A: A pastoral sabbatical is a season of full separation from vocational ministry responsibilities that affords a spiritual leader time and opportunity for physical, emotional, and spiritual rest, recuperation, refreshment, reflection, recentering, revitalization, repurposing, and recommitment prior to resuming the functions of the position.

A: Marc’s sabbatical begins on June 1, 2025 and runs through August 31, 2025.

A: We have a GREAT schedule of guest preachers joining from within the FEC, from Pine Hills Church, and even from Fairview.

A: Our staff team is ready and equipped to serve the church body as needed. In addition, our elder and deacon teams will also be available to meet with church members for prayer, counseling, discipleship, support, etc. While Marc’s email inbox will be monitored by our Admin Lead, Sasha Taylor, the best way to request pastoral care or to share questions/needs relating to ministry will be to email Executive Ministry Lead, David Beare at DavidB@fairviewfellowship.church

Related, our regular office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10:00-2:00. Although during a typical week our staff team and other volunteers are present beyond these times, these are the specific hours that our Admin Team is present to serve the church by answering phones, assisting with office visitors, etc.

A: At the request of our elder team, the first priority is to simply rest. Ministry is a unique vocation that involves a steady “pouring out” of a pastor’s heart, energy, emotion, and care on behalf of the church community. In 2 Corinthians 11:28-29, the Apostle Paul described the weight and responsibility of pastoral ministry when he wrote, “Beside everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” We are thankful for the ministry and servant leadership Pastor Marc devotes “unto the Lord” on behalf of our church and we are excited to bless him and his family with a unique opportunity to be blessed and “poured into” during this season of rest.

More specifically, the elder team has encouraged Marc to maximize his time away by investing in personal family time, spiritual enrichment, and professional development. While he will provide the church body with a more detailed report following the conclusion of the sabbatical, the tentative plan involves cheering loudly at every Titans baseball game, a family trip to California, marriage enrichment provided by Story House Counseling, and reading for leisure instead of weekly sermon study. Additionally, Marc is planning to use the month of August (kids back to school) to invest in focused prayer, reading, writing, and long-term planning regarding God’s will for Fairview in the coming 3 to 5 to 10 years down the road.

A: Join us in praying for supernaturally charged rest, refueling, refocusing, and refreshment for Marc and the Buwalda family. Pray that God would impart to Pastor Marc His vision for the future of our church and the wisdom necessary to discern the path forward as we Bring, Build, and Send into our second decade of ministry together!