Church Planting
When Sharon and I first planted our church, I was full time in the business world and Sharon was a mum with two children under four and another on the way. Whether I should leave my work to be a full-time church planter was never a question we considered.
I loved what I did in the business world, and our young family needed the income that it provided. The fledgling church also needed income from what I earned.
That was my experience until I received a very clear call from God into full-time Christian ministry five years later.
But that isn’t the path all church planters should follow. Some should aim to be bi-vocational or co-vocational, but for others full-time vocational ministry employment is the best option. So how can a church planter discern what is the right model for them?
Before I give some thoughts, we need to clarify what is meant by the different terms I’ve just mentioned.
Vocational ministry church planting occurs when a person plants a church whilst being employed in ministry full time to do that. In Australia this most likely occurs when the church is planted out from a mother church that has sufficient financial resources, or where a donor or foundation invests in the church plant.
Bi-vocational church planting happens when the church planter effectively has two jobs; an occupation in the non-ministry workplace and a “job” as a church planter. The church planter role may be either paid or unpaid. There are times when bi-vocational ministry is a stepping stone to full time vocational ministry.
Co-vocational ministry is a bit like bi-vocational ministry but with an important difference. People in co-vocational ministry feel called to plant a church but also feel called to the marketplace where they work. In fact where they work will often be seen as their mission field where they can meet and engage with the people they wish to minister to.
Following are some of the questions you can ask to help determine which church planting model may be right for you.
- Have you felt a call to full-time vocational ministry?
You feel that God has called you to plant a church, but have you felt a call to a particular vocational model? After Sharon and I planted our church, we had so many people tell me that I needed to leave my business role and become a full-time church planter. But there were a few problems with this. I really loved my work and didn’t feel a call to leave. My family needed to survive financially and the church plant could not support us. In addition, I was gaining valuable experience and developing skills that would prove invaluable both in the church and local ministry.
But then after some time, the day came when God showed me it was time to go full-time, and I did. God’s timing was perfect. Leaving the business world prematurely would have been disastrous. Some people will definitely be called into full time vocational ministry from the time the church is planted. But others will not. I learnt that it was important not to presume that all because I had felt the call to plant, that I would be called immediately into full time ministry.
- What is your vision for the church that you will plant?
The vision for and the model of the church you plant will have a major impact on your vocational model. For example, if you have a vision for planting a micro church and then multiplying micro churches, it’s likely that a bi-vocational or co-vocational model will be most appropriate. If however, you plant a church with a core team of 100 or so and have a vision of expanding to multiple services, a full-time vocational ministry model would most likely be appropriate.
A question that goes hand in hand with this bigger question revolves around how you would spend your time in leading the church plant. You could map out your role by identifying your core leadership tasks and your core ministry tasks. Leadership tasks involve equipping and leveraging others for ministry, while ministry tasks are the things you personally do.
- Will the new church be able to afford providing you with a full time salary?
When a church pays a minister a salary that it is stretched to afford, there are two groups that typically sufferer; the church and the planter’s family. Mark DeYmaz in his book “The Coming Revolution in Church Economics” makes this point well. He describes how small churches will be stretched paying a pastor a wage that the church struggles to afford, and the pastor and their family often limp by on a sub-standard wage. Mark, a church planter, consultant, ministry leader and professor suggests that both the planter, their family and the church would be far better off if the planter in this situation went bi or co-vocational.
As a matter of interest, many churches in Australia see 60% to 65% of the income they receive being spent on employment expenses.
- Does the church planter have the capacity to work across various spheres?
An important question revolves around the capacity of the church planter. Some thrive best when they can have a sole focus whilst others prefer to spend their time across a number of roles. Some planters are quick paced and task oriented, whilst others may be slower paced and more relational. Which types are best? Neither. There is room for a range of models with each model having strengths and weaknesses. The key is to match the planter with the model.
- Are there significant ministry benefits connected to marketplace employment?
Working in the marketplace can provide connection with people to minister to as well as providing skills, experience and opportunities. For example, some networks have a real focus for planting churches alongside Christian schools with the planter being employed at least part time by the school. In cases like this, the points of contact as well as the trust the planter can gain through the school role provide high benefits to the church planter.
There is no strict yes or no solution as to vocational ministry model that a church planter should engage. It does depend on circumstances and critically on how God is calling the planter to be placed. And the model may change over time. Finding the right model requires discernment; discernment in relation to circumstances, discernment form trusted mentors and discernment as to what God is asking of you.
Following are five articles that offer various perspectives of bi-vocational versus full time vocational ministry:
“The Future Is Bi-Vocational” by Andrew Hamilton
“8 Reasons Why Some Full-time Pastors and Staff Should Go Bi-vocational” by Lifeway Research
“3 Benefits of Bi-vocational Church Planting” by Brad Brisco
“3 Dangers of Bi-vocational Ministry” by Joel Seymour
