Leaves and Absences

Sabbatical is a period when ministry personnel are able to step back from the regular routines and demands of pastoral ministry and pursue activities that will enhance and expand their ministry. It is important that the pastoral charge be engaged in the planning for the time their minister is away.

Presbytery Responsibilities

Presbytery responsibilities are to ensure that the pastoral charge and the ministry personnel planning the leave comply fully with all the required processes, primarily timelines for proposals and reporting. This helps to ensure that the congregation's needs for worship and pastoral care are met, and the period leave is as fulfilling and beneficial as possible to the ministry personnel and to the congregation.

The Sabbatical Policy

The Sabbatical Policy [PDF: 4 pp/185 KB] for ministry personnel is applicable to every pastoral charge and all full- and part-time ministry personnel in pastoral relationships who have completed five or more years of service in the pastoral charge that will be party to the sabbatical. Interim ministers who qualify, having completed 60 months (5 years) or more service in interim ministry within the past eight years, are eligible to apply to Conference for sabbatical leave, funded through the Interim Ministry Sabbatical Leave Fund, administered by the Financial Assistance Committee of the General Council Office.