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Part-time pastors still full time in service to God

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by

mwkruse
in ,

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette: Part-time pastors still full time in service to God (HT: Presbyweb)

Jesus once said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24).

The story for this passage speaks on the pursuit of wealth overtaking the desire for serving God.

But what happens to the those who truly seek to serve God, enter into a ministry, and are forced by circumstances to work secular jobs to sustain themselves and their families? Are they serving two masters?

This is the dilemma faced by many pastors of small congregations that have limited budgets.

These working pastors, also known as bivocational pastors, attempt to serve God and their congregations in full-time ministry within part-time “hours.” (It should be noted that pastors who are truly called by God serve as pastors around the clock. There is no set time to “clock in or out.”) The churches they serve are either too small or too poor to pay their clergy full-time wages.

In turn, these same pastors take on jobs outside the church to meet the needs of their families.

Does this mean these ministers of faith are serving two masters? How does this show faith or lack of faith in God providing for those who serve him faithfully? What conflicts arise for the bivocational pastor? ….

Comments

7 responses to “Part-time pastors still full time in service to God”

  1. Quotidian Grace Avatar
    Quotidian Grace

    Well, I don’t see a problem with part-time pastors. St. Paul set the example, after all, didn’t he? And look at the expansion of the Mormons who do not have professional paid clergy at all. Maybe the PCUSA wouldn’t see the big difference in theological and political viewpoints between clergy and laity if more of the clergy were “tentmakers”? I wonder.

    Reply
  2. Michael W. Kruse Avatar
    Michael W. Kruse

    You aren’t the only one wondering. I can’t count the number of pastors who have wondered out loud to me about this. One benefit they see is that it would force the congregation to really become a community and take responsibility for their corporate lives.

    Reply
  3. Dana Ames Avatar
    Dana Ames

    Steve Taylor in NZ and his team are all bivocational- I appreciate his creativity and the willingness of his congregation to become a community.
    http://www.emergentkiwi.org.nz.
    Too many blogs! But there are so many good people out there…I’ll be away at the Zondervan pastor’s conference in San Diego this week- it will be good for me to fast!
    Dana

    Reply
  4. Michael W. Kruse Avatar
    Michael W. Kruse

    Have a great time, Dana. Should you wish to make a guest post at my blog about things you learn there, just let me know.

    Reply
  5. Dana Ames Avatar
    Dana Ames

    Thanks, Michael. We’ll see what happens-
    D.

    Reply
  6. will spotts Avatar
    will spotts

    “Maybe the PCUSA wouldn’t see the big difference in theological and political viewpoints between clergy and laity if more of the clergy were “tentmakers”?”
    That would only work if specialized clergy were also required to be “tentmakers”. (The clergy-laity divide is, while quite pronounced, far less of a chasm than the “specialized clergy” – laity divide.)
    Personally, I think this would be healthier for both pastor and congregation – but there are pragmatic realities that make it difficult. For example, few jobs will pay well on a part time basis.

    Reply
  7. Michael Kruse Avatar
    Michael Kruse

    All good points. I still come back to questions like, What if it wasn’t the pastor’s job to visit everyone in the hospital but the community carried that load for each other? What if the pastor wasn’t available 24/7/365 and people actually had to take ownership for making the community function?
    I am working with a small group in Kansas City, Ks, just across the state line from my neighborhood that is an indirect extension of the Covenant Church. This group has just recruited a pastor from Juarez, Mexico, to head up a spanish speaking outreach and worship service in the neighborhood. Jose is my age and has been a pastor for years, all the time holding down a full-time job.
    I’m not saying there are not challenges but I think there are some real pluses to having pastors connected to the struggles of everyday life.
    Beyond just specialized clergy, I think we need a complete rethinking of what ordination and minsitry are.

    Reply

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