Several years ago while I was a bivocational pastor our Area Minister asked if I would consider serving as the pastor of a second, smaller church near our church. I was willing to do it if the logistics could be worked out, and the leadership of our church gave their permission. However, the second church did not want to share a pastor with another church so it never happened. Although there are occasional examples of yoked churches in our denomination, it is not a common thing.
At our judicatory meeting today we were discussing the possibility of asking some of our smaller churches to consider sharing a pastor. Like so many denominations, we are having difficulty finding pastors for some of our smaller churches. A yoked parish could provide many benefits to both churches and to the pastor, but from experience I know it will be a hard sell to many of them.
How many of you currently serve more than one church? I would like to hear a little about your experiences, what you see as some of the positives as well as some of the challenges, and if you feel particularly called to such ministry or are you doing it out of necessity.
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