The experience of resigning because of burnout is demoralizing to the ministering person and often a deterrent to re-entering ministry in the future. Vision can sometimes best be renewed from a distance. Working year after year in the same context can sometimes serve to dim the vision of where the ministry could be going. Taking blocks of time away from the immediate demands of ministry can serve to sharpen the focus of the vision to which God has called ministering persons. Re-tooling for ministry is important for persons who wish to remain on a cutting edge of relevance and effectiveness.
Sabbaticals can be instrumental in helping ministering persons grow personally.
A time away from responsibilities can help persons face themselves and process personal agenda not generally addressed during times of intense ministry. It can force leaders to address personal, foundational issues such as their personal identity apart from ministry, need for control, defensiveness regarding long-held opinions, unresolved issues and hurts from the past that impede ministry, etc. Sabbaticals can be a good experience for the Conference or local congregation. In the absence of the person usually relied upon to get things done, conference leadership or local congregations get to appreciate more fully the work done on a regular basis. In many cases it also brings new gifts to the surface as people volunteer or are asked to fill the gaps left by the person going on sabbatical.