The Rev. Scott Monson of Christ Episcopal Church in Austin has been awarded a clergy renewal grant for $19,415.

Monson is one of 17 clergy in Minnesota who have received a grant from the National Clergy Renewal Program.

Pastors who have benefited from a clergy renewal grant describe their time away as a life-changing journey, a pilgrimage. They had the gift of time to take off their watches and talk, explore, pray, take detours, expect the unexpected.

Now, members of the ninth class of the National Clergy Renewal Program — 138 pastors representing 133 congregations — are about to embark on their own adventures. Funded by the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc., the program gives pastors and congregations the opportunity to create their own sabbath journeys.

One of the pastors, who serves a congregation on a Native American reservation in Utah, will use her renewal program to help that congregation recapture its history; another who serves an urban church in Maryland will seek out connections with churches in Africa. Another pastor will reflect on the spiritual and communal aspects of bread baking and bread breaking. Still another will hone her Spanish-language skills through lengthy sojourns in three distinct settings that are the former homes of many in the neighborhood of her church.

“The workload and lifestyle of most pastors are difficult for many to understand,” says Craig Dykstra, Endowment senior vice president for religion. “So many activities command a pastor’s time and attention — often urgent activities such as leading worship, counseling, visiting the sick and grieving — that there is little time left for the pastor to attend to his or her own spiritual growth, reflection and family life.

“This National Clergy Renewal Program gives pastors the gift of being able to live in sabbath time, to honor that moment as God-given,” Dykstra says. “Many clergy renewal participants have reported to the Endowment that they found their vision for ministry enlarged when they returned and that their call and commitment were renewed.

“We find that these programs can be transformative for the congregations, too,” Dykstra continues. “Not only do they have the opportunity to grow in their leadership abilities in the pastor’s absence, but they also learn that they need to create an environment at their churches that supports their pastor’s continued service at a pace that he or she can sustain. Such a pace can serve as a model for members of the congregation.”

This year’s class of grantees includes congregations in 36 states and 20 Christian denominations. Two of the congregations are nondenominational. Thirty-five have women solo pastors; five have clergy couples as their pastors. Most of the congregations (92) have between 50 and 400 members at worship, and their budgets range from $100,000 to $750,000.