Sean Morgan
Need a Sabbatical? You’re doing it wrong.
About The Episode
“The moment you allow your margin to be given away is the precise moment your church will ask more from you, and you won’t have anything left to give them.” If you’re just hanging on until your next sabbatical, you might be missing the point. True rest isn’t something you find on vacation—it’s something you build into your daily, weekly, and yearly rhythms. In this episode, Sean explores how to reset your work/rest cycle with practical steps: admit things aren’t working, evaluate expectations in your role, and establish sustainable rhythms. From setting clear job tasks to planning annual retreats, these strategies will help you create a life where rest isn’t just a distant hope but a regular reality.
Welcome to Episode 122 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan.
Insights from Sean
- If you’re just hanging on until your next Sabbatical, the Sabbatical might not solve it.
- “It” = your work/rest cycle
- Barna reports that ⅓ of churches have any sort of written sabbatical guidelines
REST
- Imagine going on vacation already rested…not going to find rest. It can be done!
- Rest needs to be a regular part of your day and week.
3 STEPS TO REROUTING
- Admit things are not working as they currently are.
- If you don’t surrender this and admit there is a problem, you will not get better.
- Evaluate the expectations that are in your role.
- Both the ones you’ve been given and the ones you place on yourself
- Do you have written expectations from your Board? This is necessary.
- Job tasks
- Rhythms
- What do you expect in your own head?
- You have to focus to see things more clearly so you can prioritize. (This allows you to say “no” to good things with clarity.)
- Evaluate your rhythms
- Daily
- You need a start and a stop to your day.
- It might differ each day (weekends look different than weekdays, so ease up when you’ve been ramping up your schedule)
- Weekly
- Consider your travel schedule
- Consider when you have a time block to preserve and restrict meetings
- Monthly
- Consider how many days you’re gone in a month.
- Place boundaries and guardrails
- Quarterly
- Consider your seasons
- Example: Winter = rest; Spring = Travel; Summer = Team development; Fall = Travel
- Consider your seasons
- Annually
- Daily
Example: Planning retreat; Personal time away (*at least 12 days per year with your spouse and with no work)
Episode Links
If you’re a leader approaching a succession or transition. Or maybe you’re a few years in and beginning to see how complex transitions leadership is… go to The Art of Pastoral Succession and check out my brand new course in partnership with Carey Nieuwhof. Are you in Transition or have one on the horizon? Check out our 2023 cohorts and get connected with us at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/
Who is Sean Morgan?
Sean started out in ministry serving in a San Francisco area church plant as their Executive Pastor. He went on to help coach and consult with church leaders across the country and eventually founded The Ascent Leader, a first-of-its-kind organization focusing on relational leadership development for local church pastors. He also hosts the Leaders In Living Rooms podcast. Sean recently retired from a 26-year career as a KC-10 pilot in the US Air Force Reserve. His favorite titles are “Stacy’s husband” and “Kaylee and Ayden’s dad.”
Sponsors
Thanks to our sponsor: Food For The Hungry.
Combine your church’s heart for the poor and Food for the Hungry’s global experience at fh.org/churches.
Listen to Recent Episodes
About the Host
Sean Morgan is a coach and speaker with a national reputation as a catalyst of fresh vision. His passion is to help ministries navigate obstacles and turn them into opportunities.
Throughout his career, Sean has pioneered initiatives impacting thousands of leaders across the country. He started out serving as Executive Pastor and CFO at New Life Church in northern California.
As host, Sean gives you access to amazing conversations, hard-won wisdom, and poignant insights from world-class leaders in intimate “living room” settings.
Your Host
Sean Morgan
Leaders in Living Rooms
Craft & Character
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