Embracing Rest and Renewal: A Three-Month Sabbatical to Study Theology

Mother Anna writes:

' Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God.' Exodus 20.9-10

If you were in church this morning, or watching online, you will already have heard that I will be taking a period of study leave, sometimes called a sabbatical, from January to April next year.

Whether you were in church or not, I thought it might help if I share some thoughts about why sabbaticals matter, what the word “sabbatical” means, and what this time away will mean to me - and for you.

What Does Sabbatical Mean and Why Does It Matter?

The word “sabbatical” comes from the Hebrew word “sabbath”.

Theologically speaking, the Sabbath is important. A day set aside for us all to stop our work and to rest, reconnect - it isn't seen as a treat or an optional extra in the Bible, but an obligation. It is one of the Ten Commandments: we are commanded to take a day off and to give that day God. Why? Because as Exodus 20 reminds us, 'in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.'

If God took a rest, then we definitely should!

Just as the Sabbath comes around every seven days, so clergy are encouraged to take a sabbatical every seven years. Of course, we don't get to take the whole year off, but even so, it is a substantial period of time, three to four months away from the parish. Why is this important?

As a vicar, my relationship with God is the bedrock on which all my ministry is built. But the problem is, being a vicar means being busy and in and amongst all the joys and difficulties of parish life it can be hard to make time to focus on that relationship, to spend time with God, to stop doing and worrying and caring and remember that I am myself a beloved child of God.

A sabbatical is how we fix that problem.

The Purpose of My Study Leave

The Diocese of London stresses that a sabbatical is an opportunity to stand back from day-to-day ministry and reflect. Clergy who take a sabbatical are expected to study and learn, but there is also an expectation that we will take rest and relaxation seriously.

I intend to spend a couple of months reading and writing about my favourite subject, theology and music, so I will spend the first couple of months reading and writing and praying and listening to a lot of sacred music, then hopefully writing a paper to present at an academic conference on Theology.

I will take time off in the final month and would like to spend Holy Week and Easter in Spain, where they celebrate Semana Santa (Holy Week) in a very different way to us.

What This Sabbatical Means for St Aldhelm's and You

The guidance from the Diocese to clergy is to make a real break - go away from the vicarage, switch off work phones, put an Out Of Office message on the email and let the church get on with things without us.

This can and should be a time of growth and replenishment for the church as well as for the absent vicar. The ultimate responsibility for St Aldhelm's lies always with you, not me - the churchwardens and the PCC will take the reins alongside Fr Gideon and with the support of the Area Dean, Archdeacon and Bishop you will all get on fine without me.

But of course, we have half a year to get our house in order before I go, so over the next few months I will work with you to make sure that in my absence St Aldhelm's will be able to flourish and grow.

Looking Ahead After April 2027

As I said in church this morning, the last two years have been very hard for me, for a variety of reasons, some personal, some entirely due to my role as vicar here. In some ways, this time away from you is actually an opportunity for me to reconnect, to come back refreshed and whole and ready to love God and neighbour more fully, right here.

This sabbatical is not an end but a new beginning, a chance to renew and rebuild on a foundation of rest and study. My prayer is that it will be a time of growth and rebuilt confidence for us all.

---