A Message from Pastor Travis
Mid April through the first week in June my family and I will be taking a sabbatical. A sabbatical is an extended time of rest/deeper study for a pastor. It is one of the greatest honors of my life to pastor and lead Covenant Church. My desire is to spend the rest of my life here, serving this church. With that being said, we have found that every 7-8 years it is healthy for a pastor to take a few months to get away, unplug, rest and take time for deeper, uninterrupted study. This helps to increase a pastor’s longevity. And so this is what I will be doing over my sabbatical.
I am thankful for this opportunity, and I while I’m looking forward to the time with my family, I also recognize that this will also be difficult for me. Apart from my personal walk with Christ and my family, Covenant Church has been my main focus and thought over the last 8 years since we launched. I also think that this is why it is such a healthy thing for me to take a Sabbatical every 7-8 years. It is a great reminder that this church is not mine, this church has been and always will belong to Jesus Christ, and I have only been entrusted to steward it to the best of my ability over the course of my life. But this church is much bigger than me. And so while I am thankful and excited for the time away, it is also a humble reminder of who our church belongs to.
I look forward with eager anticipation to being with you again in June all rested up and ready to go. Thank you for being a church that loves, supports and trusts me as your pastor, you truly can never understand just how much that means to me. We are also so incredibly blessed with a wonderful staff that is more than capable of handling the day to day operations and Sunday to Sunday preaching of God’s Word while I am away. And although I may be out of contact with you, I would ask that you stay up to date with us as a family through social media as we document our adventure over the next few months.
A Message from the Elders
To a man, we are excited for Pastor Travis to go on sabbatical. The idea of sabbatical is rooted in the Biblical idea of sabbath. Genesis 2:2And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
Later, in Leviticus 25, God gives the people of Israel the command to take a rest from planting and harvesting every seven years. They were to save up food from the six years previous that would allow themselves and the land rest in the seventh. In our culture today we’ve lost sight of this cycle of work and rest. For eight years Pastor Travis has dedicated himself to this church and the ministry here. We believe that Pastor Travis has years of hard work in this city that still needs to be done. We want to make sure that he is energized, both physically and spiritually, for the years ahead.
Sabbatical FAQS
What is Sabbatical and how long will it last?
This sabbatical will be a 6 week time of rest, rejuvenation, and study away from his regular pastoral responsibilities.
Why Sabbatical?
80% of pastors who enter ministry exit without retiring. Due in large part to burnout (stress, anxiety, etc). We want our pastor to take this proactive step so that ministry longevity can be increased.
Who will be preaching?
We will be hearing from our own executive pastoral team (Pastor Seth & Pastor David) as well as a guest speaker.