The First Baptist Church of Vero Beach aspires to afford Rev. Dr. LaGuardia an eight-week sabbatical in late summer of 2026 that will incorporate a church-wide season of renewal, rest, and refocus.
What is a Pastoral Sabbatical? According to Rober Saler, director of the Lilly Endowment Renewal Project, a pastoral sabbatical is “an extended period in which the pastor steps away from the day-to-day practices of ministry in order to focus on spiritual development with an eye toward returning to the congregation with renewed energy for ministry” (Saler, Planning Sabbaticals, 3). It incorporates both the pastor and the congregation in the work of renewal.
What is the purpose of the Pastoral Sabbatical? Pastor Joe’s sabbatical project focuses on biblical cosmology. Psalm 19 states, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God . . . The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul” (v. 1, 7).
The purpose of the sabbatical renewal project is to provide an intentional time of prayer, reflection, and discovery for the pastor and congregation of First Baptist Church of Vero Beach surrounding the origins of the universe, the heavens that declare the glory of God, and the awe that inspires spiritual revitalization.
What is the focus of the renewal project? Psalm 19 states that the heavens “are telling the glory of God” that “pours forth speech.” It states that the exploration of God’s creation can “revive the soul.” The program seeks to connect the pastor and congregation with the grandeur of God’s creation, bringing the heart of God’s people back to the “law of the Lord… reviving the soul” (Ps. 19:7).
Exploring space, time, and the universe is a passion that the Rev. Dr. LaGuardia has had since childhood. All too often, ministers and churches forget that they belong to something larger than themselves. They get stuck in tribal allegiances, echo chambers, daily church business, planning and renovations, and cultural enclaves. Sometimes, in order to bring about sustainable, life-giving revitalization to a church community, a congregation has to catch a spark of awe, a re-fascination with its founding and calling, and its ties to God’s creation.
Discovering awe, seeded in God’s creation from the first pages of Genesis to the newest insights of human technology, can be a catalyst for restoring a global, historical perspective that jars a congregation from short-sightedness and thrusts them into God’s future. Exploring the heavens can have a regenerative power to expand the missional heart of a church, to “pour forth speech” in ever new, creative, and meaningful ways. For that reason, this proposal is to incorporate a program of the study of cosmology, nature, and science.
During the sabbatical, which will incorporate an extended period of study and retreat, Rev. LaGuardia will make a pilgrimage along the eastern United States, covering over 1,500 miles. This project will bring Pastor Joe to places such as the St. Francis Retreat center in North Carolina, and a variety of churches along the way. Pastor Joe will spend several weeks in Staten Island with family. Thereafter, Pastor Joe will camp in Florida and spend time writing, studying, and in prayer.
How will the church thrive in the Pastor’s absence? While Pastor Joe is away, the First Baptist Church congregation will foster a refreshing, bold, missional outlook – to boldly go, some would say! – of their and Pastor Joe’s shared future together.
In granting time for sabbatical, the pastor and congregation will work together to provide for the needs of the church in several ways. The church will hire a full-time pulpit-supply pastor who will gently guide the church in a season of renewal, prayer, and reflection. This pulpit-supply pastor will also lead weekly Bible studies. The pastor and Rev. LaGuardia will work on a lesson and preaching plan before the sabbatical takes place. The ministry team will continue in their roles, with the help of appropriate committees and deacons as outlined in the church constitution and by-laws.
Baptist Spirituality 