
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 is applying for a competitive grant through the Lilly Endowment Renewal Project, which awards 150 grants to churches seeking to do a Pastoral Sabbatical. The grant awards a project surrounding “what makes the pastor’s heart sing” and will bring renewal to the congregation.
Pastor Joe chose to focus on cosmology and Psalm 19 for the basis of the project: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God . . . The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul” (v. 1, 7).
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). This is what makes the pastor’s heart sing.
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, Rev. LaGuardia will make a pilgrimage across the United States, covering over 8,000 miles, to explore God’s natural features on earth while touring astronomical points of interest, including reputable observatories and planetariums, and meeting the people and staff who are tied to these sites.
- J. W. Shepherd Observatory (Alabama)
- Howell Observatory (Mississippi)
- McDonald Observatory (Texas)
- National Radio Astronomical Very Large Array (New Mexico)
- Lowell Planetarium (Arizona)
- Griffith Planetarium (Los Angeles)
- Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Niagara Falls
“On behalf of the congregation at First Baptist Church of Vero Beach, we are writing to express our full and heartfelt support as the Rev. Dr. Joe LaGuardia prepares for a sabbatical in 2026.
We believe this time of rest, renewal, and discovery is a gift not only to Rev. LaGuardia, but also to our entire church.