Pastor, Who Will Fill the Pulpit During Your Vacation?

The regularity of a weekly preaching schedule is a source of joy for the teaching pastor and stability for the church. But, like everyone, the pastor needs to rest from the weekly rhythm occasionally, and so does his family. But as you start thinking about summer vacation, one question immediately arises: Who will teach while I’m away? This question can raise anxieties and cause you to put off the necessary planning to make your time away as helpful as possible for you and your church.

I want to allay some common fears about leaving the pulpit for multiple weeks and offer practical tips on identifying and preparing a deep bench of people you trust to preach in your absence.

Note the Blessings

Let’s be honest: stepping away from the pulpit for a few weeks in the Summer can feel a little scary. You know that God has called you to “shepherd the flock of God among you” (1 Peter 5:2). And that’s a responsibility you take seriously. Stepping away means leaving that flock in the hands of other under-shepherds. This rightly gives us pause. But in some cases, it causes pastors to seldom take time away from the pulpit. Here, it can be helpful to take note of the numerous blessings to you and your church when you take time away from the pulpit each year.

First, taking time away adds longevity to your ministry. One of the unique challenges of ministry is that the pastor is always “on”—available for emergencies, emotionally draining conversations, and the ever-present concern for the church (2 Cor. 11:28). This state of perpetual focus wears on you in a way that needs more maintenance than just a day off once a week.

Taking extended time away gives you a chance to rest more deeply. This rest can save you from burnout, keeping you in the ministry longer. And counterintuitively, these longer rest periods tend to lead to giant leaps forward. Time and again, I’ve heard pastors return from vacation with solutions to problems that had plagued the church for months or even years. Or they come back with clarity and excitement as they decide on the next sermon series. These breakthroughs came not because they focused on these problems during their vacation but precisely because they weren’t. Something about taking our minds off a problem for a while the Lord providentially uses to lead us to solutions.

Second, taking time away can bless your people by letting them hear from other gifted teachers of the Word. Deciding to step away from the pulpit for multiple Sundays can play on our fears. What if people stop coming? What if the guys who teach in my absence are better than me? We must cast these anxieties on the Lord (1 Peter 5:7) and repent of them where sinful. We must remember that Jesus didn’t say, “You go build my church,” but rather, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18). It doesn’t all ride on you. Part of the way Christ may be building the local expression of His church in your congregation is by supplementing your people’s preaching diet with other gifted teachers of His Word while you are away.

Third, having elders or other men from your congregation teach in your absence blesses the congregation and those who get to exercise their gifting. I was blessed as a young man when my pastors gave me opportunities to teach, first in smaller settings and eventually culminating with opportunities to teach in the Sunday service. These experiences tested and affirmed my teaching gift. You aren’t burdening those you ask to preach in your absence; you’re blessing them.

Identify the Alternates

It’s one thing to be convinced you need men to fill the pulpit in your absence; it’s another to have a line-up of potential people to call on. Not everyone will be available when you ask, so having a deep bench is essential. Here are several places to begin identifying a roster of men you can call on.

First, if your church has other pastors or is structured with an elder board, begin there. One of the biblical qualifications of an elder is to be “able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2). That may not look like pulpit ministry for every elder. Instead, they may exercise that teaching gift in classes, small groups, and personal discipleship. However, offering the opportunity to preach is a great way to sharpen your elders’ gifts. It will also enable you to identify those particularly gifted in pulpit ministry and add their names to your list of alternates. An added benefit of having elders teach this way is that it allows your church to get to know its elders, who can sometimes be just a name on a page to the average member.

Second, look to your future leaders. Those you are raising for leadership roles today will largely determine the long-term health of your church. Only put someone in the pulpit who is ready. Still, those who have had teaching opportunities and proved themselves gifted and faithful with a little may eventually be offered the chance to preach in the larger gathering (see Luke 16:10). Test them and add them to your list of potential alternates.

Third, look to other pastors. A local network of pastors is a great boon in ministry. Having a few men in your area that you can call on to discuss thorny issues or fill one another’s pulpits is a mutual blessing. Inviting guest teachers from other churches also teaches your congregation that the church down the street is extended family, not the competition.

Furthermore, if your church has the budget for it, keep a short list of men you know who are gifted teachers but aren’t so local. Expand your roster of alternates by flying in a guest teacher a few times a year to augment your ministry and give you a chance to step away from the pulpit.

Plan Ahead

Creating this bench will take time, but it’s best to start before the need arises. Make your plans as far in advance as you can. Figure out when you’ll be taking your vacation, and if possible, give notice months ahead to those you ask to fill the pulpit.

Being faithful in ministry for the long run means sometimes getting away to recharge. So, as you think about taking a break from the pulpit this Summer, remember the blessings, identify your alternates, and plan as far ahead as possible. Then you can have confidence the pulpit is in good hands, trusting the Lord to bless your people even as you enjoy the blessings of rest.

©2024 Reagan Rose. Used with permission.