During Ken’s tenure we have seen six of our members enrolled in seminary programs, with six of them graduating and continuing in service. One is a seminary professor, three are foreign missionaries, and two are involved in church leadership positions.

We are experiencing a transition in our congregation as our core membership becomes multi-generational. This has not had a negative impact on our growth; however, it does present an opportunity for a renewed vision and a restructuring of our methodologies. This sabbatical will allow himtime for reflection and gaining insights for a refocusing of our efforts in this area. We believe strongly in the power of the preached Word, and Ken is faithful, skillful, and insightful as he serves us. But we believe that his desire to sharpen these gifts can only serve to benefit us as we look forward together to renewal.

We are facing another significant transition in the next few years. Instead of viewing this as a time of “coasting” to the close of his time here, both Ken and we as a body are planning for a smooth transition that will involve the selection of a new pastor before Ken leaves and a period of overlapping ministry. While we believe this is a solid plan that will enhance the health of the church, we recognize that it will require a vision of shared ministry and change that we have not experienced. This proposed sabbatical incorporates time at recognized conferences where he will be able to meet other pastors who have faced similar transitions. These conferences will also put him in contact with respected national and international church leaders who will help him develop an expanded vision for Crossroads that will make this period not only one of continued growth but also in expanding our understanding of God’s will for us.

In addition to our nearness to a major military installation, Crossroads is in close proximity to the Research Triangle area of North Carolina. This brings our members into daily contact with persons from all over the world. Ken’s proposed leadership at a pastor’s conference in India will give him and us a flavor for making disciples in an increasingly cross-cultural world. This will give him insights into leading us to be even more comfortable in ministering to those from a non-Christian background.

We do not view this proposed sabbatical as a vacation for Ken, but as a time for personal renewal and for ministerial invigoration. His work here has been tireless and faithful, but we hope the time away will give him renewed energy and wisdom to lead us as he continues to lay a solid foundation for our spiritual growth. We are enthusiastic in our support of his application, believing that the benefits will be evident at Crossroads Church for many years to come.

A-6: PLANS FOR TAKING CARE OF PASTORAL RESPONSIBILITIES DURING THESABBATICAL AND CONGREGATIONAL INVOLVEMENT IN THE SABBATICAL

We are fortunate that one of our Elders, Howard Lucas, is an excellent preacher and pastor and is willing to serve as interim Pastor during the sabbatical. He is a well-educated and seasoned pastor and recently retired from the Army as a Chaplain. Howard’s preaching will be good spiritual food and refreshment for the church. We are likely to mix into the preaching schedule some others, perhaps seminary professors who will bring their insights and expertise to our congregation, as well as part-time staff and members who are preparing themselves for vocational ministry. Howard will provide guidance to the staff and lead the Elders and Deacons to fulfill their responsibilities while I am away.
A-7: COMMUNICATION PLANS

I plan to intentionally be out of regular communication with the church leadership and members, except for an extraordinary circumstance. I will maintain a blog or other social media posts where Vanessa and I can do some simple reporting on our experiences. My personal spiritual journal will be a primary way to capture reflections and experiences. This will be the source for communicating some of the growth I have experienced during my Sabbatical. At the end of the Sabbatical, I will provide a written and spoken report to the Elders. At the post-sabbatical celebration I will speak to the congregation and allow them to share what happened in their lives during the previous four months. I will be available to meet with individuals or groups who want to talk about mySabbatical experiences.

A-8: CONGREGATIONAL INVOLVEMENT AND SUPPORT

I approached the council of Elders with the possibility of applying for the Sabbatical grant and the result was a series of in-depth conversations, group planning, and reflection on the benefits of such a program for both the pastor and the congregation. We held an open meeting of members and interested attendees and were pleased so see more than 100 adults in attendance. The proposal was communicated in detail with the, and then this Sabbatical application and the text of the Elder recommendation to the congregation were made available to anyone who was interested to read them. There was a healthy discussion and we received strong and positive feedback from the membership concerning the potential good that could come from participating in such a plan.

Part B – Congregational Information

1. Church History and Identity
Crossroads Church held its first public worship service on April 15, 1990. The church was started by five families as a new church plant in a rural county between Raleigh and Fayetteville, North Carolina. The church purchased a facility and moved to its current location in October of 1997.

Crossroads was started with a vision for reaching non-churched people with the gospel of Christ and leading them to become mature disciples. The church’s ministry has always been focused on serving our community by loving and seeking to minister to all with whom we come into contact. Our facilities have been intentionally functional and non-traditional, as we seek to remove barriers to reaching people who do not have a strong church background. We identify as a Southern Baptist Convention affiliated church.