Sherri Swanson serves as Executive Pastor at Woods Chapel United Methodist Church, where she oversees staff and manages the operations of both the church and its private school — a role filled with unique challenges and responsibilities.
Sherri describes her role simply: “If you were to put a quick job description for me, it’s I solve problems.”
But for years, little problems were piling up to a point where work felt endless — until she discovered the transformative power of partnering with a BELAY Assistant.
For Sherri, the number one struggle was email overload:
“My number one issue that I probably struggle with more than anything else is emails. I get approximately, gosh, probably around 45 to 50 emails every day, and most of which require a response or some kind of action. It was just honestly overwhelming and very, very time-consuming.”
The impact quickly crept into Sherri’s personal life.
“I have a lot of meetings throughout the day. I typically have, I don’t know, anywhere from four to six meetings a day,” Sherri shared.
Like so many leaders, Sherri felt trapped by a never-ending cycle: spending precious evenings tackling work that never seemed to pause, always starting over again the next morning.
Everything changed when Sherri connected with BELAY and met her Executive Assistant, Heidi.
“Heidi figured out a process for me for the emails that is phenomenal. Basically what she does is she checks my emails about three times a day and she takes the emails that require a response, puts them in my draft box by creating what she thinks would be my response that I would typically do.
"And then when I’m ready to respond, I go look at the drafts, I make my tweaks, edits, changes, whatever it is, and then I actually send it.
“And it’s amazing since she’s been my admin, how many times she is right on the right track as far as that’s exactly how I would respond, and we just really know each other, so it’s phenomenal.”
Sherri still has the final word on all her replies, maintaining her voice and control over her communications. However, the process Heidi implemented significantly streamlines her workflow, allowing her to dedicate more of her time and energy to serving her staff and congregants.
Of course, confidentiality is a cornerstone in Sherri’s position. Heidi reviews, drafts, and refines confidential communications at a distance, providing both professional excellence and privacy:
This process not only defused the overwhelming volume of messages but also built trust and a partnership based on understanding.
“We have a weekly meeting, a weekly Zoom meeting every Monday morning and we’ve not only become very good coworkers, we’ve even become friends.”
The relief Heidi brings stretches far beyond the inbox. Heidi’s support also covers:
“Quite honestly, her background is more in project management, and so she is at a level that is just phenomenal. And it’s worked out really well for us because she is involved in her church, she’s a Christian, and so she kind of knows the church lingo, too, and what that looks like.”
"She does all my calendaring and my scheduling, including meeting prep, so that’s one thing that’s been phenomenally helpful.”
“She creates a staff email that goes out every week, just to keep the staff updated of what’s happening. They send her information for their department, then she creates the document, and sends it out every week to our staff so they kind of know what’s going on in the different ministries and the different departments."
“She’ll just do any special projects that I have [in addition to admin]. It's kind of the best of both worlds.”
“Something that I do at least once a year, for the last four years, [is] leading a trip through our church through another company and a travel company, and we're getting ready in the fall.
“I'm leading a trip to Italy, and we have 44 people from our church and then another pastor's church as well that we're trying to organize and get, and she has been phenomenal,” Sherri shares.
Heidi’s meticulous attention to detail means no stone is left unturned — from handling last-minute passport updates to fielding travel questions and communicating with the travel company.
“There’s always going to be something: a question about the insurance, a roommate change, or some detail to coordinate,” says Sherri. “She just takes the email and then reaches out to the travel company and takes care of it. So it has been just a lifesaver, to be honest with you. I don't think I would probably do these trips without the support she's been able to give us.”
With Heidi managing the details, Sherri has been able to focus her energy on meaningful projects like this one, which greatly benefit the congregation and foster connections within the community.
“The biggest thing is I work a lot with staff development and training, and Heidi has definitely allowed me to focus more on that development and those relationships by not having to be so consumed with the emails and the other projects.”
Handing off these stressful, time-consuming tasks has been nothing short of life-changing.
“It truly frees up more time to be with family and friends and not have to be so all consumed with a burnout situation of work. I’ve got more time to focus on my spiritual life and the other parts that are very, very important to me.”
When a working relationship goes beyond efficiency into genuine collaboration, that’s when the real transformation happens.
This is what success looks like with BELAY — empowering leaders like Sherri to reclaim their time, focus on people, and lead their communities with renewed energy.
If you’re feeling the burden of endless to-dos, overwhelming email, or the challenge of maintaining confidentiality and balance, Sherri’s story is proof of what’s possible with the right support.
Find the support you need to thrive with BELAY.