conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

Ok, I'm obviously not "veteran ministry folk." However, I've been making a careful study of this sort of thing for over ten years, and (like Susie) I don't often keep my opinion to myself. Yes, it can happen (and, from what I can tell, both from the study and from experience, needs to happen), but it won't just happen for you. You have to decide that it's going to happen, and then stick to that decision. There will probably never be a day where there's nothing that needs doing, but there will be days where it doesn't really have to happen that day. Most of the minor emergencies seem to be able to wait a day.

Yes, it's hard, and that's why the Episcopal Church starts people off at 4 weeks of vacation a year. But the healthiest clergy I know make sure that their day off really, truly has nothing to do with the chuch at least once a month or so, and usually more often.

Yes. Unquestionably.

Mind you, generally you have to make it happen.

I refer in speaking and writing, and on the church calendar, to my "day off" as the "vicar's sabbath." When someone asks to do something that day, church related, the answer is, "I have an appointment," not "it is my day off." Trust me, they'll resent the day off answer, and the appointment thing is honest: You have an appointment with yourself and relaxation.

You can't help getting sucked into things many Saturdays, because that's the time the lay folk have off, and many churches and denominational bodies schedule stuff those days. I don't have a Saturday off for several weeks. So I'll go home a bit early on Friday and just relax.

Sometimes you just have to not use your cell phone. I know a couple of good places to go where it doesn't work. I also know that it has voice mail, and instead of answering it I can check the voice mail in a few minutes to see if the call was that important, or if it can be handled later. After all, there was a time when pastors didn't have beepers or cell phones... If they went out of the house on their sabbath day, you just didn't reach them. And churches got on just fine.

It takes education, a little battling, and some definite boundaries, but yes.

And no, not really a veteran. I've been at this just about as long as you have, bro.

You can append this directly to my other comment if you want, AB: I forgot to mention: Get out of town. I found I unwound a lot more if I figured a way to do something elsewhere on a Saturday or sabbath day. It didn't have to be far, a hike in a State Park 45 minutes away. Shopping trip just over the Ohio border. If I had a couple of days off, go visit the 'rents up north.

But when I was out of the town, away from my home, the temptation to do work was decreased, and even the feeling like work was just hovering around the corner waiting to pounce went away.

Harder to do out here, especially when I now live across the parking lot from work, but still valid advice for those of you who can drive further than I can. Well, without getting wet.

There too, don't use too much vacation for staying home and fixing up the yard. Vacation is for getting the heck out of Dodge. :-)

I hear you. I have Monday off. I don't schedule appointments with CCW. But the phone is what gets me. It rings. I answer. I am thinking of putting something on my voicemail.

"Hi! You have reached Tripp, Pastor of Yada and Yada. Monday is my day off. If today is Monday and this is not an emergency, you should expect me to get back to you on Tuesday the earliest."

Something like that...

Vacation is another issue complicated by my actor wife's schedule. But them's the reality.

Thanks fellow Rookies!

"Hi, you've reached Pastor... Today is my sabbath, ..." :-)

Perhaps I'm a bit late to get in on this conversation. "Is there ever a complete day that has nothing to do with ministry?" There'd better be. That's all I've got to say. Sabbath, 24 hours of it (all together) every week, is like air and water. Absolute necessity. I love your answering machine idea. Whatever it takes to convince people not to bother you except for death or dismemberment. It is possible. If you are unappologetic, the people will accept it, even graciously in my experience.