Coming together

Yesterday afternoon (Sunday) I joined five bivocational pastors for a light lunch, some good fellowship, and a time to pray for one another.  There was no agenda, no items that had to be discussed.  One of the pastors had invited the others to join him just to spend some time together and to pray for one another.  Each pastor went around the table sharing the happenings in his church before we prayed.  It was a very enjoyable time spent with dedicated, faithful bivocational pastors.

One of the common complaints voiced by many bivocational ministers is their sense of being alone in their work.  It is a valid complaint.  Many pastor gatherings are held during the day when bivocational ministers are at their other employment.  The same thing is often true of denominational training events.  Even if the bivocational minister can meet with other pastors in the area, they often do not understand or appreciate the work that the bivocational minister does.    One of the suggestions I would make to my readers is to not expect that to change any time soon.  At times you are going to feel isolated in your ministry, and the only one who can do anything about that is you.

This gathering happened because the host pastor was feeling very lonely.  He decided to do something about it.  He invited all the pastors in his association to his church on a Sunday afternoon and promised them nothing but a good lunch, a time of sharing, and a time of prayer.  Because this is one of the associations I serve I volunteered to attend as well and offered to bring desserts to ensure I would be welcome!  The host pastor made some delicious soup for lunch, and we sat around the table and just shared with one another for about ninety minutes.

You can do the same thing.  Don't wait until your judicatory leader creates some event like this for the bivocational pastors in your area; that may not happen.  Invite some of your fellow bivocational ministers to join you for an hour or two on a Sunday afternoon.  Fix a light meal, and promise them there is no business to discuss or events to schedule.  It's just a time to build relationships with people with similar callings and a time to pray for one another.  Don't be discouraged if the turn-out is less than you hoped.  Wait a few weeks and invite people back again.  As you become accustomed to coming together like this you will find those feelings of lonliness will become less and less, and you will be developing prayer partners who can help one another through the challenges of bivocational ministry.  And those are good things!