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Happy Wednesday, Vineyard Fam!

Last Sunday, we talked about Psalm 139 and the reality that we are fully known by God and deeply loved still. Before we ever talk about mission, obedience, faithfulness, or discipleship, we begin there: with a God who sees us fully and does not turn away.

But eventually that raises another question: What kind of life grows out of being known and loved by God? That is the question Micah 6 asks.

Micah lived during a time filled with corruption, injustice, religious performance, political anxiety, and spiritual drift. People were still participating in worship. Religious activity was still happening. But underneath it all, the people had slowly drifted from the heart of God.

Honestly, that feels painfully familiar. We live in a culture overflowing with noise, distraction, outrage, spiritual content, and endless opportunities to stay busy. Even faith can slowly become something we consume instead of a life we enter into.

That is part of why Micah 6 feels so refreshing. In the middle of all the confusion, God cuts through the noise and says: "He has told you, O human, what is good..."

Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with your God. Not perform, impress, or pretend; but walk humbly with your God... 

As many of you know, I am also preparing for a sabbatical later this summer. Over the next several weeks, I'll continue sharing more details, but I wanted to begin the conversation now because I believe this season is connected to the very things we've been talking about as a church.

A ministry sabbatical is different from what many people think of when they hear the word. It isn't a research project, an extended vacation, or a response to a crisis. At its heart, a sabbatical is about rest and renewal.

Throughout Scripture, God establishes rhythms of work and rest. Every seventh year, the land itself was given rest. Every fiftieth year was celebrated as Jubilee, a season of release, restoration, and renewed dependence upon God. These rhythms reminded God's people that they were not sustained by endless effort but by God's faithful provision.

A ministry sabbatical is an opportunity to practice that same trust.

It is an opportunity to step away from the work of ministry for a season to rest, pray, listen, reflect, and be renewed in God's presence. It is also an act of trust that ministry flows best from abundance rather than depletion, and that Jesus is fully capable of caring for His church while pastors rest.

For me, after 18 years of pastoral ministry, and particularly after the unique demands of the last several years, I sense God's invitation into that kind of season. Beginning in July, I will enter a three-month sabbatical focused on rest, prayer, renewal, spiritual direction, counseling, reading, and creating space to listen to God.

My hope is simple: to spend extended time with Jesus and allow Him to renew what constant activity can sometimes obscure. I am holding this season with open hands. I don't have a detailed list of outcomes I am trying to achieve. My prayer is simply that God would meet me there and continue shaping me into the kind of person who can love well, lead well, and follow Jesus faithfully.

One of the things our Vineyard USA leaders have reminded me is that sabbaticals are not only gifts for pastors; they can become gifts for churches as well.

One of the dangers churches can face, often without realizing it, is slowly building too much around a particular leader, personality, voice, or style. It usually doesn't happen intentionally. In fact, it often happens because people love their church and trust their leaders. But over time, a subtle shift can occur where the church begins orbiting a person more than it orbits Jesus.

The New Testament consistently pushes us in a different direction. Jesus says, "I will build my church." Paul reminds us that Christ is the head of the church. The church has never and should never belong to a pastor; it always belongs to Jesus.

One of the gifts of a sabbatical is that it gives a congregation an opportunity to practice that truth. It creates space for other voices to preach, other leaders to lead, and for all of us to remember together that the strength of Billings Vineyard has never rested on one person... It rests on the faithfulness of Jesus.

This season will provide opportunities for our staff, elders, ministry leaders, and guest speakers to step into new responsibilities and use their gifts. My hope is that when I return, I will be renewed. But also, my hope is also that our church will be strengthened, more unified, and even more convinced that Jesus is leading His church, empowering His people, and forming us together into the kind of community that reflects His kingdom.

One of the best ways you can support us during this season is through prayer. Pray for renewal. Pray for rest. Pray for our staff and leadership team. Pray for our church. And perhaps most importantly, continue showing up, serving, giving, loving one another, and participating in the life of our church family.

Which brings me back to the invitation we will see this week in Micah 6:

Not perform, impress, or prove ourselves... But walk humbly with our God. Maybe this week, take a few moments to ask: Where might God be inviting me to trust Him more deeply? Where might He be inviting me into healthier rhythms of work, rest, prayer, and presence? Where might ordinary faithfulness be shaping me more than I realize?

Faithfulness is rarely flashy, but over time, ordinary faithfulness shapes us into people who increasingly reflect the heart of Jesus.

Stay Churchy my Friends,

 

Adam Greenwell
Lead Pastor
Vineyard Church
www.billingsvineyard.org