A Note from Brian

September 16, 2026

Dear friends:

I want to let each of you know that, on Monday, September 28, I will begin a sabbatical which will continue through Sunday, November 29. During this time, I will not be in the pulpit or engaging in any pastoral work. This sabbatical was granted by our church’s Session.

First off, I want to make sure that each of you knows that my sabbatical is not a euphemism for something else. This is not an ambiguous “leave of absence,” or anything like that. There is no sub-text. This is a sabbatical.

Second, what is a sabbatical? A pastor’s sabbatical is a bit different than a sabbatical for, say, a professor. Unlike him or her, there’s no expectation of coming out of this season with a particular “product” (article, book draft, etc). A pastor’s sabbatical takes its cues from the Lord’s provision for Israelite land: every seven years, it was to lie fallow. It wasn’t to be worked that whole year. It was to be replenished by sun and rain and simply be. Growth would still take place, but not through work. It was a counter-intuitive way of ensuring a field’s continued fruitfulness. My last full sabbatical was in the fall of 2019, although the Session did grant me several weeks of break in the fall of 2023.

Please know that time away from you, or from our worship together, does not come from dissatisfaction with pastoring, or from longing to be somewhere else. My prayer is that this

sabbatical is unto greater fruitfulness and longevity. Dana and I want to keep doing this. I love being a pastor at DPC.

I can’t adequately express my appreciation to our elders. They haven’t merely allowed me to take this sabbatical. They have given it their blessing and support. Sabbaticals are not a “right,” or owed to me as a pastor. DPC’s elders have graciously (and I believe, wisely) seen that this is an investment in long-term pastoral staff.

What will Dana and I be doing? To borrow a category that Eugene Peterson used about his own sabbatical, this time will include both “desert” and “harvest.” The desert component will be a break from working Sundays and a season of normal weekends together. We also plan to take some trips and visit different kinds of churches on our Sundays in Greenville. For the harvest component, I will tackle some home projects, as well as some personal study I want to pursue.

Until then, I should be preaching this Sunday and the following (9/27) as we get underway in the Gospel of John. Dana and I hope to see you before we are away! If not, we would love to see you at the celebration on October 8.