Is Bi-Vocational ministry effective in today's church culture? Is it a viable way for pastors to support their families while doing church ministry?

Today, I share some of my experiences working in bi-vocational ministry and offer some constructive ways to navigate this challenge.

Here is the free download I offered on the show:

Transcript of Today's Show

Carpenter, mason, short-order cook, farm hand, teacher’s aide, insurance salesman, ADT home security salesman, Advertising representative, Registered Investment Advisor. What do all these have in common?

Me. These are all jobs that I have worked through the years doing bi-vocational ministry.

For the uninitiated, bi-vocational ministry (bi-vo for short) is conducting church ministry while working a second job at the same time.

You work the second job because either you are a pioneer church-planter with a dream, or your congregation has not reached a point where they can pay you adequately to meet your financial obligations.

I have been in both of these worlds. During my early years in ministry, I belonged to a ministry that was expanding and my primary job was to pioneer new outreach centers. I would go into a city, find a cheap rent, paint and decorate the environment and start weekly meetings and Bible studies.

That was really tough work, and I am among that small contingent of weirdos that really enjoyed every minute of it. I am a church planter at heart and the idea of creating a congregation out of thin air appeals to me. I think I’ve met about 2 other people in my lifetime that relate to that, but moving on.

The smarter route for church planting is what many others do which is build a team first, create a budget, develop a vision and marketing strategy and then plant. I didn’t say I was smart, I am just telling you what I did.

In any case, money and I didn’t get along in those early years. I’m not sure whether money and I have ever gotten very close, but I have always been passionate about doing ministry work, whatever the cost.

Working a job on the side in some ways made it easier to build a church because the main expense in small churches is salary and facilities. By working on the side, we could always keep our expenses low, which gave us a better chance to get the church up and running; at least that is the way I thought at the time.

If you’ve listened to my first show, you know that Patti and I raised 4 children over the course of our ministry lives. You also know that I am a New Englander. To other Americans, you have dubbed us the land of the frozen chosen; sometimes with good reason. If you are from another part of the world, this region of our country is known as fiercely independent and more often than not, non-Christian.

Getting a church started in these parts is made more difficult by the fact that the culture is not church oriented as it is in the South of our country. If you tell someone that you are bi-vocational and that your main passion is planting churches, the most enthusiastic response you’re likely to get is,

“Ohhhh….that’s nice.” (That is a not-so-subtle way of saying, “How can I get out of this conversation?”) So, as a bi-vo minister, society itself does not really understand your or why you do what you do.

OK, I need to be honest and share a true confession at this point. My topic today is completely misleading. It is supposed to be the joy of serving a church as a bi-vocational minister. I wanted to give you a backdrop of some of my own life so that I would have the credibility to say this:

Do everything in your power to avoid bi-vocational ministry. It is a trap. I will explain that in a moment.

You’ve heard me share the statistics that more than 1500 pastors leave the ministry every month in America

Many pastors are bi-vocational - some throughout their career. Is this God's way?

When someone says they were "called" into ministry, exactly what does that mean? Should we assume that God spoke to them audibly?

How can a person really tell if God is calling them to church ministry as a vocation? We look at the right and wrong reasons people choose church ministry as a profession.

Here is the free download, Ten Tips To Discover Whether God Has Called You To Church Ministry

Be sure to give us a review on ITunes! This helps us get the word out!

Transcript of Today's Show

“Calling” is a difficult concept because it is primarily subjective. I mean, I don’t know anyone who relates their story entering church ministry because they were awakened one night and God said, [Deep voice] “Get on your feet. You’re going to seminary.”

But seriously, how does someone discern whether God has called them into church ministry?

First, God is Sovereign. What does that have to do with calling? Actually, just about everything.

God calls individuals to serve in His Church. It is His Church, so he gets to select those who will carry out his plans and purposes. Sovereignty means that God doesn’t consult with humans first before calling someone to serve as a minister in his church.

Sovereignty also means that education, talent or personality is not relevant to God.  He does not depend on strength or abilities to accomplish the tasks He wants done. That reality is both freeing and humbling at the same time.

Jesus bypassed the educated and eloquent scribes and Pharisees, choosing men who, for the most part ignored church. Peter and the other disciples knew more curse words than scripture verses. In fact, Matthew loved wealth and cheating people on their taxes far more than kneeling in prayer.

Please understand: I am not criticizing seminary or even natural talent per se, but I do want to introduce an important perspective: The apostles were totally unqualified to be ministers by today’s standards, yet they turned the world upside down.

Is there anyone who honestly feels that Peter would graduate any of our theological institutions today? Yet Peter used the keys Christ gave him to initiate the church age and later to open the church to non-Jews which was unprecedented.

Intelligence and natural abilities can be useful tools, but that is all. If God hasn’t called you, no amount of seminary education or speaking skill will suffice. Academic achievement is only useful as an instrument to advance God’s purposes. Nothing more.

Sovereignty means that God chooses whom he wants, when he wants for what he wants. A calling is really more about God than us.

Before we look into some principles for calling, let me take a few moments to discuss some sure signs a person either is not called or perhaps not ready for pastoral ministry.

Motivation plays a major role in ministry calling. Individuals desire to become pastors or church leaders for a variety of reasons and not all of them are inspirational.

First, sometimes individuals pursue ministry to gain affirmation or recognition. One perks of serving as a pastor or ministry leader is the thrill of publically sharing the Word of God. It is a privilege to potentially impact lives in a meaningful way. Honestly, there is nothing quite like preaching under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Sensing God’s Presence with you while you speak is pretty cool.

On occasion, folks will come up after I preach to compliment me about something I said in my sermon. That is always nice. However, if you crave that or need that affirmation, something is broken.

Second, some are drawn to the ministry because they want to be recogniz

Social Media is a must for any church leader hoping to connect with new people. The vast majority of people will never darken the door of any church until they have checked out a church website, listened to a sermon or two and investigated the church Facebook page.

Today, we talk about basics for leaders to get and stay connected on the web.

We also talk protocol. Many pastors ruin their presence on the Internet by not understanding these fundamental "rules."

Here is a free download mentioned, called the Social Media Roadmap

Bluehost is what I recommend to pastors and leaders who want to take the next step and own their own real estate on the web. Click here to get started.

Transcript of Today's Show

Do you ever get frustrated with the fact that your sermons require so much labor to produce, but often don’t have much life after they are done?

I mean, the typical leader will spend somewhere between 6 and 15 hours each week working on a sermon. Even if you don’t spend concentrated time at your desk, you are collecting thoughts and ideas and formulating what to say each Sunday, doing your best to be certain your message expresses what is on God’s heart.

That is a huge responsibility. When Jesus told Peter In John’s gospel, feed my sheep, he created billions of hours for church leaders throughout the centuries to prepare sermons. A responsible pastor is praying, thinking, meditating, researching, and reading all the time.

Even if your sermon hits the ball out of the park and everyone thanks you for helping them in some way, you go home for a nap and realize that the next sermon is due in seven days and it is time to start over.

Now I don’t know about you, but I write out my sermons on Microsoft Word in an outline form. Typically, I use a template to get started that triggers the things I need to include or pay attention to each Sunday. Once that sermons has been completed, I save it on my computer.

Over time, that is a lot of sermons and a lot of files. I look at all those sermons and the hours spent; the prayers to God for guidance, the investment of time in reading, studying and researching and realize that unless I re-preach them somehow, they are lost.

In many ways, preachers are like moms, who prepare great meals. After everyone enjoys the hours of preparation and care, the food is consumed and forgotten in just a few hours.

We experience many of the same dynamics. People hear what we preach, but pig out in front of a ball game or go shopping or do some other Sunday activity. If you ask most church members what the pastor preached come Sunday night, most have already forgotten.

Now we can talk about Jesus parable of the birds of the air coming and taking the seed out of the minds of hearers to prevent sermons from having lasting impact, but that sermon will probably get forgotten as well.

Some of you have taken steps to record your sermons and post them on your church website. That is one way to make sermons last longer. It is also extremely important because one of the main ways people choose churches is by examining your church website. Before they darken your door, they want to hear a sample of your preaching.

Make no mistake. The first thing they look at on your website, is the length of your sermons. If they see an hour each week, most people move on unless the subjects are so compelling that they want to push the play button.

Visitors to your site will listen to your voice, your humor and then judge whether you are a good fit for them. They will also respond or react to the sound quality. If it sounds like it was recorded in the church bathroom through a

 Weddings are always a time of great joy and anticipation.

They can also provide an excellent opportunity for ministers to grow their churches.

Today, I share about a really bad wedding. We also share some tips for making any wedding memorable for the bride and groom.

Here is the free download, Wedding Resources For Ministers.

Transcript of Today's Show:

The two events most closely associated with ministers in our culture are weddings and funerals. These are two occasions when the need for a minister is universally accepted by nearly everyone regardless of their beliefs.

Weddings can be one of the most effective ways to grow your church as well. Does that sound odd? Well, before we talk about that, can I ask you a question?

Have you ever been to a bad wedding? What do I mean by a bad wedding? I’m talking about a wedding where the minister or clergy person was not a positive addition to the ceremony?

Let me unpack what I mean with a true story.

Several years back, one of my relatives decided to marry. The church building was rented and all the arrangements made. The facility was quite beautiful, out in the country and a reception was scheduled to follow on the enormous church grounds.

On the night before the wedding at the end of the rehearsal, the minister announced that there was to be no flash photography during the service. His conviction was that such flashes of light would distract from the sacredness of the ceremony.

Hearing this news for the first time, the photographer was mortified. He had not prepared for this possibility. To make matters more challenging, the front of the church where the ceremony would take place was poorly lit so using natural light would likely create dark, grainy pictures. Keep in mind that this was in the day before digital photography, so new specialized film needed to be purchased immediately.

Needless to say, this announcement created a high amount of tension for both the photographer and the bride, but the minister remained unaffected by their concerns.

With the rehearsal concluded, the minister said goodbye until the next day. Though invited, he did not attend the rehearsal dinner.

On the day of the wedding, guests arrived, some from several hundred miles away. Since many of my distant relatives hadn’t seen each other in a long time, there were many hugs and greetings followed by conversation in the sanctuary prior to the start of the ceremony. People were excited. The noise level was what you might expect during the few moments before any festive event.

Approximately ten minutes before the service, the minister appeared at the front of the church to remind the congregation that they were in the house of God and that it was improper for people to be talking to each other. Instead, he insisted they engage in quiet reflection more befitting a church. He then informed the congregation that no flash photography would be permitted.

All conversation abruptly ceased. Except for an occasional cough, the church was awkwardly silent.

After the ceremony got underway, the minister delivered a gospel message as part of the wedding ceremony, urging the congregation to give their lives to Christ. How many do you think were even the slightest bit interested? I’m guessing; none.

Finally the moment arrived for the groom to kiss the bride. The moment their lips touched, many in the congregation (including the photographer) took flash pictures totally ignoring the pastor’s wishes. Now it was his turn to be embarrassed.

After the ceremony ended, the happy couple went on to enjoy their reception and I am glad to report they remain happily married to this day. The pastor on the other hand spoke with very few people perhaps because no one really wanted

Welcome!

This is our very first podcast episode, where I share a little of our journey through several decades of pastoral ministry.

I also highlight some of the topics we will be discussing in upcoming episodes to encourage you in your vocation.

If you have the chance, I would appreciate you giving me an honest rating and review on ITunes by clicking here. It will help us get the word out to other church leaders  to help them in their calling.

Thank you and enjoy the episodes!

This podcast is all about encouraging leaders who have made the decision to serve the Body of Christ. Each week we will focus on the real issues that face pastors and ministry leaders each day and how to overcome those challenges.

Weddings are a tremendous way to "show off" your church if don't properly.

Most pastors are behind the eight ball with social media. Some tips to stay current without becoming a nerd.

Many lead churches, but not all are appointed by God to do so. How do you know if church leadership is God's purpose for your life?