My company doesn’t give me 3 months of vacation, are sabbaticals normal for pastors?

Taking times of sabbatical are normal occurrences in pastoral ministry. Many churches have established policies of sabbatical leave, most often granted after every 7 years of ministry.

And yes, Sabbatical leaves are not common outside of ministry or academic institutions. To many people in the business community, this can seem like a strange idea. However, pastors are not CEO’s. Their role is to shepherd and lead God’s people and to do so requires them to seek God’s voice and spend time engaging God in different rhythms.