Bivocational Ministry: The Art of Tentmaking
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One of the most famous tentmakers of all time was the Apostle Paul, the human author of two-thirds of the New Testament! In fact, that's where the term "tentmaker" comes from, because he and some of his close friends (Aquila & Priscilla) made tents for a living while they shared the Gospel in their particular context.
It's not that the Bible condemns paid, full-time ministers; in fact, it encourages the church to support such men, with the not-so-subtle reminder that "the Lord gave orders that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it" (1 Cor. 9:14, NLT). But sometimes, it is expedient or necessary or perhaps even more effective, for Gospel ministry to move forward with self-supporting ministers, particularly when the work involves planting new churches. That's why the Apostle Paul gave himself to this approach, and I don't think anyone would argue with his success!
So, why not seriously consider this approach to ministry? It has certain benefits and advantages, expecially for church planters who are trying to penetrate a new field of ministry. We'll explore some of those things on this site.
Photo © Jay Peeples
Basic Principles for Church Planting
Written from a bivocational perspective
1. Recognize that every Christian is "called" to communicate the Gospel message wherever they currently live and work. That's the "Great Commission," so why look for a lesser one? You don't need anyone else's permission, since God trumps everyone, and you certainly don't need an assessment to share the Gospel.
2. Continue in your present occupation (1 Corinthians 7:17-23), so you can meet your obligations, particularly the one that requires YOU to take care of your family (1 Timothy 5:8) and share with those in need (Romans 12:13; Ephesians 4:28). Ministry is not a career path for those seeking a comfortable salary, benefits, and a retirement plan!
3. Act on principle number one and begin sharing the Gospel with your neighbors, friends, co-workers, and family members. There is usually no need to go anywhere else, because your world is already full of people who don't know Jesus! Yes, it's okay to relocate, as long as you remember principle number two OR a group of believers voluntarily agrees to support you as a missionary in another culture where it is unlikely that you would be allowed to take jobs away from the indigenous people group to whom you are being sent.
4. Since God has promised to provide a harvest for those who labor like this in His vineyard, begin to disciple/teach those who express an interest in spiritual things, expecting the power of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit to bring them to repentance and faith.
5. Meet together with these new believers on a regular basis (Hebrews 10:24-25), thinking of creative ways in which you can stimulate one another to love and minister to others, as well as encouraging each other in the Christian journey.
6. Teach every new believer how to follow the above principles!
Excerpt from The Thin Edge of the Wedge (my blog)
2. Continue in your present occupation (1 Corinthians 7:17-23), so you can meet your obligations, particularly the one that requires YOU to take care of your family (1 Timothy 5:8) and share with those in need (Romans 12:13; Ephesians 4:28). Ministry is not a career path for those seeking a comfortable salary, benefits, and a retirement plan!
3. Act on principle number one and begin sharing the Gospel with your neighbors, friends, co-workers, and family members. There is usually no need to go anywhere else, because your world is already full of people who don't know Jesus! Yes, it's okay to relocate, as long as you remember principle number two OR a group of believers voluntarily agrees to support you as a missionary in another culture where it is unlikely that you would be allowed to take jobs away from the indigenous people group to whom you are being sent.
4. Since God has promised to provide a harvest for those who labor like this in His vineyard, begin to disciple/teach those who express an interest in spiritual things, expecting the power of the Gospel and the work of the Holy Spirit to bring them to repentance and faith.
5. Meet together with these new believers on a regular basis (Hebrews 10:24-25), thinking of creative ways in which you can stimulate one another to love and minister to others, as well as encouraging each other in the Christian journey.
6. Teach every new believer how to follow the above principles!
Excerpt from The Thin Edge of the Wedge (my blog)
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Shepherdsfriend
Mar 30, 2007 @ 4:04 pm | delete
- At a multi state Bivocational Celebration in IL. What troubled me was the number of bivocational pastors from 5 states who did not attend. The reason, Not enough TIME or Money! What do you think?
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Advantages of Dual-Career Ministry
Working a part-time or full-time secular job promotes the following:
- Servanthood. It enables you to help small, struggling congregations who cannot afford to pay a full-time pastor or church planter.
- Witness. Those at your workplace need to hear the Gospel and your growing relationship network will provide excellent opportunities to share God's grace with those who might never hear it otherwise.
- Understanding. Honestly, most full-time pastors have forgotten what it's like to earn a living in the secular marketplace, with its unique stresses and challenges. You will be able to more fully understand those who listen to your preaching and teaching.
- Boldness. The fear of man can have a debilitating effect upon your pastoral ministry when you're worried about offending the chairman of deacons or Mr. Big Pockets in your congregation. However, financial independence enables you to be more bold and courageous in ministry.
- Shared Ministry. If you're putting in 40 hours a week or more, there will be limits on your time for ministry, which means that others will be required to share the load. This is probably one of the greatest benefits of bivocational ministry: it keeps you from trying to do everything!
- Stewardship. Since you are self-supporting, it frees up more money that can be channeled into world missions and local benevolence ministries, enhancing the vision of the local church toward others.
- Provision. Sadly, some pastors and church planters are barely scraping by, living on food stamps, welfare assistance, and the mercy of relatives and friends. No life, dental, or health insurance to protect them and their loved ones. A bivocational career could change all that!
- Protection. What happens if a modern-day Diotrophes serves as your deacon chairman or on your elder board? Pastors can often get unfairly treated when controversy arises in their ministry. If you are financially self-supporting, you can walk away from a bad situation without going bankrupt.
Tentmaker Group
Movements, Ministry & Church Planter Funding
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byArticles on Bivocational Ministry
- NEW! -> Part-Time Pastors Fill Churches' Needs | Christianpost.com
- SALEM, W.Va. (AP) - For Danny Fleming, Sunday is no day of rest. It starts before dawn, when the United Methodist pastor rises from slumber and gets ready for services. Some Sundays, he travels to two churches. On others, it's three. Every week, he spends 20 hours preparing his sermons and logs ...
- "Bivocational Church Planting"
- Steve Nerger is a good friend of mine who works with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. This chapter is an excerpt from his unpublished book, "Stuff Nobody Told Me About Church Planting."
- Bivocational Ministry Emerging As Option
- An excellent article from the Kentuck Baptist Convention (SBC) website.
- Bivocational Ministry
- From the Mississippi Baptists (SBC) website
- "I Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now" - An Interview with Dale Holloway
- Leon Wilson, former National Missionary for Bivocational Ministries, interviewed Dale Holloway, bivocational strategist for the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board (SBC).
- "Personal experience provides bivocational understanding"
- An article from the Baptist Message, published in Alexandria, Louisiana, USA.
- "Building vital churches through bivocational ministry"
- A Quarterly Publication of BivoNet, Sponsored by The Ministers Council ABC/USA
In Partnership with National Ministries, Rev. Dennis Bickers, Project Director.
Bivo Bloggers
- Ryan J Hale : : Stories and Happenings in My World
- A bivocational church planter living in the rural community of Moscow Hills, Missouri, who is part of a house church called "Levi's Table".
- Bivocational Ministries Blog
- A blog by Dennis Bickers.
In the Marketplace -- Bivo Joe
A poem by Lewis H. Rogers
Many faces, in many places,
Many costumes, many customs,
Laboring often alone in solitary places
Sometimes alone in the multitudes,
In the Marketplaces of the world.
In the vineyards of the Lord he labors,
Dock worker, bus driver, carpenter, laborer,
Doctor, dentist, lawyer, teacher, entrepreneur,
Scientist, lecturer, grocer, meat cutter,
In the Marketplaces of the world.
Mover of mountains, builder of roads,
Captain of the fleet, lowly deck hand,
And wherever he goes his labor twofold,
"Earning daily provender, sharing God's Word"
In the Marketplaces of the world.
Ministering to the masses in the Marketplace
Concern he has for the spiritual well being
Of those whom he may show the way to God.
Whether they be client, co-worker, administrator,
In the Marketplaces of the world.
In the places of the Kings, among the elite
Of the land, in the places of power and might, or
In the shadow of poverty and of self-denial,
Among the lowliest of God's creatures he serves,
In the Marketplaces of the world.
Wherever God calls he is there
Ready to do, ready to be, ready to go
Willing to give to be to do whatever it takes
To tend the vineyards of God, and share its fruits.
In the Marketplaces of the world.
In the streets of city, village, and vale,
In church and cathedral throughout the land
An unfailing proclaimer of God's joy and peace.
As through his message hope springs eternal
In the Marketplaces of the world.
Many costumes, many customs,
Laboring often alone in solitary places
Sometimes alone in the multitudes,
In the Marketplaces of the world.
In the vineyards of the Lord he labors,
Dock worker, bus driver, carpenter, laborer,
Doctor, dentist, lawyer, teacher, entrepreneur,
Scientist, lecturer, grocer, meat cutter,
In the Marketplaces of the world.
Mover of mountains, builder of roads,
Captain of the fleet, lowly deck hand,
And wherever he goes his labor twofold,
"Earning daily provender, sharing God's Word"
In the Marketplaces of the world.
Ministering to the masses in the Marketplace
Concern he has for the spiritual well being
Of those whom he may show the way to God.
Whether they be client, co-worker, administrator,
In the Marketplaces of the world.
In the places of the Kings, among the elite
Of the land, in the places of power and might, or
In the shadow of poverty and of self-denial,
Among the lowliest of God's creatures he serves,
In the Marketplaces of the world.
Wherever God calls he is there
Ready to do, ready to be, ready to go
Willing to give to be to do whatever it takes
To tend the vineyards of God, and share its fruits.
In the Marketplaces of the world.
In the streets of city, village, and vale,
In church and cathedral throughout the land
An unfailing proclaimer of God's joy and peace.
As through his message hope springs eternal
In the Marketplaces of the world.
Bivocational Links
- Bivocational Ministries (Tennessee Baptist Convention)
- Providing encouragement, training, skills development, and opportunities for enrichment and fellowship to bivocational ministers serving Baptist churches in Tennessee. Includes a schedule for workshops, retreats, conferences, and workshops for bivo ministers.
- Bivocational Ministry Department, Louisiana Baptist Convention, SBC
- The Bi-vocational and Smaller Church Ministry Department relates to Pastors who are willing to contribute to their financial support through the means of a secular job, retirement income, disability income, or any other source of income, other than the financial support provided by their churches. This department provides a resume service for pastors seeking a bi-vocational pastorate and resumes for churches seeking a bi-vocational pastor.
- Canadian Tentmaker Network (CTN)
- Tentmaking is...Cross-cultural witness in which the Christian works in a host country using professional skills and qualifications among hard-to-reach people. The extensive personal contact with the local people provides opportunity for tentmakers to incarnate Christ cross-culturally.
- The Chaplaincy Job Network
- Nearly every state in the U.S. has openings for chaplains: military, corporate, hospital, hospice, and geriatric positions. There are many excellent benefits and salary packages throughout the country. Chaplaincy is also an excellent bivocational career option that would allow great freedom to plant new churches while using your seminary training and ministry experience in the workplace.
- Global Opportunities (GO): Helping tentmakers disciple the nations
- To help the church to understand and engage the Biblical model of tentmaking by sending committed, everyday, workplace Christians as mission workers, and to mobilize and equip these Christians to serve abroad as effective tentmakers, primarily to least-reached peoples.
- Southern Baptist Bivocational Ministers' Association
- The mission of the Association is doing whatever it takes to encourage, promote and serve bivocational churches, ministers, and families in Christ's kingdom service within local congregations and communities, the Southern Baptist family, and the larger Christian movement.
- Texas Baptist Bivocational Ministers' Homepage
- The Office of Bivocatonal/Smaller Church Development assists and encourages bivocational and smaller membership churches to realize their full potential to be the presence of Christ in the world through planning, networking and leadership development. Sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, SBC.
- Today's Bivocational Pastor
- A LifeWay newsletter with Mitch Martin. Links to some great articles on bivocational ministry.
- The Tentmaker Group
- The Tentmaker Group assists movements, ministry leaders and church planters who seek to bring gospel-centered change to cities. The concept comes from the apostle Paul who worked as a tentmaker in Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus (cf. Acts 18:3, 1 Thess. 2:9) in order to plant churches.
- Tentmaking 101
- Tentmaking is a strategic and powerful missions strategy. It allows you to use your vocation to reach the nations. Tentmaking is a real alternative and indispensible complement to vocational missions. It is much more than an access strategy for closed countries. Apostle Paul chose it over donor support because of its great benefits.
Bivocational Resources for Ministers
Video Resources
- A Special Message from SBC President Bobby Welch (2005)
- "Since almost half our Southern Baptist churches are led by bivocational pastors, I believe it's high time we recognize them and honor them," Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) President Bobby Welch told the East Tennessee Bivocational Evangelism Conference. Produced in 2005.
More Books
Bivocational Publications
- GOWorld - Free publication for tentmakers
- Eight pages of informative, challenging and thought provoking articles on the essence of tentmaking. Available as downloadable PDF, or subscribe by e-mail or postal delivery (only available to those in the United States).
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Areopagus
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