Let’s Talk About It: A Safe Conversation in the Sanctuary

Let’s talk about something we usually save for other spaces—but needs to be done in the same context of the sanctuary, a safe place.

We talk about prayer, purpose, and calling—but not always about what happens quietly in the minds of those who serve. We don’t talk enough about the minister who forgets his notes because his thoughts scatter like confetti. Or the supporter who loves the work but burns out because focus feels like a fight.

ADHD in adulthood doesn’t disappear when you receive your ordination papers or when you say “yes” to ministry. In fact, it often becomes more complicated—because responsibility increases, but the struggle remains.

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When Your Mind Won’t Sit Still but Your Calling Won’t Wait

There are pastors, teachers, and worship leaders who love God deeply but still wrestle with inattentiveness, impulsivity, or restlessness. They’re not unspiritual—they’re human. Their brains just process differently.

And for supporters—those who serve behind the scenes, in administration, media, or hospitality—the struggle can look like forgetting deadlines, misplacing materials, or feeling scattered in moments that require structure.

But the question isn’t “How do I fix it?”

It’s “How do I walk faithfully with it?”

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Before We Go Further: The Church Is Not a Diagnostic Center

It’s important to say this clearly—we, as ministers, are not qualified to diagnose who has ADHD.

That’s not our role.

We can observe, we can listen, and we can love, but diagnosis belongs to trained medical and mental health professionals. What the church can do is respond with empathy and informed compassion.

Too often, we’ve labeled what we don’t understand. We’ve called children “rebellious” and adults “unfocused,” when what they really needed was support, not suspicion.

Our role isn’t to diagnose—it’s to disciple through understanding.

That means if someone struggles to concentrate or seems restless, our first response shouldn’t be correction but curiosity:

“How can we help you succeed here?”

“What might make this environment easier for you?”

That’s where healing begins—through humility, not assumption.

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1. Give Yourself Permission to Pause

The mind that constantly races needs moments of intentional rest. Scripture says, “He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters” (Psalm 23:2 NLT). For some of us, that means creating short, rhythmic pauses throughout the day—five minutes of stillness, breathing, or silent prayer before meetings or ministry assignments.

Stillness is not laziness. It’s stewardship.

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2. Create Systems, Not Shame

Ministers with ADHD often carry silent guilt—“Why can’t I remember everything like others do?”

But guilt doesn’t organize your schedule—systems do. Use reminders, digital calendars, sticky notes, or even accountability partners. David had mighty men for a reason—support matters.

You’re not weak for needing structure. You’re wise for using it.

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3. Embrace Team Ministry

No one was designed to do it all. If you’re a pastor or leader with ADHD, delegate where you can. Empower those gifted in organization and detail. God designed the body so that “the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you’” (1 Corinthians 12:21 CSB).

Teamwork isn’t just good leadership—it’s good mental health.

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4. Learn to Rest Without Quitting

Adults with ADHD often live between overdrive and shutdown. You give 100%, then feel drained and detached. Ministry can amplify that cycle. That’s why intentional rest is vital—not quitting the calling, but pacing the journey.

Even Jesus withdrew to solitary places to pray (Luke 5:16). If the Son of God paused, so can we.

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5. Seek Counsel—Spiritually and Professionally

Having ADHD doesn’t make you spiritually weak or unqualified. It means you have a unique neurological rhythm. Prayer can calm your spirit; therapy and medication can help balance your mind. Both can coexist.

Let’s normalize ministers having counselors. Let’s make it okay for deacons, ushers, and pastors to say, “I’m getting help,” without fear of judgment. Healing and holiness were never meant to be at odds.

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6. Support Without Stigma

Supporters—if you know someone in leadership who wrestles with ADHD—offer compassion, not criticism. Don’t label their forgetfulness as disinterest. Don’t interpret their late replies as rebellion. Offer reminders, grace, and perspective. Sometimes love looks like a gentle nudge instead of frustration.

The church can be a refuge if we choose to see people instead of problems.

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Before You Go

ADHD doesn’t disqualify you from ministry—it simply changes how you prepare for it. Your calling still counts. Your anointing still stands. And your brain—yes, even the one that forgets where it put its keys—is still a temple God can use for His glory.

The sanctuary must remain a safe place for minds that move fast and hearts that mean well. Because when grace enters the conversation, healing begins—not by hiding our struggles, but by honoring them.