Peter Pollock

@theselowfeet @jasonkovacs I have heard anecdotally the same thing, but the pastors i know who have taken sabbaticals have cobbled together funds to visit family and gone on retreats that they've scrimped and saved for.

After seeing a pastor I know go on three big vacations, two of which were extended international trips during their sabbatical, I'm wary. I'm picturing a season spent at home, reconnecting with family, studying, spending time outdoors. Maybe a churchmember has a lake cottage he can use for a month. This is a sabbatical I think most people would be more likely to be on board with. Pastors can seem really out of touch with people's normal lives. We all have demanding lives. Sure would be nice to have a month to travel the world with full pay.

The average length of time a seminary trained pastor lasts in ministry is 5 years. The average length of time churches require you to work before taking a sabbatical is 7 years. On average, pastors burn out 2 years before they could qualify for well needed rest. @PeterPollock

@mrvondo @jasonkovacs barna.com/research/a-pro…

@jasonkovacs @PeterPollock Most pastors simply move to another church, not leave ministry. Bi-vocational guys and non seminary trained guys stay longer in the same place. Hmmm

@jasonkovacs @mrvondo A Barna report suggests the greatest ministry impact comes in years 5-14, so if ministers leave after 5 years, they never operate to their fullest potential. Whether they leave ministry altogether or just move to a different ministry, there is still a significant negative impact.

@mrvondo @PeterPollock That is an interesting stat. Do you have a source for that? I have heard from guys who haven't had a sabbatical in 30+ years because they never were in the same place for 7 years.

@theistinthought @jasonkovacs "Easier" is such a big word. In some respects, yes it is, but the weight of caring for a congregation's spiritual and emotional needs weighs on you in ways office politics and corporate deadlines never can.

@jasonkovacs @PeterPollock It’s so much easier than corporate jobs tho

@jasonkovacs @JLSteffaniak Learning to work hard has value, but also learning to care for yourself and your family and put healthy practices in place from the beginning is essential. Take care of yourself so you don't get sick rather than after the damage is done

@JLSteffaniak @PeterPollock I agree its not a direct line but points to some consideration of pace and sustainability. Also, I think some guys out of seminary that are young don't need to worry about burning out initially. They need to learn to work hard.

@DDT11154 @jasonkovacs @FDMurphy1635 That's a big question to answer. Many find that if they attend their own church during the sabbatical, they are, one way or another, dragged back into the stress they are taking a sabbatical to recover from. Many do not attend their own church during that time for that reason

@jasonkovacs @FDMurphy1635 @PeterPollock What would a pastor do on a sabbatical? Do they attend a different church during that time? How much do they cut themselves off from their own church?

@DannyMorgan0 @jasonkovacs I've seen similar numbers. I wonder though whether pastoral ministry is a "career" or a "calling"? Are we comparing like-to-like? Is part of the issue that some pastors are there because it seemed like a good career and not because they were called to it?

@jasonkovacs @PeterPollock I heard a stat recently that less than half of people use their major in their career and on average stay in their first career out of college less than 5 years.

@BrentRempel @jasonkovacs Various sources such as Barna and the Lifeway group come up with similar figures. Raw data is hard to find online though, which makes interpretation a little difficult. Interestingly, the latest Barna figures show the number of pastors considering leaving the ministry has dropped

@jasonkovacs @PeterPollock Fascinating. Do you have a source?

Finished the @LEGO_Group model #60433 "Modular Space Station". It's 1097 pieces, which means it's about a 3 hour build. I don't get to build much these days so I spread it out. It was handy, each module took 15-20 minutes to build. So I built it over 9 days #lego

I've never opened a #Lego set with 6 books and 10 packs of pieces before. I am unreasonably excited to build this! @LEGO_Group

@fesshole My kids are similar. Three kids. You can leave any two of them at home together and everything is fine. Leave all 3 together and world war 3 starts

Wife and mum of two teens. I love my family so much. However we function so much better as a three, it doesn't matter who. Husband visits his mum for week – house is calm, I sleep through the night. Daughter away at uni – house is calm and tidy.

@HansFiene I need updates!

My son and all his buddies, all high school freshman, have a fantasy football league and their punishment for coming in last place is that you have to ask a senior girl to prom with an elaborate promposal.

New day, New experience. First time at a hockey game! @LobsterHockey

We are going to our first ever hockey game tonight - at the Athens Rock Lobsters. Anyone have any tips for getting the most out of the experience (or for understanding whats going on)? @LobsterHockey #athensrocklobsters

My daughter is having a hard time and I wrote to some of her favorite companies asking if they would send a note of encouragement. Some did in some very creative ways. This series will showcase what they wrote and thank them for caring for my kid! #encouragementthanks

@KatpEvans @DrNeilStone To be fair, and this comes from an English man living in America, it can be very confusing at times. Why does the algorithm show me a post which says, for example, "the government just announced...." with no location indication or even context clues?

@DrNeilStone I think some people struggle with the concept that people exist outside of their own country. And that other countries have Drs and other skilled professionals

Literally never in my life claimed to be American or practice in the US This is the worst "gotcha" ever

When you don't live close to a #dutchbros but #sharkninja hooked you up with an awesome new SLUSHi, you make your own version of the Electric Berry and dream of the day you'll be back at Dutch. (Why does it look like our aging Ninja blender is kissing the new SLUSHi???)

When you don't live close to a #dutchbros but #sharkninja have hooked you up with an awesome new SLUSHi, you make your own version of the Electric Berry and dream of the day you'll be back at Dutch. (Why does it look like our aging Ninja blender is kissing the new SLUSHi???)

My 17yo is having a tough time. Some health issues mean she is missing senior year. I'm trying to lift her spirits by asking brands to mail encouraging letters to her. If any of my friends here can connect me to any companies, I'd really appreciate it.

@SharkNinja thank you so much for hooking my daughter up with the Slushi machine she has been desperately wanting. You truly are Ninja Fairies!