Bivocational Churches
We are all familiar with pastors being bivocational, which means that a pastor works part time for a church or a ministry organization and then works part time in another career. Often the other career enables the pastor to make ends meet while serving in a career that often doesn't fully provide for his or her daily needs. What if the pastor is not the only one called to be bivocational, but the church was called in that direction too?
What other services or programs might the church be called to provide for its community? We know the church generally has one product it offers - community life centered around worship and mission. What if churches were called to have more than one product? What product would churches want to offer its community?
What other services or programs might the church be called to provide for its community? We know the church generally has one product it offers - community life centered around worship and mission. What if churches were called to have more than one product? What product would churches want to offer its community?
This is not a new idea. The Christian church has a long history of providing education, from seminaries started by denominations and preschools housed in specific churches. The Christian church also has many named hospitals and clinics begun by faithful followers of God wishing to offer healing to people who are ill. I wish I could hear the first conversation when someone suggested that their local congregation start a preschool or a denomination start a hospital. That conversation most certainly was questioning the scope of the vocation within which the church exists.
For the church to grow a hospital or a preschool was the act of the church diversifying itself.
For the church to grow a hospital or a preschool was the act of the church diversifying itself.
Diversification. Does the church need to diversify? I think so. Don't get me wrong. Our premier product is still vastly important to the everyday life of a church; the church is called to worship and work. But how does the church interact with its community? Let me ask it this way - what is the public witness of our churches? If we ask anyone in our community what they know of our church, what is the answer? Do we only interact with people in the community when they walk into the door that houses our premier product?
Would you like to have a conversation like this with your church? I would be happy to consult with you. I see the conversation happening in three stages:
- Scope - Evaluating the current reach of your congregation
- Resources - Defining who God has already made your congregation to be
- Ideas - Dreaming of how God might use you in the future