The Bi-vocational Knight: The Case for Bivocational Ministry Part 1 by Rev. Mike Chipman

The Bi-vocational Knight: The Case for Bivocational Ministry Part 1 by Rev. Mike Chipman     I started my ministry career as a youth worker at New Albany Presbyterian. After some time there, I came under the care of the Mississippi Valley Presbytery as a student of theology. I was moving into the big time. I saw the land of ordained ministers as a land of anointed knights, and I was a squire. I hoped to one day trade in my dagger and scrub brush for a sword and shield. Several situations exacerbated this feeling. Once, I filled the pulpit in another ARP church. Before my sermon, the elder introduced me as, “Mike Chipman, who is training to be a real pastor one day.” In another church, the elder introduced me as, “Chip.” You know, like the idiot sidekick monkey-boy who's there for laughs and to make the hero look smart. The pastor may have introduced me that way because of the thing growing on my shoulder. Whatever the case, that day finally came when I was dubbed, “The Right Reverend” and all was well. At least that’s how all the good stories end, right? 

    After my time in New Albany, we moved to a PCA church in Maryland. After a few years there, I knew it was time to move on, and even out of the ministry altogether. Due to the circumstances there, I felt like I was hanging on the bottom rung again. The session there asked us to transition quickly. This forced me to look for jobs in the secular world, so I leaned back on my training as a biology teacher. Murray High School in Murray, Kentucky, where Emily and I met and attended college, hired me. Though I had no biology teaching experience, I had been teaching teens for years. The transition to teaching was an easy one, and I took to teaching like a fish to water. In fact, I excelled at it. I distinguished myself as a capable and knowledgeable teacher. 

    Around the same time, a core group of believers started meeting in Murray, KY. They hoped to form a reformed church there. An elder at New Geneva ARP in Paducah spearheaded the group. That group contacted me and I started meeting with them. We had meals and Bible studies together and for over a year, got to know one another. It became plain that God would have this proud knight be a part of an ARP church plant in Murray. There were a few problems with this, and these problems are familiar to most church plants. The main problem was this: How can I afford to plant a church? I’m not wealthy. Also, I knew that no church-planting assessment center in the land would pass me. I’m introverted. I’m brusque and rough. I don’t have that “entrepreneurial spirit” that church planting gurus considered essential. The only option would be a bi-vocational ministry, and I couldn’t do that. I’m a proud knight of the Right Reverend Alliance. I worked my way from being the monkey-boy squire to being a real pastor. I couldn’t give that up. God had other plans. I’m a bi-vocational pastor now. Not because I used some 7-step program to church-planting success. It’s because Jesus loves idiot monkey-boy squires with large chips on their shoulders. He loves his Church. 

    So why should you consider bi-vocational ministry? Have you considered planting a church? Do you have a burden for a small congregation that couldn’t afford to pay you a full-time salary? Bi-vocational ministry is perfect for both situations. For introverted pastors, a secular job creates opportunities for relationships you may not otherwise have. The work roots you in the community and helps you to love its people and traditions. It gets you doing actual ministry, rather than studying and cruising social media. 

    If you know me, you may be surprised to hear that I’m an introvert. I'm friendly. I like to talk in groups and I enjoy good conversation. I’m also worn out by people. I don’t like small talk. I don’t want to bother people or have them bother me. One of my favorite moments of the week is getting in my car to go home after church on Sunday. Working at the school has allowed me to build meaningful relationships at a nice pace. It has helped me to understand that while I don’t value small talk, others need it as an entry point, and that’s okay. It’s also helped me to see that conversations about Christ don’t have to be canned. They can be a natural part of relationships that you form with people you care about. Working at Murray High has taught me to love people who won’t ever come to my church. The relationships aren’t a means to fill the pews. They are an end to themselves. This liberated me as a pastor. To be sure, people I have formed relationships with through the school do attend my church. That’s not why we care for one another, though. We share a connection to the school. That connection reaches into the broader community and its traditions. I’m not saying you can’t have that as a full-time minister. In my experience, it’s much harder to establish that without building trust in a non-minister role. And to the church planter who thinks they can show up at the coffee shop with your Bible and laptop, think again. Actual relationships take time and effort. For some, the coffee-shop thing works. For introverts like me, I needed the structure and time that secular vocation has allowed me. 

    The biggest thing for me now is partitioning my time. As a full-time guy, that was less important. There were slow weeks and busy weeks. As a bivocational guy, there are only busy weeks. One of the questions I get asked most often is, “How do you have time to do it all?” My answer is, “I say ‘No’ a whole lot.” The bi-vocational ministry has taught me the important parts of ministry. It has helped me to prioritize my time. It’s also taught me I’m not that important, and that real pastors can take different forms. 

    Are you considering a church plant? Taking a call at a small church? My advice: move to the area and get a job. It’ll teach you to love your community, its people, and your church. It’ll teach you to rank your family at the top. It’ll teach you you’re not that special and your armor doesn’t need that much polish. In fact, just take it off.