The joys of bi-vocational ministry

Let me just go on record saying I’m not a fan of bi-vocational ministry. For those that don’t know, that’s where you work your tail off at a regular job and then do the same for the church.

The hardest part is that we don’t get the interaction that comes from being on staff full-time at a church. Full-time staff members spend eight hours a day together. There’s great value for the church as a whole when this happens. We’re able to do lean on each other, pray together and dream about what God wants the church to be. Without all that, it can become a disparate groups of people trying to move the church forward individually.

I think at Legacy we do a good job of connecting as a staff to avoid some of those problems. It’s still incredibly hard, though. I had my monthly breakfast this morning with Pastor Tony. It reminded me how much I crave time with my leadership. It keeps me focused on the vision and lets them know where I’m at. I think a lot of people fear meetings with “the boss.” I love them, though. It also makes me think I need to spend more time with those I lead.

I’m not sure where God has me in the future. I know I’m absolutely called to do business as Image Studios. It’s a huge ministry for me. On the other hand I also know I’m called to church-based ministry. I’m not sure where the balance comes in but either way I look forward to the day when our staff interactions happen more often.