Switching to a 5 Day Work Week

6 Day Work WeekSince starting Garden City Church 3.5 years ago I've worked a 6 day work week, working Sunday-Friday and taking a restful sabbath every Saturday. When starting the church, my wife and I understood and committed to the reality that during the first 3 years of the church plant we would both work harder than we ever had before—I would put in long hours to get the church launched and healthy, and my wife would put in a lot of hours supporting me and caring for our 3 sons as a stay-at-home mom.We've both worked really hard, but it's also been sustainable for this season because of several key practices:-Every night (except Sundays and Wednesdays) I stopped work at 6pm so I could spend the rest of the night eating dinner, playing, resting, and being fully present with my family.-From sundown Friday to sundown Saturday we've kept a family sabbath full of rest, play, and adventure.-We've taken extended vacation every summer, devoting the month of July to getting out of town and resting as a family.-We've blocked off every Thursday night as date night.-A year ago I tapered down my hours a bit and started ending my work week on Fridays at 2pm.-I work a lot from home, so I'm physically present/able to engage with my sons at various moments throughout the day.My wife and I viewed this 6 day work week as a season, we believed that after the first 3 years of the church plant things would stabilize to a level that would allow for less intensity and more rest. It is good to think seasonally. You can handle a very intense work load for a season, but eventually that season needs to end. 5 Day Work WeekI've been talking about this with the elders of our church. Our elders have seen my work load and, believing that I now have a great team around me and that making a change would be healthy for me and my family, they've asked me to transition to a 5 day work week. I felt so loved by this direction from them.So, 3 weeks ago I started ending my work week on Thursday nights, now taking Fridays off in addition to Saturdays. It feels foreign, new, and refreshing. I've had to re-organize my week in order to make this happen. On some of the days (Sun-Th) I work slightly longer hours and I've had to change up some of my sermon prep routine. It's a wonderful new experience to take two days off, both for me and my family. I'm too early into it to report on the benefits and results of this change, but I think it's going to be good. I have struggled with thinking, "Do I really need 2 days of rest? I've already been off/resting for 24 hrs and I have energy to get back to work now, should I go back to 1 day off?" But, my belief is that this will probably pass and that what's best for me, my family, and the church in this season is for me to take 2 days off.Main PointsI hope reading about this is helpful for you. The main points:-You can work long, intense, extended hours for a season, but that season eventually needs to end.-Pastors, have good elders around you who will make decisions that bless the long term health of you and your family.-If, like me, you've been working a 6 day work week and feel it would be almost impossible to switch to a 5 day work week (this is what I used to think), consider giving it a try. It is possible and it is good.