Over the past few years, I have had the privilege and the
burden of working two part-time jobs: a privilege because of the communities I
was serving and leading and a burden because of the low-pay and timeshare
arrangement. Even now that I’ve finished
up one of my positions, I still think that I didn’t quite manage the shared
responsibilities efficiently enough. And
at the end of every month, we are pinching pennies to hold off ‘til the next
paycheck. Yet, I’m heading into a new
ministry where I will once again be bi-vocational. So, I’ve been thinking a lot recently about
the benefits of bi-vocational ministry.
I should preface this by saying that these thoughts are
simply that- thoughts. I’ve also
witnessed too many churches place their pastors through the ringer, expecting
too much, paying too little, and damaging their families in the process. The church ought to be the kind of community
where burdens are shared, needs are met, and stress and worry are relieved. Perhaps this has more to say about church
hierarchy and the remarkable way it turns churches into a “fee for services”
rendered arrangement. And yet, a part of
me is drawn, at least conceptually, to bi-vocational ministry. Allow me to share three points:
1). Bi-Vocational ministry ought to be missionally
construed. Many pastors are forced to be
bi-vocational due to financial instability.
But I believe bi-vocational ministry may be an effective way to lead alongside
a community. In my future context in
Kona, my part-time job won’t be approached as “on-the-side.” Rather, it will be a means to inhabit the
local context, learn the rhythms of the culture, and be aware of the social
dynamics that make up the place. I can
think of no better way to assimilate into a culture than by working within the
community. A job doesn’t just help pay
the bills. If approached correctly, a
job opens one up to new relationships.
Co-workers, clients, guests, and work partnerships all connect an
individual to a wide variety of networks already situated on the ground. When open to the possibility of these
relationships and learning to listen to where God’s grace has already begun to
work, a part-time job enables all kinds of creative missional engagement.
2). Bi-vocationality strips away the divide between
professional clergy and lay congregant.
I hear a lot of pastors preach on the workplace as mission field. But I know very few pastors who are actual
friends with non-Christians. We spend so
much of our time “shepherding the found,” writing sermons, studying, and stuck
in church administration that “workplace as mission field” fails to stick. It fails to stick because we have no
experience in actually discipling Christians in the workplace environment. We know a part of discipleship is imitation; it’s hard to imitate a full
time pastor because the social dynamic of work and life are so different. A missionary-pastor who works alongside
others in the community, embodying the way of servant-leadership and emboldening
others to also live in God’s life and mission, is more equipped to call others
to pattern their lives in the same fashion.
3). Bi-vocational ministry depends on the gifts of others in
leadership and the grace of God to continue to work. The church has operated out of a very
hierarchical model of leadership for millennia.
But a missional posture demands more shared responsibilities, a more
communal disposition, and a dissemination of power rather than a centralization
of it. We’ve relied too much on the myth
of a Cowboy-pastor who can do everything.
Bi-vocational ministry necessitates shared/communal leadership. In this way of operating, listening and
submission to the community come before our particular agendas. We probably all have stories of someone bull-dozing their ideas through a committee or meeting, leaving other potential leaders impotent. A submissive posture better enables the equipping
of lay leaders to recognize and live into their God-given gifts and
passions. A bi-vocational pastor is kind of forced into this healthy dependence.
Ultimately, it creates space to once again know that we are not the
saviors of our churches or community- Jesus is Lord.
So, what am I missing?
Is this possible on the ground? Or, are there other benefits to bi-vocational ministry you’d like to share?
David Fitch influenced some of the above thoughts heavily, you can read further here:
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