When Your Sabbath Isn't Sunday

Creating space for renewal in a 24/7 vocation

We’ve all heard the joke about pastors and other church staff, “It must be nice to only work one day a week.”

Ha ha. So funny.

Meanwhile, you're juggling evening meetings, weekend services, and the expectation to maintain "normal business hours" just to prove you're actually working. So let's talk about ministry work/life balance – that mythical unicorn we've all heard exists but few have actually spotted in the wild.

The Ministry Time Warp

Ministry schedules operate in a parallel dimension. We work when others play (weekends), our meetings begin when others are done for the day (evenings), and somehow we're still expected to maintain a presence during traditional business hours. It's as if the job description secretly reads: "Available always, sleeping optional."

But here's the liberating truth: If your job regularly demands evenings and weekends, you absolutely shouldn't feel compelled to work every weekday 9-to-5 as well.

The math simply doesn't add up. As Andy Stanley brilliantly articulates in "Choosing to Cheat," we all have limited capacity. Something will get cheated – the question is what. Will it be your family? Your health? Your sanity? Your job? The choice is unavoidable, so make it consciously rather than by default.

Permission to Play Hooky

Several years ago, I discovered a local museum was hosting a retro arcade exhibit. As a child of the 80s, this was nostalgia overload – Tron, Gauntlet, Double Dragon, and Donkey Kong, all in arcade cabinets! So I bought a museum membership and started sneaking away during "work hours" to play.

On a random Tuesday afternoon, I'd disappear for an hour of pixelated joy. The place was practically empty – my teenage dream realized! An entire arcade to myself with unlimited plays.

Was I being irresponsible? I don't think so. I was compensating for the evening meeting the night before, the Saturday planning meeting, and the hospital visits on my day off.

The Ministry Balance Sheet

Think of your time like a balance sheet with credits and debits:

• When you work a night meeting (debit), give yourself permission for a daytime break (credit)
• When you miss family dinner for church (debit), leave early another day to be home (credit)
• When your weekend is consumed by ministry (debit), don't feel guilty about a quiet Monday (credit)

Boundaries in a Boundaryless Job

The nature of ministry means boundaries will always be fuzzy. We answer emails at home and handle personal matters during work hours. We pray with the church member who stops by unexpectedly and take calls on our supposed day off.

This isn't necessarily bad – it's simply the reality of a vocation rather than a job. But it requires intentional counter-balancing:

1. Schedule your flexibility – Block off compensation time in your calendar just as firmly as you would a meeting

2. Name your priorities – Decide what absolutely can't be cheated (family dinner? exercise? solitude?)

3. Find your arcade – Discover small joys you can enjoy during unconventional hours

The Permission You Already Have

If you're waiting for someone to give you permission to maintain a healthy balance, consider this your official pastoral permission slip. You have divine blessing to:

• Take a long lunch to go for a walk
• Watch a matinee movie when you've been at church until 10 p.m. the night before
• Work from a coffee shop and people-watch between emails
• Play hooky occasionally to find your own retro arcade

Ministry is about sustainable faithfulness, not martyrdom. Jesus withdrew to quiet places regularly, and his ministry didn't suffer for it. Neither will yours.

Remember: the goal isn't perfect balance every day, but a rhythm that keeps you whole over the long haul. Your congregation needs a pastor who's fully alive, not one who's running on empty.