Home Pastors Articles for Pastors Pastors SHOULD Use All Their Vacation Time, Every Year—Here’s Why

Pastors SHOULD Use All Their Vacation Time, Every Year—Here’s Why

You may begin reading this post with the idea that I will suggest how many weeks of vacation you should be given by your church or how much you should advocate to give your pastor. 

Instead, I intend to answer this question a bit differently. My concern is not about how much vacation time a pastor is given but how he uses (or doesn’t use) what he is given. In light of this being a common time where vacation time is used, I thought this post would be well-timed for many of you.

This is an appropriate time to pause for a confession. I thought you should know, I often fail at my own advice. I come to the conclusions I often write about on this blog because I have or am currently failing at them. 

Just thought I would acknowledge that in case you think I write this way because I have figured it all out. Far from it. The stewardship of my vacation time was once a glaring failure in my life.

A few years ago, I was lovingly confronted by a dear friend and fellow pastor that I was not using all my vacation time. In his rebuke, he explained to me the reasons I should be taking every day of vacation the church gives me, which I had never done. 

Here was the basis for his thoughtful, insightful and wise argument:

1. It’s for you.

The pastor never gets a break in the regular routine. We are constantly on call. 

Vacation time is that time when you get time to breathe away from the madness, be refreshed and rest. All of us who are pastors know we are no good for our people when we are exhausted, distracted, and mentally and emotionally spent.  

Use the time, and use it wisely to achieve that end.

2. It’s for your family.

Your family always has to share you. Maybe just as important as the first one, this time is given so that your family has a block of time where they don’t have to share you with the church. 

When you don’t use all your time that has already been approved by the church for this purpose, you rob your family from having your sole focus to care for, fellowship with and enjoy them.