Sabbaticals: Why Rest Doesn't Just Benefit the Pastor (Nathan Ensz)

Pastor Nathan Ensz of Kingwood Bible Church in Salem, Oregon, returns to the podcast to talk about sabbaticals, what they are, why the Bible points toward them, and what he learned from taking one in 2024 after seven years at Kingwood. Nathan traces the idea back to the biblical pattern of Sabbath rest, the seven-year cycle of rest for the land, and the year of Jubilee, and explains why he believes ministry makes rest especially essential even though Scripture gives no direct command for pastors to take a sabbatical.

Nathan is honest about his own hesitation. He knew of pastors whose sabbaticals had gone badly and worried his own might too, until his wife, Kelsey, pointed out that a sabbatical is for the whole family, not just him. Once he was away from Kingwood, he and Kelsey discovered how much of their identity had become tied to his role as pastor rather than his identity as a child of God, a realization he calls one of the most important parts of the experience. He also describes the practical side of two and a half months away: family milestones, visits to other churches, real rest at home, and watching his associate pastor Josh lead well in his absence, which reassured him that a sabbatical is a gift to the church family as much as to the pastor.

The conversation closes with Nathan's encouragement for anyone approaching a sabbatical (including Matt, who is preparing for his own this September) to figure out what genuine rest looks like for them personally rather than copying someone else's plan. Nathan also previews the sabbatical workshop he will lead at USMB Gathering 2026 in Salt Lake City and reflects on how USMB has done well encouraging churches to embrace this practice.