How can ‘rhythms of seven’ help your church?

Everyone doing ministry in your church needs a three-month break every seven years or so.

This includes your minister, elders or PCC, ministry leaders, youth team and Sunday School teachers. Why? Because the Bible commends it, and it is good for us.

1. The Biblical foundation for rest

First, the Bible commends it. When Jesus asked His friends to ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’ (Mark 6:32), He was speaking from a heart shaped by His upbringing. At any point in His younger life, He was looking forward to a rest every seventh day, and on the three major religious festivals in the year; and every seven years there was a Sabbath year when the land was to rest. For sure, there would be seasons like seedtime and harvest when everyone was working flat out, but the law of God (an expression of His grace) would force people to stop. That rhythm of sevens seems baked in to our psychology and these patterns in Scripture carry a simple message for all of us – do the same!