The Question: So What Do Priests Actually Do?
Most laypeople understand and appreciate that clergy do work hard, but exactly what are we working so hard doing?
Whenever someone asks me what the most difficult part of being a priest is, I usually respond by saying “time—but not in the way you might think.” It’s true—clergy are busy people! But we’re no busier than, say, my best friend who is a pediatric ER physician, or the incredibly dedicated and hard-working teachers, administrators, and staff at our parish day school—to say nothing of those working long hours doing back-breaking labor for low wages.
No, when I say that “time” is the most difficult part of my job, I mean the break-neck speed with which we go from a visit with a parishioner in hospice, to a baptismal planning session, to a finance committee meeting, to a pastoral counseling session with a couple contemplating divorce, to figuring out where the sprinkler control box is so you can turn off the sprinklers flooding your graveyard—all in the same seven-to-eight-hour day, with almost no time to process in between. The fact that a priest does all of those aforementioned things should not surprise us—I knew I’d have to do those things as a priest well before I was ordained—but the fact that they come in such quick and unrelenting intervals was a lesson I learned, as they say, the hard way.
The structure of most parish clergy’s week generally operates like this: The week begins on Sunday, which except for a precious few weeks of vacation and formation leave, is a command performance. Of 52 Sundays in the church year, most clergy in my Diocese are serving in church at least 45 of them. Then, full-time clergy (we’ll talk about what that means in a moment) are generally expected to devote four other days (Monday-Saturday) to church work (liturgy, pastoral care, study and preparation, administration, unclogging toilets, etc.). In The Episcopal Church, a cleric or a lay professional working an average of 30 hours per week or more (1500 hours or more per year), is entitled to healthcare and pension benefits.
The expectation and practice of most parishes and their clergy who are employed full-time is somewhere between 40-50 hours per week (with compensatory time off when possible), or 10-12 “units of time” per week. Each day ordinarily has three units: morning, afternoon, and evening. My contract stipulates that I am generally not expected to have more than three evening commitments in the same week. So if I work on Sunday morning, then the morning and afternoon Monday through Thursday, then an evening commitment on Monday and Wednesday, that’s eleven units of time and in the range of “full time.”
In addition to Saturdays, clergy are expected to take one additional, uninterrupted 24-hour period of time for personal use, recreation, relaxation, and family time per week. Ordinarily, clergy take Mondays or Fridays, but I’ve seen some other innovations that are commendable. I have a theory that introverts tend to take off Mondays and extroverts tend to take off Fridays. I take off Fridays, my Bishop takes off Mondays, both are commendable. (An entirely separate essay could be written about what Bishops do, because man-oh-man do they have complicated, dizzying, unrelenting schedules!) My friends C and T are both clergy, and they often take Thursdays and Fridays off because they serve large parishes with regular Saturday commitments. Saturdays are often challenging in most parishes, as it is a prime day for funerals, weddings, and other parish-related events at which clergy are expected. Insofar as I am able, if I work on a Saturday, I try and take either the Thursday prior or the Monday after off so I have some semblance of a weekend. My wife is a mental health provider and has an odd schedule, so that also affects how I take compensatory time.
Even when we’re “off,” however, there is always a priest who is “on call” and able to respond to pastoral emergencies 24/7. Different parishes have different systems for doing this. My parish has a lay volunteer who serves as our “dispatcher” and helps separate the true pastoral emergencies from the “I didn’t plan things out very well, so let me cause an inconvenience” sorts of calls. In my first parish, I had a lovely couple who would regularly call me at 8:30 on Saturday evening to ask who was preaching on Sunday. After about the fourth time this happened, I said, “The same guy who’s preached the last 40 Sundays in a row” and hung up.
It is extraordinarily important that clergy exercise good judgment and implement proper boundaries for taking their designated time off. Not only does it help prevent clergy burnout, it also teaches the system healthy boundaries and expectations. Having followed a priest in another parish who never took time off, it took me a couple of years and several hard conversations to teach the parish what was normal and healthy.
So what does an average week look like for me? Several years ago, Bishop Frank Logue, who serves as Bishop of Georgia, started keeping a “Professional Journal,” wherein he would write a paragraph or so each day about his doings. There was nothing salacious—no violations of confidences—just a daily snapshot of the life and work of the Bishop. When I started at Saint Thaddeus in 2023, I adopted Frank’s practice and, every year near the anniversary of my ministry, I share it with the parish.
Here’s an example of a recent, ordinary week:
Sunday: I arrived by 8:30am to preside at the 9 and 11:15 services. Our associate rector was preaching, so he preached and presided at 7:45, then preached at 9 and 11:15. This is our usual format, ensuring that both of us get the opportunity to preside at the Eucharist every week, even when we’re not preaching. If I’m preaching, I usually arrive between 7 and 7:15 am to have some quiet time and prepare.
Between the 9 and 11:15 worship services, I led the Rector’s Forum—an hour-long forum on a wide variety of topics. After worship, I led a children & youth committee meeting, planning activities for next fall. I got home by 2:30. (6 hours, 2 units)
Monday: The day started early with breakfast with our Head of School, which we do monthly to check in on a variety of matters that affect both the parish and the school. When I arrived at the office, I realized that our email servers were down, which hampered our ability to get a lot done. I spent some time in the morning working on the two sermons I’m preaching this weekend—one for a wedding Saturday and one for Sunday. Just before Noon, I left the office to attend our weekly Rotary meeting.
Upon my return to the office, I did a first edit of Sunday’s worship leaflets and newsletter, then conducted the Kindergarten chapel service, which is the last one of the year. Between meetings, I called and texted with tech support about our ongoing outage. No luck—seems it’s a nationwide problem. Later in the afternoon, I had a pastoral meeting with a newcomer in the office, which is always a joy. I then headed over to the upper school campus for a Board of Trustees Executive Committee meeting. Home by 7pm. (10.5 hours, 3 units)
Tuesday: The Middle & Upper School closing chapel and awards ceremony was bright and early this morning! Following the chapel service, I made a pastoral visit with parishioners who are ailing, then returned to the office. I had a bit of time to work on my sermons for the weekend, and to do a bit of reading and preparation for a class I’m teaching over the summer.
Most of the afternoon was devoted to staff administration: weekly staff meeting, pastoral care meeting, and clergy meeting all happen in a sequence, which can be a lot, but they all feed off each other, so it seems like the best way to arrange it. After finishing up on a first draft of the sermons, I headed home by 5pm. (9 hours, 2 units)
Wednesday: Another morning with an early meeting—this time, the Capital Campaign Steering Committee for the school. I ducked out a few minutes early to get to a pastoral care appointment with a parishioner, then headed to the church to get ready to preach and preside at the 11:30 weekly Eucharist with healing service.
In the afternoon, I had lunch with the Senior Warden to prep our upcoming Vestry meetings and to check in on a few ongoing projects. Afterwards, we walked a few blocks to take a tour of a local ministry that we’re considering a partnership with. When I got back to the office, I checked in with our associate rector about a few ongoing pastoral matters, then started sorting through three days of emails (the servers are back!) Home just after 5pm. (9 hours, 2 units)
Thursday: I got to the office by 9 to meet a parishioner who is also a retired priest to drive to Augusta to tour a ministry site there that he is involved in. We had a great visit and returned to the office just before lunchtime, so I had an opportunity to check in with staff and give a final edit to the worship materials for the weekend before we hit print.
In the afternoon, I slipped out for a doctor’s appointment briefly, then met with a family to ask them to support the school’s Capital Campaign. They were very supportive! Home by 5pm. (7 hours, 2 units)
Friday: Ordinarily, Fridays are my day off, but we have a wedding tomorrow, so that means rehearsal today! To make matters even more complicated, we were having printer issues yesterday, so I arrived by 2:30pm to work on a few things I didn’t get to yesterday, and to meet with our associate rector and the couple privately before the 5pm rehearsal. Home by 6:30. (4 hours, 1 unit)
Saturday: Wedding day! Baptism tomorrow! I arrived at the church by 11am to conduct the preparation rehearsal for tomorrow’s baptism, then went home, had lunch, changed, and was back at the church just before 2 for the 3pm wedding. Home by 6:30. (6 hours, 2 units)
Total: 51.5 hours, 14 units.
Now, before you ask, no, this particular week was not followed by a Monday off—sometimes, that would add even more work. But I did ensure that I kept track of the compensatory time and, once I had a slower week (two weeks later), I took extra time off. My associate rector and I also regularly report our annual leave, formation leave, sick leave, and compensatory time balances to the Vestry, and they’re very good at ensuring we take our leave time.
As I said earlier, I think the statement that I hear from some folks that clergy are just so busy is actually a myth. Yes, we’re busy! There’s lots to do, and there will always be more to do! I don’t want to underemphasize that at all. But I do want to lift up that we Americans are busy. All of my friends—clergy, not clergy—are busy rearing children, finding times for date nights, working demanding jobs! If anything, I’m hopeful that clergy—myself included—can be better at modeling how we can stay centered in the midst of busy seasons, and how to protect time for family, fun, rest, or just plain ol’ downtime. If clergy regularly find themselves working 55+ hours per week, something bigger has gone wrong somewhere, and it’s probably time for a conversation with your Bishop, your Vestry, your therapist, your spouse, or all of the above.
Many laws and other workplace protections actually prohibit employers from asking how you’re planning to spend your annual leave time. They may get to approve it or not approve it for a variety of reasons, but those reasons don’t include evaluating how you’re spending your time off. Leave time is a benefit, just like a salary or a retirement plan or health insurance. You’ve agreed to perform a body of work for your employer, and in return, your employer has agreed to afford you additional time not working.
I think all of us need a reminder from time to time that “No.” is a complete sentence. This is especially true for many clergy! I will end with a few ideas that have been helpful for me over the years that you might consider implementing:
(For clergy): I lovingly say to my parish, “Even Jesus Christ himself doesn’t get a funeral on a Sunday.” Sundays are a day of celebration for the People of God, but it’s also the day that demands the most staff, clergy, and volunteer support. Adding a funeral on top of everything else really is too much to ask. Insofar as you are able, direct families to another day.
Remove your work email from your personal phone. Period.
Do not check email on your days off—but if you’re working in a profession where you’re “on call,” put a note in your signature for folks so they know what to do in case of an emergency.
Do not check email while you’re on vacation. Period.
Consider building in a day or two of rest before and after a big trip so you have time to get ready while not working and time to rest afterwards while not working. My wife and I often take Monday-Saturday, then we have Sunday as a rest day (and I don’t work) before returning to work on Monday.
Consider a calendar scheduling app such as Calendly (which I use) so that people can take the initiative to schedule a time to meet with you that fits with your schedule, using parameters you set, and avoiding the back-and-forth chain of emails trying to find a time.
(For clergy): Consider building in the equivalent of 8 hours of devoted no meetings time each week—not on your days off, during the week. I set aside Monday mornings and Wednesday afternoons for this purpose, and I devote it to study, preparation, and if an unexpected emergency comes up, it allows me space in my calendar to shift things around without getting overwhelmed.
What other suggestions or tips do you have? Leave a comment below and feel free to share this essay!
Very few professions offer the personal connection as that of the clergy. While it feels like a friendship/close relationship to the parishioners, is it really? How does a priest successfully navigate the invitations to dinner, parties, etc. that come from their flock? It seems that work would never end if you accepted.
This should be given to all who are about to be ordained. It took me a number of years to come to the findings that you have offered: especially the "units of time per day".