The joy of bivocational ministry

The working title for my first book was The Joy of Bivocational Ministry. The publisher wanted to change that title, and as a first time author I had little leverage in the matter, but the editor did agree to use my title as the sub-title. Soon after the book came out a pastor friend of mine said to me he could not see how anyone could find joy in working a full-time job and serving as a pastor. He was not being critical; this was just not possible in his mind.

I wrote the book as I neared the end of a 20 year pastorate in a small, rural church. I was bivocational the entire time. For most of those years I worked in a factory and pursued a bachelor's degree. After earning that degree and taking early retirement from the factory I continued managing a small business our family owned all while still serving the church. While there were challenges, the positives far outweighed the negatives. I experienced true joy serving that church as I did.

Prior to my going to that church it had experienced a revolving-door pastorate. The average pastor tenure before me was about one year. The church had been struggling for years and had considered closing its doors. Although it was difficult to first create any positive momentum in the church it was exciting to see what happened once we started moving forward. That small church accomplished some very significant things during my time with them, and as I explained to them my major contribution was just staying with them until they realized what all they could do. It was a joy watching people accomplish more than they thought possible.

I continue to experience joy through the friendships we made in that church. Although I left the church in 2001 to accept a denominational role, some of my closest friends today were members of that church. I play golf with some of them. I was able to help one of our leaders serve an an interim pastor in several churches, and he later surprised me by accepting the call to be the pastor in one of them. He did a great job in that church which also brought me a lot of joy.

There was joy in seeing people come to Christ in that little church. A friend of my father came to my house one day wanting to talk about becoming a Christian. After we talked he prayed to receive Christ. He wanted to be baptized but wanted a private baptism. He told me he would probably never attend services at our church as he was a very private person. A few weeks later I met him and his family at a nearby creek where I baptized him. I don't think he missed a church service after that until he health prevented him from attending! What joy in seeing Christ come alive in this elderly man's life!

I could tell story after story, but let me close this post by saying there is tremendous joy found in bivocational ministry. That first book is out of print, but you can still purchase copies here for your Kindle device or from a used book seller.