When I interviewed for my second ministry position, I asked my pastor about work hours.
He said, “You are salaried and we trust that you’ll get the job done. One of the advantages of working here is flexible hours.”
On the surface, that sounds great. And in many ways it is.
But flexibility can also be dangerous.
I remember telling him that I typically took Fridays and Saturdays off unless there was a major parish event like a retreat or liturgical celebration. He agreed right away. I’ve never worked for a pastor who wasn’t open to flexibility.
But I also knew something else:
The real problem wasn’t going to be my pastor.
The problem was going to be me.
When ministry schedules are flexible, it’s easy to slowly compromise our own boundaries. No one is forcing us to stay late or respond to emails at night. But without guardrails, the work quietly expands until it fills every available space.
One of the reasons so many ministry leaders feel stretched thin is a lack of boundaries. If you’re in that place right now, please know that not all is lost. You can rebuild some of that capacity—and the boundaries don’t have to be extreme.
Here are three simple guardrails to get you started:
It might feel like a lot to say, “This is when you shouldn’t reach me.” That can sound like rejection. But saying, “Here are the times when I’m most available,” communicates something different—it shows you are willing to work with people.
Whether you post them on your parish website or share them at meetings, let parents, volunteers, and coworkers know when your “office door” is open. If they can’t find a time that works, you can always figure something out. But having open office hours can reduce the number of interruptions you experience throughout the week.
Sometimes enabling a scheduling tool like Calendly or Doodle (your email provider may even include one) can help people get on your schedule without your calendar becoming overwhelming.
One of the reasons we get overwhelmed is how much time we spend sitting at our desks. It’s easy to get stuck responding to emails, doing research, and planning programs.
It’s also not healthy—and it’s not great evangelization either.
Whether it’s on your calendar, a scheduled text reminder, or even an email to yourself, build in reminders that give your mind a breather. For example:
Whatever you choose, make sure it breaks up the monotony of your workday and gives you the chance to take a mental and spiritual breather.
This one might not be as easy as the previous two, but it can make a huge difference.
Right now you might be getting notifications from your watch, your phone, your laptop—and who knows what else. While that level of connectivity can be helpful, it can also add a lot of noise to your day.
So what does focusing your communication look like?
It might mean removing social media or work email from your phone. Because so much can be scheduled or automated now, we don’t have to respond or post in the moment (unless you lead the livestream ministry).
What this allows you to do is set specific times during the day when you check messages and respond to communication, instead of reacting to every notification that comes your way.
Are these boundaries foolproof? Of course not.
There will be weeks when these guardrails get tested. But when you have them in place, it’s much easier to reset instead of slowly drifting back into overload.
And when you share these boundaries with others, they create accountability.
Sometimes a small guardrail is all it takes to give you enough space to breathe—and to keep doing ministry for the long haul.
If you’re looking for more tools to help you build these kinds of guardrails, check out Ministry2Go.
M2GO is our membership site designed specifically for busy ministry leaders who want practical tools without adding more work to their week.
Check it out HERE.