It would be interesting to know the ratio between the number of churches in the US who are seeking a new pastor and the number of pastors seeking churches. I have the feeling that the number of churches seeking pastors would be much higher than the number of pastors seeking a church. Even before I retired from denominational ministry in 2015 I thought this was true, but it would be interesting to know just how wide the gap is. It would also be helpful for those churches seeking a pastor to know the challenge that is before them.
When I worked with pastor search committees I would explain to them that the pool of available pastors wasn't very large, and there are many churches fishing in that same pool. The competition for seminary-trained pastors can be very challenging for churches. It becomes even more challenging when churches put limitations on the people they will consider. I've worked with churches that would only consider male pastors with a doctoral degree, churches that wanted only young candidates, and, yes, I did have one church tell me it would be helpful if the pastor's wife played the piano.
As I've written many times in this blog, we are seeing a rise in bivocational pastors across nearly every denomination. Churches are finding that the struggle in finding, and keeping, a fully-funded pastor is becoming more and more difficult. One church told me several years ago they could afford the salary of a fully-funded pastor, but they could no longer afford the cost of the benefits, such as insurance, that pastors required. They called a bivocational minister who continues to serve that church after all these years. This story is being repeated every day.
That church, like many others, have found that having a bivocational pastor works out very well for them. He or she likely has roots in the community due to their other employment and will not be as eager to move to another church. Being familiar with the area gives the bivocational pastor an advantage over a fully-funded pastor who may move across country and has no knowledge of the local area, its people and its customs.
In the past there was a concern about whether a bivocational pastor would have the education needed to serve in a ministry position. In fact, many bivocational ministers have college degrees and a good number of them have at least some theological and ministry training. With so many seminaries now offering online courses, any minister can take courses that will fit his or her schedule and obtain any additional training that might be needed.
Another common concern about calling a bivocational minister was his or her availability in times of need. Working a second job does mean that the minister may not be available 24/7. This is only a problem if the church believes that only the pastor can offer ministry in times of need. I have long advocated that we must get away from the pastoral care model common in many churches and transition to a congregational care model. In a pastoral care model the pastor is expected to provide all the pastoral care and be available any time a member of the church requires ministry. In a congregational care model the congregation cares for one another, and the pastor's role is to equip members of the congregation to provide such care and be available in the more difficult times people may be having. Lest anyone think I am trying to provide an excuse for bivocational pastors to not always be available when someone thinks they are needed, read Ephesians 4: 11-16. One of the main tasks of any pastor is to equip the saints to serve one another.
It is not wise to try to predict what God is going to do in His church in the future, but I believe bivocational ministry will continue to be an important part of His plan.
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