There’s no question about it: bivocational ministry has been gaining more airtime in the CRCNA.
The Study of Bivocationality Task Force recently released its substantial report for Synod 2021; this was summarized by this recent article in The Banner. The report builds on a prior Bivocational Task Force Report to Synod 2019, itself a response to a gathering in April 2018 on “What Role Will Bivocational Ministry Play in the Future of the CRCNA?” (the first of its kind, to my knowledge).
Denominational ministries and agencies are more squarely considering how to support bivocational pastors. Pastor Church Resources and its Financial Shalom program are among them.
Financial Shalom seeks to alleviate financial challenges facing pastors. But as its name suggests, money is not the ultimate end-game: the goal is for pastors to have healthy and right relationships—with themselves, their work, their families, their communities, their churches, and yes, their resources. Bivocationality poses opportunities and challenges to each of these relationships. So Financial Shalom seeks to support current or potential bivocational pastors through a new program, the Bivocational Growth Fellowship.
This Fellowship will support 10-20 pastors a year to take steps toward long-term financial sustainability and vocational fit. It will provide participants with financial assistance, training resources, and goal development support. Within a cohort of fellow pastors, participants will develop a plan, receive vocational and financial coaching, pursue additional training and learning opportunities customized to their situation, and share experiences with colleagues for mutual learning and growth.
If you are yourself engaged in or considering bivocational ministry, you are welcome to apply! You can learn more and APPLY HERE through December 11th.
Please consider sharing this opportunity with any pastors or churches you know who are considering or curious about bivocational ministry.
To discuss the Bivocational Growth Fellowship or bivocational ministry in the CRCNA more generally, you can reach me at [email protected].
Comments
Thanks to Nathan Rauh-Bieri for posting this update regarding Bi-vocational ministries. Very informative and innovative. I notice that the article was posted on Dec 6th but the deadline for Pastors to respond is Dec 11th . Isn't a 5 day response time a bit abrupt? It provides so very little opportunity for any Pastor to actually read, pray about, and apply....in fact, less than a week to decide. Couldn't the suspense date have been extended somewhat to give a bit more time for ministry colleagues to possibly respond?
Respectfully
Will Hensen, Pastor (by the grace of God).
Hi Pastor Will, thanks for reading and your interest in the Fellowship. This opportunity was first announced on November 5th via the 'For Pastors' email list and other media, including a Financial Shalom post on The Network. The application was originally scheduled to close on December 4th, but since it did admittedly take longer than expected for the word to get around (e.g., you are just now hearing about it!), we extended the deadline to the current deadline of December 11th to give more pastors a chance to hear about it and decide whether to apply. I am glad you saw this post, even though it is close to the deadline. If you decide to apply, I do not think you'll find the application too time-consuming. If you have other questions, please email me at [email protected]. Thank you! -Nathan
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