This book is written to be helpful to ministers who are serving as a bivocational pastor or are considering that ministry role. This is not an exhausting study of the role, but a conversation with you about the key functions and challenges of the bivocational pastor. In my experiences of being a pastor, consultant, personal counselor and friend of pastors, I understand the delights and difficulties of ministry. In my current roles of bivocational pastor and fundraising among churches for a statewide ministry, I understand the challenges that bivocational pastors face and want to share with you a down to earth conversation from my experience and perspective.
Uniquely Bivocational explores the challenges and opportunities facing the bivocational pastor. Often misunderstood and undervalued, bivo pastors provide leadership for the majority of the churches across America. Learning to balance family, church and work is perhaps the most unique challenge facing these special servants of God. To help produce a healthy relationship between a bivo pastor and his church, this book explores realistic expectations from each perspective in detail. Practical tips are provided on how to become comfortable with the limitations of having a second vocation. Also presented are the advantages of serving a church as a bivocational minister. Bivocational pastor, as you go through this book, you will see that a key element in being an effective bivo pastor is to be yourself. You are the best you there will ever be! If you are where God put you, there is no move up! You must be all God made you to be right where you are. Lead the church you pastor to become the beacon of life and hope that Christ designed it to be. Ray Gilder has led Bivocational Ministries for the Tennessee Baptist Convention since 1995 and has been the National Coordinator for the Bivocational and Small Church Leadership Network since 2005. He has served as pastor of seven churches in Mississippi and Tennessee, most of those as a bivo pastor. His driving motivation has been to raise the level of awareness and appreciation of bivocational ministers who are faithfully serving all across the Kingdom of God. He and his wife, Diane, have three children: Shanon, Stephen and Galen, as well as five grandsons. Stephen has lived in Heaven since 1995.
Bivocational: Returning to the Roots of Ministry offers one answer to the pressing question of the future of congregational life in the mainline Protestant Church. The contention of the book is that the model of professional ministry we have received from the past century of congregational life is imposing unsustainable costs on most congregations and parishes. In consequence, these faith communities face stark choices for which there are no self-evident answers. Shall we close? Shall we merge with another congregation—a decision shaped by a primary value on maintaining a full-time professional in the role of ordained minister? Can we find someone who will do the job part-time? What will it mean for them—and for us? Bivocational explores the impact on the ministry, on congregations, and on denominational polities of encouraging a way forward—one in which bivocational ordained professionals, ministers working simultaneously in the church and in secular life, come to leadership positions in the church. It explores the different sorts of gifts and preparation such ordained ministers need, and how a bivocational ethos looks when it characterizes not only the ordained minister, but all ministers of the congregation—lay and ordained alike.
It is often necessary for pastors of small churches to work another job in addition to serving their church, leaving them in danger of burnout if some of their duties are not delegated to others. Terry W. Dorsett provides concise and effective guidance for small-church congregations and pastors looking to build and strengthen their leadership teams. --from publisher description
Most pastors know when they enter the ministry that they will spend time helping others through times of suffering. What they usually do not realize, though, is that they too will suffer. Caught off guard, many of them end up deeply hurt and quit the ministry, deciding that perhaps they misunderstood God's call on their lives or that they simply do not have what it takes. But church history is filled with compelling stories of men who were profoundly afflicted while they carried out their ministry and yet persevered faithfully until death. Now the editors of The Gospel Coalition have collected inspiring stories of twelve faithful men who endured great suffering for the cause of Christ. The stories of the apostle Paul, John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, John Bunyan, Wang Mindao, and others show that suffering in the context of ministry is expected--and it's never wasted. Pastors and ministry leaders, as well as those who support them, will find in this collection encouragement to run the race with endurance.
"It's a balancing act. If you are a bivocational pastor, you are familiar with the stresses, complications, and unique hurdles that come with bivocational ministry. You have a special calling. In The Art and Practice of Bivocational Ministry, Dennis Bickers provides solid advice to help you succeed in your ministry while juggling a full-time job and a family at home. Along with his seasoned insights, you will find true-to-life case studies of challenges bivocational ministers face daily. More than just a guide, this book is a mentor in print and an invaluable resource for anyone balancing part-time ministry with a full-time job."
A down-to-earth, practical introduction to the ins and outs of preaching for lay preachers, bivocational pastors, and others newly arrived in the pulpit. Recent years have seen a considerable increase in the amount of financial resources required to support a full-time pastor in the local congregation. In addition, large numbers of full-time, seminary trained clergy are retiring, without commensurate numbers of new clergy able to take their place. As a result of these trends, a large number of lay preachers and bivocational pastors have assumed the principal responsibility for filling the pulpit week by week in local churches. Most of these individuals, observes Clifton Guthrie, can draw on a wealth of life experiences, as well as strong intuitive skills in knowing what makes a good sermon, having listened to them much of their lives. What they often don't bring to the pulpit, however, is specific, detailed instruction in the how-tos of preaching. That is precisely what this brief, practical guide to preaching has to offer. Written with the needs of those for whom preaching is not their sole or primary occupation in mind, it begins by emphasizing what every preacher brings to the pulpit: an idea of what makes a sermon particularly moving or memorable to them. From there the book moves into short chapters on choosing an appropriate biblical text or sermon topic, learning how to listen to one's first impressions of what a text means, moving from text or topic to the sermon itself while keeping the listeners needs firmly in mind, making thorough and engaging use of stories in the sermon, and delivering with passion and conviction. The book concludes with helpful suggestions for resources, including Bibles, commentaries, other print resources and websites.
Rethinking how church planters may choose to work full-time in the marketplace to expand their opportunities to engage the community with the gospel of Jesus as they plant a church. Covocational church planting sees the work of the ministry in the church and in the marketplace equally important in the growth of the Kingdom. Covocational Church Planting draws from the best thinkers and practitioners of missional theology to give the planter the tools needed to start with Jesus, see the Kingdom, exegete the local culture, engage places outside the church, know the residents, practice hospitality, practice missional discipleship, and understand the results.
Christ’s Body, Human Flesh If we’re honest, no one really cares about theology unless it reveals a gut-level view of God’s presence. According to pastor and ministry leader Hugh Halter, only the incarnational power of Jesus satisfies what we truly crave, and once we taste it, we’re never the same. God understands how hard it is to be human, and the incarnation—God with us—enables us to be fully alive. With refreshing, raw candor, Flesh reveals the faith we all long to experience—one based on the power of Christ in the daily grind of work, home, school, and life. For anyone burned out, disenchanted, or seeking a fresh honest-to-God encounter, Flesh will invigorate your faith.
