What are the dates of Andrew’s sabbatical?
Andrew will be starting his sabbatical on Monday, April 22 and will return on Monday, July 15.
Why sabbaticals?
God built rhythms of work and rest into creation. These same kinds of rhythms show up in places like the Ten Commandments or Israel’s agricultural calendar. (See Gen. 2:2-3, Exod. 20:8-11, Lev. 25:1-22.) One way we’ve applied these is with our elder team – our policy is that each non-staff elder serves two, three-year terms (six years total) before taking a sabbatical year away from actively serving on the team. (Jeff Kautz is currently on sabbatical from our elder team.)
Similarly, our policy also includes sabbaticals for full-time staff – they earn three months of sabbatical after six years of continuous service. (John Stone took our first staff sabbatical in 2022 and Dan Smith in 2023.) Besides allowing for healthy rest and restoration, we also believe sabbaticals help us avoid being overly dependent on any one person (other than Jesus!).
Why are we sending Andrew on sabbatical?
Andrew came on staff in August of 2016, so he has eclipsed our policy’s six-year mark now by almost 2 years! We believe his sabbatical will benefit both him and NPBC just as much as John’s and Dan’s have, helping him stay fresh and focus his energies in a different way that will support him in continuing to serve effectively when he returns, and giving us as a body some great opportunities to grow in our leadership/service and our appreciation for all of our leaders, including Andrew.
Who will handle Andrew’s job responsibilities?
Andrew is working with other staff and volunteers to ensure his responsibilities are covered; he’s also doing his best to complete what he can in advance. If something comes up during Andrew’s sabbatical that you’d normally contact him for, simply follow our normal procedure for when you’re not sure whose role something is – contact Becky Hasenauer in the church office (308-532-7448).
What is Andrew doing on his sabbatical?
The principle of sabbath in the Bible has 4 main aspects: stop, rest, delight, and worship. So Andrew will be:
Stepping back from his regular duties, focusing his energies in different ways than what his usual day-to-day requires.
Resting physically and spiritually, enjoying a time with more inputs and fewer outputs.
Spending his time doing things that spark joy.
Deepening his connection with the Lord through the Word, prayer, and community.
Practically, this means he’ll spend lots of quiet time with the Lord, seeking to better discern the voice of the Lord in his life (e.g. prayer, Bible engagement such as reading & meditation, and time in nature). He’ll also aim to strengthen healthy relationships with his wife and three boys through undivided time focused on them. Andrew is very visible and involved on Sunday mornings, so in an effort to avoid falling back into “ministry mode,” you’ll likely not see him on Sunday mornings throughout the sabbatical. Instead he’ll take this time to gather with the “C”hurch and worship with other bodies in the region.
In short, Andrew’s main goals are:
to pursue health and healing in some personal areas to set him up well for future life and ministry,
to grow in dependence on the Lord and learn to better discern His voice in daily life, and
to leverage the time away to prioritize his marriage and strengthen his relationships with his boys.
Is there anything I can do for the church or the Walkers during this time?
Honestly our hope and prayer is that, just like with the others who have taken sabbatical recently, you will lean in even more intentionally toward church life (attending, giving, serving, and connecting). And, of course, be in prayer for the church and for the Walkers:
For the Walkers:
That the time away would lead to greater health for Andrew personally and, as a result, strengthen his closest relationships (wife and kids).
Wisdom for Andrew to use the time well, to discover ways to really “unplug” and experience rest so that his dependence on the Lord would flourish.
That Andrew would be able to clearly discern the Spirit’s voice in his life through eliminating other voices and setting aside many of the demands that come in everyday life.
For the staff, church, and elders:
For greater reliance on the Holy Spirit as we battle the world, our own flesh, and the devil.
For wisdom and strength in (1) taking on Andrew’s duties in his absence and (2) discerning which duties can be paused or even perhaps eliminated altogether.
If you feel led to send a note of encouragement/appreciation to Andrew, you can do so to his home address or his personal email address (if you don’t have his info, contact our main office and Becky can get you that). Keep in mind that he won’t be checking these communications regularly, nor are we expecting him to send replies. However, your one-way communications of this sort would really be a blessing to him on sabbatical.
What if I have more questions?
We’d love to connect with you! Simply email us at elders@npberean.org or contact any of us directly: Brandon Brinker, Brent Burklund, Chase Dodson, Dan Smith, John Stone, Tom Werblow, or Josh Willard.