By David Alves

Have you noticed the toll modern ministry is taking on our pastors? Pastoral fatigue and burnout cost the church more than just money; it costs lives, drying up the pastoral pool. More pastors and church leaders leave ministry today than in the history of the Christian Church. And I almost became a statistic.

Pastors are in big trouble but have few resources to help. More and more has been written about sabbaticals, yet few comprehensive, but simple, guidebooks are available to assist a pastor to initiate and maximize the gift of his or her pastoral sabbatical.

This primer is designed to take a pastor through the sabbatical from conception to conclusion. This book contains more than was available to me when I took both my first and second sabbaticals. Though not exhaustive, the contents should accomplish the purpose of a primer on spiritual sabbaticals.