Sabbatical
A season to be renewed in spirit, strengthened in family life, and refreshed for the work of joyfully shepherding others.
An Important Word From Nathan
“The bow cannot be always bent without fear of breaking. Repose is as needed to the mind as sleep to the body. Our days of worship (which were, in the Old Testament, sabbaths) are our days of toil, and if we do not rest upon some other day, we shall break down. Even the earth must lie fallow and have her sabbaths; and so must we; hence the wisdom and compassion of our Lord, when He said to His disciples that they should go “apart into a desert place, and rest a while.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon
A few years ago, I wrote and taught a study on Jesus’s leadership through the lens of the Gospel of Mark. The thing that most stuck out to me, when evaluating Christ’s leadership actions through Mark, was how often I read and discussed, “Jesus retreated,” “Jesus reclined,” “Jesus rested,” “Jesus escaped…” Since that time, these verses have lingered in the back of my mind.
Recently, a couple of dear friends, in their faithfulness and obedience to the spirit, petitioned me, as well as my wife, to take a sabbatical from the ministry. For sixteen years, since officially beginning in-home ministry in the summer of ‘09, we have pressed forward unflinchingly, even through Covid, family crises, and other trials and distractions. I must admit, in my flesh I do not feel a “need” for, or want, a break necessarily, in the sense that my brain and my body only know one speed, “go and do.” On the other hand, my heart knows that such a time of rest, reflection, and devotion to spiritual growth is probably wise. If the most aggressive Prince of Pastors, Spurgeon, suggests pastors take time in the desert place as Jesus did, maybe I should take heed.
This said, with the Discipleship House boards’ approval, Kim and I will be taking a four and a half month sabbatical beginning in September, with hypothetical plans to begin slowly re-engaging in mid-January. When a “normal” pastor does this, that involves someone else filling his pulpit and fulfilling his other duties while he and his family spend more time together at home or on vacation. But what does this look like when your ministry IS your home?
During this time of repose, we will not be hosting regularly scheduled DHouse activities (worship, volleyball, or Bible study), nor will we be scheduling or hosting our regular fall and winter events. We will also not be inviting anyone to live with us during this time, keeping residents to family-only for this season. We will, however, continue meeting with individuals and couples for discipleship and will gladly keep our door open and seats available for meals to share. This is an integral part of our lives, our kids’ lives, and the lives of others that we dare not miss.
Our kids know no other life, as even before ministry officially began in ‘09, we already had friends staying with us and were hosting many events and activities. As I mentioned “taking a break” to Riley, his eyes got really big. “Well, what will we do? That’s the question. You got to think this through a lot. I’m not saying it’s bad, but we won’t have anything planned… They want do it the whole entire fall?! What about everybody else?! They won’t be present?! Dad, you better think this one carefully.” Pray for our kids as they navigate being somewhat “normal” kids for a change and that our family will be able to physically, emotionally, and spiritually invest in one another.
How else can you pray for us? Pray for rest and that over the next few months that, not just Kim and I but our entire family, are renewed. Pray for restoration as our family continues to navigate Riley’s health concerns and the difficulties those have caused. Pray for the growth of our family together. Pray for clarity and vision for the Discipleship House ministry. Pray that I would not fill the void of time with other activities but am able to focus on our family and our faith. Pray for revitalization of the Discipleship House in the spring. We appreciate your prayers during this time and always.
Thank you to the Discipleship House board for their faithfulness. Thank you to Grace Fellowship Church and the elders for their encouragement. Thank you to the faithful group of local pastors that I meet with and their continual prayers and encouragement. And of course, thank you to my bride for walking down this road with me, now and always, and to our kids for their faithfulness, resilience, participation, and enduring characters.
We will have worship at 8:15pm on 9/1 and then begin our break. We would love to see everyone’s faces and to have a full house that night.
In Christ,
Nathan Gilbert
An Important Word From Caleb Cantwell
I, and one of the elders from our church, recently met with Nathan. After getting approval from the Discipleship House board, we have asked him to go on sabbatical starting in September. This sabbatical will go until the new year. Why now? The Gilberts have not taken a sabbatical since Discipleship House began, officially in 2009, but starting even earlier with meetings and residents in their home as early as 2006. We believe a time of rest is not only spiritually mandated but also is physically necessary for their family.
As many of you are aware, things with Riley have been difficult over the past year. With new developmental issues and cognitive decline, he has been in and out of hospitals. He is now 18 which has opened a completely new door of legal issues and logistics around which hospitals are even willing to see him. We believe an increased focus is needed, on Riley and the rest of the kids, as they seek to find joy in this trial together. The increased demand for Riley and the normal uptick in summer ministry has also been extremely stressful for Kim. We believe Nathan has an increased responsibility to be mindful of Kim during this time as directed in 1st Peter 3:7, and that Kim would continue to seek the Lord in prayer and be guarded by the peace of God (Philippians 4:6-7).
Finally, and most importantly, we believe they need a time of rest to feed their soul. They have honored God in their faithful ministry, they have consistently put the needs of others over their own, and now it would be wise and biblical for them to step back and take a season to care for their own household and deepen their walk with the Lord. This sabbatical will allow them to be renewed in spirit, strengthened in family life, and refreshed for the work of joyfully shepherding others. Nathan has humbly submitted to this recommendation from his board and his elders.
We have asked them to follow these guidelines during the sabbatical:
- No Discipleship House activities. This includes Bible Studies, Worship, and specific Discipleship House social events.
- Nathan will not lead the weekly Bible study at Simon Kenton High School.
- No future planning for Discipleship House activities and/or direction during this time.
- If Nathan is asked to lead a one-time study or preach a week at a local church, he will seek out counsel from either Ryan or a board member on whether he should say, “yes.”
- With the increased amount of free time on the calendar, Nathan is not to actively fill this time with more school activities or other ministry opportunities.
- This sabbatical does not pause personal ministry. Nathan and Kim have discipled many people and we would expect those in their lives to still seek them out for counsel and fellowship. Whether that be having a family over for dinner or having one on one time with someone on the deck, we do not see an issue with them doing that.
- No hosting of other families or individuals to live with them during this time.
Starting in the new year, there will be a 2-3 month ramp up period for the ministry. This time is to start the process of praying and planning over the next steps of Discipleship House, what a relaunch will look like, talk through any changes and new goals, and to have normal ministry back up and running by or in March. This will give us a solid amount of time to plan for summer missions and activities as well.
The Discipleship House board will meet 1-2 times during this period to receive an in-person update from Nathan and Kim on their sabbatical and to intentionally talk through the plans for the ministry.
Though the next few months will be a season of rest and a pause in current Discipleship House activities, we do ask for your continued prayer and financial support. We also ask that you would intentionally seek out ways that you can encourage the family during this time. We are grateful for your desire to lift up this ministry as we seek to follow God’s leading and prepare for all that He has in store in the year ahead.
Sincerely,
Caleb Cantwell, Discipleship House Board Member