Training bivocational ministers

In my last post I wrote about a recent doctoral thesis written on the trend of mid-size churches to seek bivocational staff persons. As part of that post I suggested that we need to find ways to provide these individuals with the training they need to be effective in their calling. Some schools today offer such training.

Campbellsville University offers a Certificate in Christian Ministry through their School of Theology that would provide excellent education for a bivocational minister. This program is offered entirely online making it convenient for the student to work into his or her schedule. When completing this program the credits would be transferable if the student decided to continue his or her education at CU in their undergrad program. You might be thinking to yourself that if you completed that certificate program you would not be interested in continuing your studies. I thought that as a student at Boyce Bible School (now Boyce College), but when I completed that I felt led to continue my studies all the way until I earned my doctorate. You never know what God might lead you to until you begin the journey.

There are other schools offering similar programs, but I am not as familiar with them as I am with CU's program. Some seminaries are now offering dual degree programs for persons intentionally planning on going into bivocational ministry. This might be an option for some who sense a call to this ministry.

The American Baptist Churches of Indiana and Kentucky took a program that is being used in another region and used it to develop the Church Leadership Institute (CLI). It was originally designed to train lay leaders in our churches, but in the initial class we had several bivocational ministers who saw it as a way to get some much needed training. As they neared the end of the two-year program they kept asking for more training so we added another five courses for those who wanted to take them. Completing the entire program earned the student a Certificate in Christian Ministry, but more importantly, it gave our bivocational ministers more training than many enjoy.

CLI was never intended to replace a seminary education, but for many of the bivocational ministers in our region it provided an opportunity to receive both theological and practical skills training to help them better serve their churches. We intentionally kept the cost of each class low to make it available to everyone.

One of the things I most appreciated about CLI was it said to our bivocational ministers that they were important to our churches. We did not see them as second-class ministers. We wanted to come alongside them to help equip them for the ministry God had called them to do. I often receive emails from bivocational ministers around the country who tell me they wish their judicatories felt about them the way that our region does.

If you are a bivocational ministers you should check to see if your judicatory offers something similar to CLI. If it does not, ask them to think about developing such a program. I'm sure our region office would send them some materials to show them what we are doing.

Just before I retired we opened CLI up to anyone regardless of denominational affiliation. If you are serving in Indiana, and think this might be a good opportunity to receive some training, contact the Region office at 317-635-3552 for more information.

Bivocational ministry is increasing across denominations and even now appearing in larger churches. Those of us in seminary, denominational and judicatory leadership must find ways to ensure those serving in that role receives the training they need to be effective.