by Rev. Ashley Updegraff and Rev. Rachel Sutphin
Ministry is a unique job. Pastors and other church leaders juggle so many things—short-term planning and long-term planning, people needs and building needs, time for personal study and congregational leading—the list could go on! It can be a difficult task to stay organized, but once you find a few tools and techniques that work for you, the balancing act becomes significantly easier. Here are a few of our favorites, curated by two full-time pastors who are also juggling other vocations in their daily lives.
Plan the week before the week (Ashley)
I have found that sitting down on the last day of my workweek to make my to-do list for the following week is a life-giving practice in my ministry. It helps me take stock of what I accomplished in the current week, and it gives me time and space to think about the week ahead. It’s a good transition exercise for me, too. If I write down all the things I am hoping to tackle when I am back in the office, I don’t have thoughts interrupting me as frequently on my days off.
Because my lists are often so long, I have also found that blocking my time in advance helps with the decision fatigue I would often feel sitting down at my desk on Monday morning. What should I tackle first? What should I do now? These questions require no additional thought or stress if I have already blocked out what I am going to do, and in what order I am going to do it.
I have found Ink + Volt’s products to help with this. I use both the Dashboard, to write out my weekly list, and the Work Week, to block out my days. In addition to these items, I keep a Running List of things that are on my mind that need to be attended to at some point. When I am making my weekly list, I can refer to this and see what can be moved over—and what can continue to wait!
I try to make this task fun—the last thing I do before I leave the office. I tidy up my workspace, grab a cup of coffee, and use fun colored markers to jazz things up! It’s a lot of lists, but it helps me to feel like things aren’t falling through the cracks. It’s not a perfect system, but it has been helpful for me!
Keep it visual (Ashley)
In addition to my lists, lists, lists, I maintain a monthly calendar with all of my personal and professional obligations. I do this digitally, on my phone, but I also keep a large physical copy at home. Transferring my digital calendar to a physical one solidifies my appointments in my mind, so I have a better grasp on what my month is looking like. It also enables my partner to see what’s going on in our lives together as well as in mine as an individual.
I color-code this calendar, with stickers to represent repeating commitments; again, I use fun markers because they make me happy! I also have planner stickers, so I can celebrate birthdays or holidays with flair. It sounds silly, but I’ll consider anything to make these administrative tasks more fun!
Taking a monthly view at the start of each new month also helps me set aside Sabbath time. I aim for one Friday where I make no appointments or meetings—the kids are in school, and I can spend the day as I like. It also enables me to think about monthly goals for myself and my ministry, and the visual aspect helps me to see how I am spending my time. If certain weeks have a lot going on, I can be more mindful about carving out time for rest the following weeks.
Spreadsheets are your friends (and your staff’s too) (Rachel)
Spreadsheets can feel overwhelming, but they can also be incredibly helpful for organizing and sharing information. Who doesn’t love a beautifully categorized and color-coded document that makes your life so much easier? I use spreadsheets for everything from bulletin planning to Sunday School coordination.
My bulletin planning spreadsheet is a shared Google Sheet that lives in a Google Drive folder that is accessible to both my office administrator and music director. At the beginning of each liturgical season, I enter everything that will eventually appear in the bulletin. My columns include Call to Worship, Prayer of Confession, Hymns 1, 2, and 3, Scripture, and a “Special” column for items such as communion, baptisms, or seasonal liturgies.
This system allows the office administrator to prepare bulletins at her own pace, while the music director can choose choir anthems that complement the theme of the service. Everyone has access to the same information, which makes collaboration much smoother. We later review the bulletin, by email, every Tuesday to check for any last minute changes.
One of my favorite practices is that I never delete a week’s bulletin information. Instead, after Sunday has passed, I move that row to the bottom of the spreadsheet. Over time, this has created a searchable archive of our worship life. I can easily see which hymns we’ve sung and when, and my congregation loves when I create our own version of “Spotify Wrapped” review featuring the year’s most-sung hymns. I also add links to my sermons alongside the scripture readings, making it easy to revisit what I preached the last time a particular lectionary passage appeared.
The spreadsheet also includes separate tabs where we keep records of baptisms, deaths, new members, and transfers. Having all of this information in one place makes it much easier to prepare November’s necrology and compile annual reports.
My Sunday School classes planning spreadsheet is much simpler, yet also shared with a wider audience. It lists the lesson for each week along with a link to the lesson plan. It serves as a resource for teachers and also allows any of our families to catch up on lessons they may have missed.
Curate your space (Rachel)
Make your space work for you. You can have a spotless, perfectly organized office that still isn’t functional for your ministry. Instead, think about what you need to help you organize, plan, and lead effectively. Maybe that’s a full set of colorful markers or a basket of fidgets. Maybe it’s shelves overflowing with books, or perhaps it’s meaningful mementos that remind you of your calling.
In my office, I keep a small desktop whiteboard below my computer monitor. It’s where I track my to-do list, which is much more effective than chasing Post-it notes every time someone opens the door. The whiteboard also has built-in storage compartments, giving me a convenient place to keep business cards and informational flyers close at hand without adding visible clutter.
Another unexpectedly invaluable addition has been a coat rack (I’m partial to a stylish piano coat rack). I use it to organize my stoles, crosses, and holy oil so everything I need for worship or pastoral care is in one place. It’s especially helpful when I need to leave quickly for a hospital visit. As a bonus, the colorful display of stoles brightens my office and often becomes a conversation starter with visitors.
Conclusion
Remember, no organizational system is one-size-fits-all. The best tools are the ones that help you spend less time worrying about what you’ve forgotten and more time being fully present with the people God has called you to serve. Whether it’s color-coded calendars, shared spreadsheets, a carefully planned week, or an office arranged to fit your ministry style, don’t be afraid to experiment until you find what works for you. Organization isn’t about perfection—it’s about creating rhythms and systems that support your calling, reduce unnecessary stress, and leave room for what matters most: caring for your community, nurturing your own spirit, and responding faithfully to the unexpected moments that are so often at the heart of ministry.
Rev. Ashley Updegraff is an ordained pastor in the ELCA and currently serves a congregation in the Minneapolis, MN area. She knows that life is messy, but she also knows that God shows up in the mess. Reminding herself and others of this truth is her full-time job. She also mothers her big blended family, loves adventures with her husband, Aaron, and reads whenever she can. She writes at flailingintodancing.wordpress.com.
Rev. Rachel Sutphin (she/her) has served as Pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Hammonton (NJ) since 2024. She deeply resonates with the church’s history and identity of community outreach and mission with underserved populations. In her spare time, Rachel enjoys kayaking, reading, playing clarinet, and embroidery.
