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Ministerial Staff Vacations

by Linda
(Augusta, GA )

Do you consider four weeks of vacation to be 28 days or 36 days? The extra 8 days being one day off during the week and Saturday.

Thank you,
Linda

Comments for Ministerial Staff Vacations

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Vacations
by: Anonymous

In our Church a new staff member had two weeks vacation and had additional days scheduled on the calendar as vacation. When the Senior Pastor was asked about it he explained that when they took a week they only counted it as 5 days because they would have had their day off and also Saturday. They are still taking the whole week, but only counting 5 days of it as vacation.
Get the Most Out of Vacation
by: Editor - My-Pastor.com

If I understand your question correctly, I think you are asking if a pastor can use a week of vacation and then add on to the end of his vacation the days off he would normally have during the following week of work. By doing so a pastor would be gone for his seven vacation days as well as one or two more days.

To answer this question simply ask what is normal for other people when they take a vacation.

For instance, most vacations days are used on either Monday or Friday. That way a person gets a longer weekend break. Also, many people take a week's vacation during the week immediately prior to a week that already has a paid holiday on Monday. That way the person gets a longer break.

I think it is normal for anyone - including pastors - to arrange vacation time so that it combines with other prearranged days off. It seems to me that that's just common sense.

I think pastors, just like anyone else, should be allowed to get the most out of their vacations.

A separate but related question is this, should a pastor be allowed to rearrange his days off during a given week so that they fall at the beginning and/or the end of his vacation? For instance, if a pastor normally takes off Saturday, should he be allowed to move his day off to the previous Monday so that it adds an extra day to his vacation?

I would answer that pastor's days off re inherently flexible. He may have Monday off but has to work anyway because of a funeral. Or he might take Saturdays off but have to work because of a wedding. It's just the nature of pastoral ministry. I think that pastors should be allowed to move their days off around as needed. Most pastors work the equivalent of six days a week anyway. Allowing them some flexibility seems appropriate.

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