Can a BiVo Pastor have Full Time Job?

Can I pastor while working a full time job?

Many pastors cannot fathom doing a traditional "8-5 grind" while working in a church but in this short post, I am going to share why full time jobs are not only viable for bivo pastors but preferred. First, let me tell you some popular misconceptions pastors like you have about that "8-5 grind"

Misconception 1: It is an 8-5 grind. One of the greatest benefits of the Covid-19 pandemic is that is changed the way we work in the knowledge economy. Remote work is now 25% of all jobs in America and most organizations, even smaller companies, allow flexible, hybrid work options. Here was the thing that shocked me about working a traditional corporate job. My manager doesn't care when I work as long as the work gets done on time and of quality. Yes, I need to be available during working hours but in the years I've worked in corporate America, I can count on one hand the number of "cold calls" I received from people at inopportune times. It's pretty rare. I personally have my work e-mail and Slack on my phone and am 'online' from 8:30-5pm, but in that time, I can go for a run, take my kids to school or do the laundry. As long as my work gets done on time and of quality.

Misconception 2: I won't have enough time to do ministry. This is a half-truth because you are right, being committed to a full time job is a commitment and if you're one of the pastors who HAS to preach every Sunday, HAS to lead Sunday School, HAS to lead Wednesday night Bible Study, HAS to go to every hospital visit and visit every shut-in, then you're right you can't do all that anymore. So unless you're willing to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry (that sounds oddly familiar) you cannot consider Bivo ministry, at least not a full time job. Basically if you're a control freak, you can't do this.

Misconception 3: I'll work in the 'gig' economy and make my own schedule: This is the misconception I am most sympathetic to because I used to think this too and it's not a bad proposition. I used to work as a Coach for a Learning and Development firm based out of the UK where I would be contracted to deliver Leadership Workshops to different companies around North America. It was a fun, lucrative, exciting job but there was one problem. I was forever exchanging time for money. I had no social leverage. Everyday I woke up and I had to go hunt to bring something home. It's like everyday is your first day on the job. Whereas in a traditional 8-5 job, you have trusting relationships with colleagues who can support you, you have paid PTO (my current company is 7 weeks a year), you have health insurance, retirement matching, PD funds, promotions, stretch projects, the list goes on. I loved working in the gig economy for the excitement of it but at the end of the day, having a regular, consistent schedule was much easier to emotionally manage as a pastor.

In conclusion, I Help Pastors Get Jobs believes in Ministry Sustainability without Money Stress. If you're a pastor reading this and you're looking at your church's giving decrease, or you're hitting your 40s and 50s and realizing you have no retirement or if you just want to expand your vocational options, give us a call, we have openings this week and we'd love to hear your story.

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