The Next 7 Years

I've never been a big "numbers" guy when it comes to special numbers in the Bible. I know they're there and I want to understand their meanings. But I'm not someone who believes that God has hidden secret number messages in the Bible that only a few people will discover and therefore know the date the Lord will return, or when the US will fall, or which president will turn out to be the anti-Christ.

One "special" number in the Bible is the number "7". Here are some examples: Gen 2:2, God rested on the seventh day; Gen 41:2, Pharaoh sees seven cattle coming from the Nile; Ex 21:2, the Hebrew slave is to be freed in the seventh year; Lev 25:4, every seventh year is a year of sabbatical (Sabbath rest); Judges 16:13, Samson's Nazirite locks of hair are braided in seven plaits; Luke 8:2, seven devils left Mary of Magdala; Matt 18:22, seventy times seven is the metaphor for complete forgiveness; Rev 3:1, there are seven spirits of God. Most scholars agree that the number "seven" symbolizes completeness or perfection.

On June 1, I will have "completed" seven years of ministry at Cornerstone Bible Fellowship. I say completed with quotes because in many ways I feel that I'm at the beginning of something rather than at its "completion". I truly sense that God is giving the leadership of Cornerstone a renewed vision for what we are to be doing for the Kingdom. Not the kind of vision that's given at one time to one person in a dream. More like the kind that emerges as his Spirit works both individually and corporately in us who have been called to lead. I believe it's beginning to "eek" out here and there this Spring but will become "full blown" this coming ministry year (fall & spring of 2012/13.)

Perhaps it was because of the influence of the number "7" in scripture, or perhaps because on a practical level it seems to be about that time that most pastors serving at the same church for that period of time seem to be rejuvenated in ministry from time away for renewal and extended "Sabbath rest", the elders of Cornerstone on January 29, 2009 adopted the following sabbatical policy. It states:

Recognizing that the demands of pastoral ministry are great and often draining physically, emotionally, and spiritually, Cornerstone will provide periodic sabbaticals to its senior pastoral staff.  Sabbaticals are for the purpose of providing extended time away from the pressure and demands of ongoing ministry.  The goal of the leave is to provide an extended time of physical and emotional rest and renewal, coupled with spiritual renewal and re-visioning.  A sabbatical may be granted for academic purposes if it meets that goal.  The sabbatical is intended for the purpose of spiritual advancement, and should not be viewed as extended vacation time.  However, sabbatical leave may involve other family members as long as the purpose remains the same... senior pastoral staff will be eligible for sabbatical leave after their seventh year of ministry and after every 5^th year thereafter.

During the ministry planning process back in June-July of 2011, I realized that June 2012 would conclude my 7th year of ministry at Cornerstone and therefore I was responsible for developing a plan for my sabbatical and submitting it to the elders for endorsement.

Having never utilized a sabbatical, the first thing I did was research the whole idea reading articles, reports, and essays from other pastors who had. Among the things I learned was that this time away must be very intentional and focused on rest, renewal, & re-visioning in order to truly benefit my ministry, and by extension, the church.

This led me to ask the following questions of myself in light of a sabbatical opportunity:

What could I do that would most energize my effectiveness in my primary role?

What could I do that would enhance my leadership perspective at Cornerstone?

And so the stage is set. For me, the next 7 years of ministry at Cornerstone (Lord willing) begin on June 1st, 2012. I will preach on June 3 and then be away from the CBF campus until about a week before school starts in August. I will be starting my next 7 year journey of pastoral ministry with a new journey of my own. A journey to the past and to the future. 

UP NEXT: I'll detail the journey I'll be on in my next post. In the meantime, will you begin to pray for me and with me? (Judges 18:6 would make a great one! :)