In continuing our discussion from yesterday about taking breaks, if you’re going to take breaks as a Senior Pastor, you should consider several things as you plan your year. We’ll discuss 3 of them here.

#1 – Don’t miss important Sundays – I know this is obvious, but every year I hear about Pastors who give us their pulpits on Easter or Mother’s Day. This is a big mistake and you do it at your own peril. This are 2 of the biggest days of the year and your church and community needs you to be in the pulpit teaching and showing what a normal Sunday looks like at your church.

#2 – Miss the lowest attended Sundays of the year – There’s no reason for a Senior Pastor to teach the Sunday after Thanksgiving or Memorial Day weekend. These are 2 very low attended Sunday and they are great weekends to take off. If you’re a fan of hockey, these Sundays are opportunities for “line changes”. hockey teams change players on the ice (line changes) by getting possession of the puck and shooting it into the oppositions zone. They give up a possession to get a fresh set of legs on the ice and give the current players a rest.

#3 – Break in new teachers – One of the Sundays I mentioned before (Sunday after Thanksgiving) has historically been the Sunday that we try out a new teacher on our staff. It’s a great opportunity for them to get a feel for teaching on the main stage with less pressure since it’s a lower attended Sunday.

Too many Pastors try to preach 52 Sundays a year and miss out on training new teachers. Instead, use the lower attended Sundays to raise up new teachers and see them flourish as communicators.