Religious leaders warned against neglecting families for ministry

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Religious leaders have been cautioned against devoting themselves entirely to ministry work at the expense of their families, with church leaders warning that such neglect undermines personal credibility, weakens moral authority and fails to honour God or the communities they serve.

The warning was issued during a four-day East African Revival team leaders’ conference held at Kyebambe Girls School in Fort Portal city.

The conference, organised by the Ruwenzori Diocese, started on Thursday, January 8 and concluded on Sunday, January 11, 2026. It brought together lay readers, reverends and other church leaders from dioceses across Ankole, Kigezi, Rwenzori, Toro and Bunyoro regions.

Rev. Canon Prof. Medard Rugyendo from Kabale University emphasised that commitment to ministry should not come at the cost of family responsibilities, noting that neglecting one’s household in the name of service sends the wrong message to congregants and the wider public.

“Do not concentrate on ministry alone and ignore your families,” he told journalists on the sidelines of the conference. “It gives you a bad name and does not please God or the people you serve,” he added.

Prof. Rugyendo observed that many religious leaders spend almost every week engaged in ministry activities, a trend he said has resulted in widespread neglect of families.

“We have religious leaders who are in the mission for three days, after they go for another one, yet they have children and wives or husbands at home,” he said.

“Even when he or she is a preacher, it ends up giving us a bad image of him since back at home, his home is bushy, and people neglected,” Prof. Rugyendo added.

He urged religious leaders to clearly organise their programmes to ensure that ministry work does not overshadow family obligations.

“You should know that if today you are on a mission, tomorrow, get a hoe and go and dig or clean your compound,” he said. “If all your time is dedicated to ministry work, you are doing a good thing in the wrong way,” he added.

Participants at the conference noted that while dedication to spiritual service is highly valued, excessive commitments often lead to emotional distance at home, strained marriages and children feeling neglected. They warned that such patterns ultimately damage both families and the effectiveness of religious leadership.

Paul Muhwezi, a lay reader at St Paul’s Kagote Church of Uganda in Fort Portal city, said proper planning was key to balancing ministry and family life.

“We are being trained in the different retreats that we attend on how best we can balance the ministry work and our families,” Muhwezi said.

“It is sad that the children of some of our colleagues are looking at them as strangers; they do not even know their names,” he added.

However, Samson Twakire, a lay reader at Mibundo Church of Uganda, said the most important approach was to entrust everything to God and allow Him to guide the way forward.