As we head into our second trimester of Pastor Bryan and Pastor Michelleās sabbatical, we look back on a conversation we had with Pastor Bryan in his office before their departure.
Pastor Bryan sits in his arm chair and surveys his office. Under his signature frames, his eyes close as he thinks out loud. He recalls the prayers that were muttered here. The visions heās dreamed with God; the sermons drafted. The strangers, friends, and members that heās counseled here. Those he has cried, laughed, and prayed with.
For almost ten years, Pastor Bryan and Michelle have dreamt of, built, and shepherded Ekko Church. For nearly a decade, theyāve cultivated a rich garden and a safe home for hundreds of people to not only hear the Word of God, but also heal and grow as daughters and sons of God. Through this journey, theyāve raised their four children: Isabella, Joshua, Matthew, and Madison. And now, with the encouragement of leadership and the body, PB and PM get to lift their feet off the pedal and seek rest with their family through a nine-month sabbatical.
The great reality we are involved in as people and pastor is God. Most of the people around us donāt know that, and couldnāt care less. One of the ways God has provided for us to stay aware of and responsive to Him as the determining and centering reality of our lives in a world that doesnāt care about it is by sabbath-keeping. At regular intervals we all need to quit our work and contemplate His, quit talking to each other and listen to Him. God knows we need this and has given us a means in sabbath ā a day for praying and playing, simply enjoying what He is.
āĀ Eugene H. Peterson
In the book of Leviticus, God instructs the people of Israel to take one year of rest after six years of workāthis is not only just intended for the land to rest and replenish, but for His people to recover and enjoy the time He set aside for them. In this āsabbatical year,ā scholars say that the people are utterly dependent on God to provide for them, because they are instructed not to harvest from the land.
Sabbatical, in the same way, is a season of dedicated rest in which we as the church allow our pastors to cease all productivity, step away from all the demands of professional ministry, and tend to the garden of their spirit. Sabbatical is not a vacation, nor is it a time to research or write books. It is an extended sabbath that allows them to take time to enjoy God and one another.
It is a precedent that is not only biblical, but also the mark of a maturing and loving church.
Where are you going? When are you coming back?
B: Taking advice to go far away and into nature, we are going to Hawaii, New Zealand, and South Korea from January to July. Using December in the beginning and August at the end to decompress from and re-enter ministry successfully. I wonāt be on the pulpit until September 2018.
We decided to go to New Zealand after Michelle typed up, ācleanest air in the world.ā We know veteran pastors there who invited us about 10 years ago to study their prayer-therapy model, but at the time, we couldnāt because Ekko was in its infancy stage. Now, we get to come full circle and are able to accept their offer and learn from them.
What are you looking forward to most in your sabbatical?
B: I look forward to giving my entire bandwidth to my kids and my wife. As a pastor, work never really goes away. Sometimes I carry it home, and sometimes it follows me. I look forward to being completely presentā¦ and I know that is going to take some practice.
Iām looking forward to playing and pray together, having conversations with Team One. I look forward to building healthy habits, taking walks, and immersing myself in nature. I plan to work out each day and cook more.
People often think sabbatical is a vacation, but itās not. Weāre going to have to try to learn how to take lazy days. How to have real sabbath. How to relinquish all control to God. We are diving into the quiet places, and that doesnāt come naturally.
This is why we chose houses near the beach and near hiking trails. Sabbatical is intentional rest. Itās ceasing and recharging.
How do you expect Team One (Isabella and Josh) & Team Two (Matthew and Madison) to grow?
B: Right now, I play the role as āfield trip guyā or ācoach,ā and PM shoulders 99.9% of the teaching responsibility. So, for sabbatical I have prepared a curriculum for them. I want them to come away from this season with an idea of what they need to know as a young person. Iām going to teach them about culture, art, hymnsā¦ Iām going to watch classic movies with them and have discussions. Iām also going to teach them the fundamentals of our faith.
As a latch-key kid, no one ever sat me down and taught me how to change a tire. I want my kids to remember their dad teaching them how to do practical things and equipping them with skill sets. I actually donāt know how to do some of the things I want to teach them, so Iāll be learning with them: how to fish, how to gardenā¦how to do nature-y things etc. I want them to grow up exposed to these things and saying, āDad taught me these things that I can do and execute.ā
How will your marriage grow?
B: PM and I will be receiving couples therapy to process things we might not even know that are hiding under the rug. Shortly after we got married, we had our first baby and planted Ekko, and it has been a whirlwind since day one. This will be the first time we will be able to have time to reset, slow down, and be present.
How can we support you in your journey?
B: Pray for us and get along. Be an ever-maturing body that celebrates each other, rather than one that critiques one another. Collaborate in the mission of Ekko and do it well. That will show me that I did ministry well. The real blessing is to come back wanted, but not needed.
I donāt want to feel anxious about whether we at Ekko are being truly kind or hospitable. It breaks my heart when I see people sitting alone or coming alone. I want each member to take initiative. Be a host, rather than a guest of the house. If we really embraced the ābelongā part ā that would allow the leaders to focus on the ābecomeā part.
While I am away, mature. Make space for people to belong and become.
Maturity isnāt about perfection or performance. Maturity means taking responsibility and ownership. Go deep ā what if people worked on their marriage or got out of debt or worked on their bitterness? What if we were more generous and hospitable and ready to be missionaries?
What are you going to miss most?
B: Mexican food.Ā And of course the staff and church.
After our ninth anniversary service, David Jung said something that Iāve been ruminating on as Iāve been preparing for sabbatical. He said, āEven though we never got to meet up and talk or spend one-on-one time, I feel like I know youā¦. And I feel like youāve journeyed with me.ā Thereās a familiarity even though we never hung out. Itās because he let me in through the Word. He allowed me to be his pastor.
Ekko, I am going to miss you, even though I donāt know some of you. Iām going to miss journeying with our tribe. Iām going to miss being your pastor.
What do you want to tell Ekko before you leave?
B: Thank you, and donāt forget about us.
Weāre proud of you and we love you. Weāre only able to [rest] because of you. Youāre modeling how to treat and love your spiritual leaders. Our church moved us and affirmed us at the right time and suggested [sabbatical]. We kept hearing, āDo this.ā āGo rest.āĀ This is what honoring looks like. This is what loving your pastors looks like.
Celebrating and concerning for us is a sign of maturity. Iām proud to be a part of a culture that celebrates and loves their leaders.
How can we follow in your journey/know that youāre alive?
B: Since we will be staying off social media, we will be communicating through Ekko Staff with occasional blog posts and photos.
How do you think Ekko will grow with Pastor Janette at the helm?
B: Pastor Janette brings order, systems,Ā and processes that allow the tribe to take healthy steps forward. Thatās her gift. I provide the broad strokes, but she knows how to get the team building. Sheās the craftsman.
The church is going to grow deeper, before itās going to grow wider. Before the next growth, God is bringing her in to bring internal integrity. The church can help by participating and following her. Take ownership over what she implements and trust her.
āWe release you from the demand of all public productivity. You donāt have to accomplish great things in these next nine months. You donāt have to write a draft of a book, think of sermon ideas, read leadership books, or discern a new vision for Ekko. Tend to your precious garden of your soul, mind, body and heart, so that you can love your wife, children, neighbor, and all of us as yourselves. We release you from the unrelenting demands of professionalĀ ministry.ā
ā Pastor Janette Ok
āThe congregation deserves a well-rested pastor. I want to be the best pastor I can be. I want to be the best parent to my children. The best husband to Michelle,ā PB says with a smile, his hands resting on his lap. He takes a look around the office again as if studying the face of an old friend.
Pastor Bryan, Pastor Michelle, Isabella, Joshua, Matthew,Ā and Maddieāgo, rest. We cheer you on as you enter into God-ordained stillness. Soak long and often in Godās word; delight in your conversations with Him. We honor you and support you. We love you. Weāll miss you, and until we see you again, may Christ be victorious in your life!
In their absence, Ekko, letās mature, dig deep and prepare. Letās strive to make room for our neighbors; letās become owners rather than renters — taking ownership of our church by sharing the weight and responsibility of ministry in our Ekklesias, our homes, and our workplaces. Letās partner with our leaders by reading and praying for our pastors.