We’ve all felt the Monday morning dread. I don’t want to go to work today, maybe I should just quit? The truth is this: Your calling to ministry is incredibly important and changing the world. The church needs you, and it needs you to not give up on it when you’re having a bad day or month or year.

Today on the podcast, we’re hearing from Tom Shefchunas as he schools us on boundaries and what they mean for ministry leaders. A life where we embrace boundaries is a life where we don’t always want to quit our jobs. Then, we interview Jessica Bealer and Gina McClain and get tips from their new book, Don’t Quit. And yes, confrontation roleplaying is involved.

We hope this episode encourages you to embrace boundaries, have the hard conversations you’ve been avoiding, and most importantly… enjoy Monday mornings again.

Topic Timeline

Ashley and Dave introduce today’s topics. (1:10)

Tom Shefchunas on boundaries. (4:25)

God wants us to start (and finish) the race well. (6:25)

Our tension in ministry. (8:15)

What is the definition of boundaries? (10:00)

  • Who we are so we know who we’re not (10:35)
  • Boundaries give us clarity (11:55)
  • Boundaries help us say yes and no (12:20)
  • Boundaries help us know when to confront and when to let go (12:50)

The three reasons we fear boundaries. (14:20)

Boundaries are a stewardship issue. (17:40)

If your ministry needs more than 50 hours a week, then you aren’t building a wise ministry. (18:55)

Dave and Sarah kick off the interview and introduce us to Jessica Bealer and Gina McClain. (19:35)

Where the idea for Don’t Quit came from. (23:15)

How do you practically move away from feeling like you want to quit every Monday morning? (26:15)

Using grace as justification. (29:20)

Gina and Jessica working through an example of grace-filled confrontation. (32:20)

Keeping someone’s best interest at heart. (34:15)

Making overlying rules for underlying problems. (35:30)

Gina and Jessica work through an example of having tough conversations. (36:30)

By leaning into hard conversations, you are actively shaping your culture. (41:20)

The three leadership postures. (42:30)

How do you start well? (47:40)

Dave and Ashley’s final thoughts. (51:05)