5 Powerful Benefits of Being a Pastor Who is a Morning Person by Brandon Kelley

A couple of years ago, I decided to make the switch from night owl to morning person and that switch has made all the difference. I have come to realize that being a pastor who is a morning person opens the door to some powerful benefits.

If you struggle with productivity, if you struggle with making your quiet time with the Lord happen every day, if you struggle with staying up too late, if you struggle with getting your sermon finished when you want to, it could be that becoming a morning person is the solution to your struggles.

5 Powerful Benefits of Being a Pastor Who is a Morning Person

A pastor who is a morning person starts their day off with uninterrupted time to focus on what matters most. 5am is the perfect time to get your day started because it allows you to make quality time to be with the Lord. Instead of fitting your quiet time in during lunch or at night, make the switch. Set your alarm for a scary time: 5am.
A pastor who is a morning person begins the day with productive momentum. Waking up at 5am allows you to get a jumpstart on your sermon preparation, a big project, or a personal passion project. And that jumpstart continues throughout the day. If I turn my alarm off and sleep through it, I miss out on a wave of momentum for the day.
A pastor who is a morning person can more easily prioritize physical exercise. Recently, I have begun adding a 20-minute run to my morning. I have to be honest, I don’t enjoy running, but I do enjoy knowing that I am prioritizing my physical health which otherwise wouldn’t happen in the day. We all know that we need to make physical exercise a priority. Waking up at 5am eliminates the excuses that I always came up with. It can for you too.
A pastor who is a morning person can communicate the good news of Jesus with people from all over the world. We live in the information age. Upon a click of a button, you can write a gospel-focused article and have it read by people from all over the world. You can finally write the book that you keep saying you should write. You can work, little by little, on some kind of passion project that addresses the cultural crises of our time. I utilize the mornings for writing books and blog posts. Because of this, articles on RookiePreacher.com and BrandonKelley.org have been read by people from more than 170 countries (that’s 87% of the countries in the world). In addition to doing this digitally, you could setup your week in a way that you make it a regular practice of having an early breakfast with people you’re pouring into at your church or in the community.
A pastor who is a morning person starts the day off with a win. As you know, ministry isn’t really ever easy to measure. Am I making a difference? Does what I do really matter? Is anyone growing? Are we reaching people as much as we could? The questions ring loud in our minds. Some weeks, the only win is getting that sermon done or that project finished. For the pastor who becomes a morning person, a little win is built in to their day. What is it? Waking up on time, creating some productive momentum, exercising, and sharing the good news. All before your first meeting or your first step into the office.

How to Become a Morning Person

If you’re like me before I made this switch to becoming a morning person, you’re a little skeptical. I don’t think I can really become a morning person. I believe you can. From one former night owl to you, the present one, the switch can be made.

Michael Hyatt wrote an article entitled, How to Become a Morning Person. I highly recommend you give it a read.