One of the greatest joys of my life has been serving as your pastor these past eight years. Together we’ve seen God do far more than we could have imagined, and I truly believe He is only getting started.
As many of you know, God has been leading our church through an exciting season of growth and preparation. As we look toward the future—including the next phase of our Imagine Vision and the construction of our updated Worship Center—our Church Board and I believe this is the right time for me to take a pastoral sabbatical.
Because many of us have never experienced a pastoral sabbatical before, I wanted to answer some of the questions you may have.
My hope is that this page helps you understand not only what a sabbatical is, but why we believe God wants to use this season to strengthen both your pastor and our church family.
Thank you for the privilege of serving alongside you. I love being your pastor, and I look forward with great anticipation to what God will do in all of us during this season.
Selinsgrove Church of the Nazarene
I’ll worship with the church on Sunday, July 26, before the sabbatical begins.
My sabbatical will begin on Monday, July 27, 2026, and conclude on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
Following the sabbatical, I’ll return to worship on Sunday, October 4.
After returning, we’ll intentionally take a short re-entry period before I resume my normal pastoral responsibilities. This allows time to reflect on what God has done during the sabbatical and to thoughtfully transition into the next season of ministry.
Simply put, a sabbatical isn’t just a time away from work. It is an intentional season of rest, renewal, and preparation.
Throughout Scripture, God established rhythms of work and rest. Every seventh day was a Sabbath. Every seventh year the land itself was given rest. These rhythms reminded God’s people that their strength ultimately came from Him.
A pastoral sabbatical follows that same biblical principle by providing an extended season to step away from the normal demands of ministry in order to rest, seek the Lord, and prepare for the next season of leadership.
While sabbaticals are common in education, healthcare, and other professions, a pastoral sabbatical is much more than simply taking time off. It is an intentional investment in physical, emotional, and spiritual renewal.
Pastoral ministry is one of life’s greatest joys, but it is also emotionally, mentally, and spiritually demanding.
Like many healthy churches, SCN believes that caring well for pastors is one way we care well for the entire church.
The Church of the Nazarene encourages churches to provide periodic sabbaticals for pastors who have served faithfully in one assignment over an extended period of time.
After serving SCN for eight years, our Church Board believes this is an appropriate and healthy time for me to step away briefly so I can return refreshed, renewed, and prepared for the next chapter of ministry.
No—not at all.
In fact, the opposite is true.
Our Church Board and pastoral staff believe SCN is in a healthy place, and that’s exactly why this is such a good time for a sabbatical.
Healthy organizations prepare before they must recover.
Rather than waiting until someone is exhausted, healthy churches proactively invest in the long-term health of both their pastor and congregation.
The timing is also intentional. Taking this sabbatical before we enter the busiest season of construction for our updated Worship Center allows me to return ready to lead through one of the most exciting seasons in the life of our church.
The primary goals are simple:
To make this possible, I’ll intentionally step away from sermon preparation, church decision-making, meetings, ministry emails, and the normal responsibilities of pastoral leadership. Creating this margin allows me to fully embrace the purpose of the sabbatical rather than simply doing ministry from a different location.
Keith Yoder, a regional ministry leader and consultant, will serve as my sabbatical coach. He will meet with me several times throughout the sabbatical to provide encouragement, guidance, and accountability.
It certainly benefits the pastor—but I believe it benefits the church just as much.
A sabbatical reminds all of us that Jesus is the true Shepherd and Leader of His Church.
It also creates opportunities for others to lead, serve, and use the gifts God has given them. As responsibilities are shared throughout the church, leaders grow, gifts are discovered, and the entire body becomes stronger.
Healthy pastors help cultivate healthy churches. Investing in pastoral renewal isn’t stepping away from ministry—it’s strengthening ministry for the years ahead.
My hope is that this season helps every one of us ask:
“What is God teaching us, and how is He preparing us for what comes next?”
Yes.
As is standard practice for pastoral sabbaticals, my normal salary and benefits will continue throughout the sabbatical. This allows me to fully focus on the purpose of the sabbatical without distraction.
One of the greatest blessings of SCN is the strong leadership team God has built over many years.
Our church isn’t built around one person. God has graciously provided a gifted pastoral staff, faithful ministry leaders, and a committed Church Board who already share in leading the ministry of SCN every week.
Our Church Board will continue providing overall spiritual oversight and leadership.
Pastor Jacob Story (Associate Pastor) will serve as the primary point of contact for day-to-day leadership matters and will remain in close communication with the Church Board throughout the sabbatical.
July 26 – Gethsemane Gathering. A morning of prayer as we seek God together for our church’s vision, personal healing, and the beginning of the sabbatical season.
August – Welcome to the Church. We’ll explore what it means to become the kind of church Jesus calls us to be by studying His teachings about the Kingdom of Heaven.
September – B.L.E.S.S. Together we’ll discover how God’s mission is carried out through ordinary people living intentionally, relationally, and faithfully in everyday life.
October 3–4 – Faith Promise Weekend: Missionaries Matt and Faye Wagner from Guatemala will join us for a special weekend. On Saturday, we’ll gather for an informal game night and hear about an exciting partnership developing between SCN and the Nazarene churches in Guatemala. On Sunday, we’ll celebrate God’s global mission and learn more about supporting that work through Faith Promise giving.
If you’re connected to a Life Group, your Life Group leader should remain your first point of care and encouragement.
Our pastoral team will continue providing pastoral care throughout the sabbatical, including hospital visits, emergencies, funerals, weddings, counseling referrals, and other ministry needs.
If you’re ever unsure who to contact, simply call the church office. We’ll make sure you’re connected with the right person.
One of the best ways you can care for me is by allowing me to fully embrace this season of rest.
During the sabbatical, I’ll intentionally disconnect from ministry communication. Unless an extraordinary circumstance is determined by the Church Board, I’ll refrain from responding to ministry emails, texts, or phone calls until the sabbatical concludes.
Thank you for helping protect this important season so that I can return refreshed and ready for the work God has ahead.
Yes.
You’ll probably see me around town from time to time.
Please don’t feel like you need to avoid saying hello! I’d love to see you and catch up briefly.
I simply ask that we save ministry conversations for after the sabbatical so I can remain focused on the purpose of this season.
If something significant happens, please contact Pastor Jacob Story.
He will remain in communication with the Church Board, and together they’ll determine what information should be shared with me during the sabbatical.
Please pray that God would provide:
Just as importantly, pray that God would continue doing His work throughout our church as each of us faithfully serves where He has placed us.
Although the sabbatical officially concludes on October 3, I won’t immediately return to every normal responsibility.
A healthy re-entry is an important part of the sabbatical process.
During those first weeks back, our Church Board and I will spend time reflecting on what God has taught us individually and as a church.
I’ll return to regular preaching responsibilities on Sunday, October 18, and over the following weeks we’ll continue sharing with the congregation what we’ve learned together.
One of my greatest hopes is that God will work in both my life and the life of our church during these weeks apart.
When I return, we’ll take time to listen to one another, celebrate what God has done, and discern together how He’s preparing us for the next season of ministry.
My prayer is that we’ll discover God has been working in all of us—even while we were apart.
This isn’t simply my sabbatical.
It’s an opportunity for our entire church family to grow.
As I focus on rest and renewal, I hope all of us will lean more deeply into prayer, take greater ownership of the ministries God has entrusted to us, and look expectantly toward what He wants to do next.
I encourage you to participate in the church-wide prayer journey that will guide us through this season. You can sign up through the Church Center app or speak with Pastor Nate Hartman to learn more.
Together, let’s ask:
My prayer is that when we gather again this fall, we’ll discover that while we were apart physically, God was drawing all of us closer to Himself.
I hope I’ll return renewed, our church will return strengthened, and together we’ll be even more prepared for the “immeasurably more” God has in store for Selinsgrove Church of the Nazarene.
Thank you for giving me this incredible gift. I love being your pastor, and I can’t wait to see what God accomplishes in all of us during this season.
With gratitude,
Pastor Bill Foss
