How to Advocate for Yourself, Manage Your Energy, and Thrive in Your Calling

If you have made it into ministry training—whether as an ordinand, a curate, or a lay worker—you already know that you are navigating a system that was not designed for your brain. The Church of England is heavy on administration, steeped in unwritten social rules, and highly text-based.

It is easy to spend your entire curacy masking, apologising for your processing style, and hovering on the edge of burnout. But your neurodivergence is not a barrier to your vocation; it is the specific lens through which God has called you to minister.

Here is a practical guide to protecting your peace, hacking the system, and advocating for what you actually need to thrive.

1. The Art of Professional Self-Advocacy

The hardest part of training is often asking for help without feeling like you are failing. The key is to frame your needs not as "weaknesses," but as operational adjustments that allow you to do your job effectively.

When speaking to your training incumbent or Diocesan Director of Ordinands (DDO), move away from apologising and towards practical solutions:

Instead of saying...	Try saying...	The result
"I'm so sorry, I keep forgetting what you told me to do."	"I work best with written instructions. Could we follow up our chats with a quick bulleted email?"	Shifts the burden from your working memory to a shared system.
"I can't cope with the parish office, it’s too loud."	"I need two hours of deep-focus time for sermon prep. I’ll be working from the library on Tuesday mornings."	Sets a professional boundary around your sensory and focus needs.
"I’m terrible at spelling in the newsletter."	"Dyslexia means I miss typos. I’m going to set up Grammarly, but I need a volunteer to proofread the final draft."	Provides a solution while drawing on the collaborative strength of the parish.

2. Hacking the Parish Administration

Administration is the rock that many neurodivergent ministers perish on. You do not have to do parish admin the "traditional" way; you just have to ensure the legal and pastoral requirements are met.

• Ditch the Paper Diary: If you have ADHD or Dyspraxia, paper diaries get lost or double-booked. Move entirely to a digital calendar (like Google Calendar or Outlook) and set multiple automated reminders for every meeting.
• The "Two-Minute Rule" for Emails: If an email takes less than two minutes to answer, do it immediately. If it takes longer, snooze it until a designated "admin hour."
• Use Voice Notes: If typing long pastoral reports or emails triggers dyslexic fatigue or dyspraxic pain, use dictation software. You can dictate a summary of a pastoral visit into your phone while walking back to the vicarage.
• Embrace Templates: You do not need to write a bespoke email for every baptism enquiry or wedding booking. Write one excellent template, save it in your drafts, and copy-paste it.

3. Managing the "Masking Hangover"

Ministry is a highly public role. For Autistic and ADHD ministers, Sundays often involve heavy "masking"—consciously monitoring your tone, eye contact, and body language to appear neurotypical. This requires immense neurological energy.

• Schedule Your Recovery: If you know Sunday morning requires intense masking, do not schedule a heavy PCC meeting or complex pastoral visit for Sunday afternoon or Monday morning. Treat recovery time as a non-negotiable diary appointment.
• Find Your Safe Spaces: Identify the areas in your church or team where you can take the mask off. This might be a specific prayer group, a trusted churchwarden, or your own vestry before the service begins.
• Redefine "Fellowship": You do not have to be the last person to leave coffee hour. It is perfectly acceptable to say, "I'd love to chat more about this, but I need to head off now. Let's catch up on Tuesday."

4. Preaching and Studying Your Way

Theological colleges and curacies often push a very specific, linear way of studying and preaching. Give yourself permission to discard methods that fight your brain.

• Stop Writing Manuscripts: If reading a full script causes dyslexic stumbling or stifles your ADHD energy, stop writing them. Try preaching from a mind map, a series of bullet points, or visual cues.
• Audio-Visual Theology: If reading dense theological textbooks leads to rapid fatigue, switch to alternative formats. Listen to theological podcasts, use audiobooks, or watch lectures on YouTube.
• Harness Hyper-focus: If you have ADHD or Autism, you likely have the ability to hyper-focus on topics that interest you. Lean into this. If a particular theological rabbit hole catches your attention, let it fuel your sermon preparation.

5. Releasing the Guilt

The church has a habit of equating "suffering and exhaustion" with "holy dedication." As a neurodivergent minister, trying to meet neurotypical expectations will break you.

Your calling is to faithfully shepherd your congregation and preach the Gospel—it is not to have a perfectly colour-coded filing cabinet, flawless spelling on the notice sheet, or the ability to endure three-hour committee meetings without fidgeting.

Give yourself the grace that you so freely offer to your parishioners.