Bi-Vocational Pastors - No Choice or the Best Choice?
Where is the balance? You want all of your passion and focus to be on ministering to people....but you have to make a living. Only a small percentage of pastors in this country are actually paid a full time salary. Most bi-vocational pastors aren't that way by choice but by necessity. I spent 35 years that way by choice. I wanted to be out there with people. I was a contractor for most of my ministry and even when I was a senior pastor I paid my own salary.
The reason I made this choice is twofold. First, I never wanted to forget what it was like to be, "real people". That might be blunt but the fact is that many pastors have little contact with the world and do not stay fresh with where unchurched people are. I didn't want that to happen with me. Secondly, I felt like I could have more credibility in teaching. No one could say I was after their money or that I just didn't understand what "real life" was like.
The problem is that there are very few jobs that a pastor can do that can accomplish these goals without major downsides. First, any job that pays enough, even if it is part time, will not only take hours away from the ministry but it is very seldom flexible hours. The fact is that people's problems do not happen on schedule. A pastor may be called out to a family crisis in the middle of the night then with very little sleep go into work the next day. But often these crisis times happen while he is at his second job when he is not available at all. He may also have a job which is physically demanding so that even when he is able to fit ministry into his schedule he is often exhausted. Secondly, it is rare that any job that does offer any kind of flexibility will pay a living wage. So why would anyone do this by choice?
I can tell you that after over 30 years of this my two goals were achieved big time. I have a reputation and standing with people that is a blessing. I am able to say with Paul, "For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. (1 Thess. 2:9 NASB) However, that life had a high toll on my family and my body and it was a constant struggle to balance my time. I believe that it was the right choice and I want to encourage any pastor who is able to make that choice. There is so much skepticism toward religion and clergy that we need to earn the right to be heard much like Paul did. The key is that we need to help each other to find a better way to do that.
I believe the best solution is to find a way for pastors to pay their own way by being self employed. That was true in my case but the kind of business I had was not very compatible with ministry. For many years I searched for a better way. The only kinds of opportunities that looked like it could make a difference were home based businesses and most of those were scams or MLMs. These had some inherent problems for me. First they were all about getting rich that was distasteful to me. I almost felt guilty to think about making any more money than it took to survive. I just wanted to pay my bills and still have time for family and ministry. I just couldn't imagine that God would be OK with me having extra money. But the bigger issue was the automatic conflict of interest. I was building relationships in my life so that could serve them. These businesses always required me to be selling to my friends and family. It would hurt my credibility if i did what it would take to be successful in any of these businesses.
The invention of the internet has changed everything. There are now hundreds of ways to make a living online with flexibility and without compromising your relationships. There are many scams out there so you must be careful and do your homework before getting involved. But do not let that scare you away. I believe that an online business is a wonderful solution for bi-vocational pastors. There is also an added benefit that when you learn the skills required to market online they are very helpful skills in growing your church. For me the choice to be bi-vocational is a good one. I hope you will give it some thought and check it out for yourself.
Recently I came across a business model that finally addressed all of my concerns. Click on the link below to check it out and see what you think. (shhhhh...here is a secret.....it is Ok for you to make more money....you know you will do good with it.)
http://www.LIVINGTHATMATTERS.com
The reason I made this choice is twofold. First, I never wanted to forget what it was like to be, "real people". That might be blunt but the fact is that many pastors have little contact with the world and do not stay fresh with where unchurched people are. I didn't want that to happen with me. Secondly, I felt like I could have more credibility in teaching. No one could say I was after their money or that I just didn't understand what "real life" was like.
The problem is that there are very few jobs that a pastor can do that can accomplish these goals without major downsides. First, any job that pays enough, even if it is part time, will not only take hours away from the ministry but it is very seldom flexible hours. The fact is that people's problems do not happen on schedule. A pastor may be called out to a family crisis in the middle of the night then with very little sleep go into work the next day. But often these crisis times happen while he is at his second job when he is not available at all. He may also have a job which is physically demanding so that even when he is able to fit ministry into his schedule he is often exhausted. Secondly, it is rare that any job that does offer any kind of flexibility will pay a living wage. So why would anyone do this by choice?
I can tell you that after over 30 years of this my two goals were achieved big time. I have a reputation and standing with people that is a blessing. I am able to say with Paul, "For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. (1 Thess. 2:9 NASB) However, that life had a high toll on my family and my body and it was a constant struggle to balance my time. I believe that it was the right choice and I want to encourage any pastor who is able to make that choice. There is so much skepticism toward religion and clergy that we need to earn the right to be heard much like Paul did. The key is that we need to help each other to find a better way to do that.
I believe the best solution is to find a way for pastors to pay their own way by being self employed. That was true in my case but the kind of business I had was not very compatible with ministry. For many years I searched for a better way. The only kinds of opportunities that looked like it could make a difference were home based businesses and most of those were scams or MLMs. These had some inherent problems for me. First they were all about getting rich that was distasteful to me. I almost felt guilty to think about making any more money than it took to survive. I just wanted to pay my bills and still have time for family and ministry. I just couldn't imagine that God would be OK with me having extra money. But the bigger issue was the automatic conflict of interest. I was building relationships in my life so that could serve them. These businesses always required me to be selling to my friends and family. It would hurt my credibility if i did what it would take to be successful in any of these businesses.
The invention of the internet has changed everything. There are now hundreds of ways to make a living online with flexibility and without compromising your relationships. There are many scams out there so you must be careful and do your homework before getting involved. But do not let that scare you away. I believe that an online business is a wonderful solution for bi-vocational pastors. There is also an added benefit that when you learn the skills required to market online they are very helpful skills in growing your church. For me the choice to be bi-vocational is a good one. I hope you will give it some thought and check it out for yourself.
Recently I came across a business model that finally addressed all of my concerns. Click on the link below to check it out and see what you think. (shhhhh...here is a secret.....it is Ok for you to make more money....you know you will do good with it.)
http://www.LIVINGTHATMATTERS.com