Three Factors Which Influence Calling a Bi-vocational Pastor

1. Limited Finances

If the income of the church is not sufficient to pay the pastor an adequate salary, calling a Bi-vocational pastor is one of the best routes to pursue.

Finances are often limited because of building debt, high maintenance costs, or the need for additional parking or educational space.

A church should not consider itself a fully-funded church if the pastor is trying to live on an inadequate salary or his wife is expected to work to make it possible for him to pastor the church.

2. The field is small.

Many churches are located in sparsely populated communities.
A Bi-vocational pastor should be considered if the church field is small and the number of prospects are few

3. The church selects a pastor who feels called to a dual role.

Many pastors believe God has called them to serve in a dual role.
They have a call to pastor in addition to a call in another vocation.
Some feel God would have them work at a second vocation to free more church funds for ministry and missions.

During the selection process, some churches decide to call a pastor who is committed to a Bi-vocational role.
This most often proves to be a win/win situation for both church and pastor.

Items to Consider When Calling a Bi-vocational Pastor

Both the church and pastor must have a positive attitude toward the Bi-vocational status.

Both the church and pastor must understand the role each is to play.

Both must hold realistic expectations of the other.
Some leadership roles may be assumed by the church membership.

The Bi-vocational pastor must be one who is not afraid of hard work, who manages his time well, and who does not feel the need to control everything in the Church.

Items to be Negotiated by the Church and Prospective Bi-vocational Pastor

The amount of time to be given by the pastor for ministry, study, and church administration.

Plans for managing church activities and for maintenance of church facilities.

Plans for responding to crises in the church family and community.

A respectable salary package which includes housing, insurance, auto expenses, professional expenses, and retirement.

The Advantages of Bi-vocational Status

The financial base of both church and pastor is usually stronger.
(The church can do more for missions and ministry when staff financial needs are kept to a minimum.
The pastor’s family can live with less financial strain when there are two incomes).

The Bi-vocational pastor often experiences greater freedom to lead because his total livelihood is not threatened by non-supportive leadership.

More laity, become involved in the ministry of the church.

The Bi-vocational pastor is not expected to be superman.

The Bi-vocational pastor is usually more in touch with the real world.

The Bi-vocational pastor has more opportunities for personal witnessing.

Because of time constraints it is less likely that the Bi-vocational pastor will succumb to the temptation to become lazy.

The Bi-vocational pastor does not have time to become involved in convention controversy.

The Bi-vocational church is more apt to allow their pastor to be real.

Often, the Bi-vocational pastor’s family has a more flexible social life.

Bi-vocational pastors are more often able to plan and work toward reasonable goals.

The Advantages of Vocational or Fully-Funded Status

The fully-funded pastor has more flexibility with his time and should, therefore, have less stress related to time management.

The fully-funded pastor has more time for sermon preparation, visitation, local ministry, and family related activities.

The vocational pastor is able to focus entirely on the ministry of the church.

The vocational pastor has opportunity to attend convention, retreats, conferences, fellowship meetings, training events, etc.

The vocational pastor may respond more quickly to a crisis need in the church.

The vocational pastor can be available for more one-on-one discipling.

Bi-vocational to Vocational Status

There is much more involved in moving from Bi-vocational to vocational status than simply increasing the salary of the pastor a few hundred or thousand dollars.

The goal should be to make it possible for the pastor to live on the same level as the average church member.

Attention should be given to housing, insurance, disability, conference and convention expenses, and retirement.

Just because a pastor moves from Bi-vocational status to give full attention to the church does not mean he automatically becomes superman.

He cannot visit all the sick, homebound, and prospects, keep up the church facilities and grounds, lead every program, run the church office, and fully prepare to preach God’s Word.

An agreement should be reached about personal time.

It is wise for a pastor to take some time off during the week because the weekend is normally very busy and demanding.

Should a Church Move from Vocational to Bi-vocational Status?

Should a church find itself in a declining situation and unable to maintain the facilities and fully fund a pastor, it should not consider calling a Bi-vocational pastor as a step backward.

More and more pastors are sensing a call to serve Bi-vocationally.

Since the biblical model of Bi-vocational ministry is presented through the Apostle Paul, no pastor or church should feel inadequate because of Bi-vocational leadership.

The advantage of Bi-vocational status as presented earlier should be given closer examination.

Often a Director of Missions or state Director of Bi-vocational Ministry can provide counsel and insight in making the transition in this direction.

If a church is to successfully move to a Bi-vocational status, it must first reach agreement regarding “Items to Consider” and “Items to be Negotiated” listed in this brochure.

Moving to Bi-vocational status can bring relief, satisfaction, and a new sense of direction to a church which has struggled for years to maintain a vocational status.

Gary Mitchell, Director
P.O. Box 9
Fordoche, LA 70732
225-637-2245 hm/of
877-lbc-bivo
[877-522-2486]
337-257-8535 Cell
E-mail: gary.mitchell@lbc.org