Terminology is important to the Bivocational Minister. While everyone may have their preferred label, these identifiers can sometimes lead to overlooking important struggles or necessities that deserve serious attention. The term “Bivocational” has been used for quite some time, but some suggest replacing it with the softer term “Co-vocational.” However, these terms are not the same.
To clarify, let’s define these terms. Being Bivocational means a pastor or leader works a second job “so that” they can do ministry. In contrast, being Co-vocational involves having multiple jobs and feeling “called” to them all. One is entered by default, while the other is by choice.
When I first heard the term “Co-Vocational,” it didn’t sit well with me because it seemed to diminish the dichotomy of working two different types of jobs, each with its own struggles, differences, and dynamics. While working in a products and services business, it was difficult for me to see one intersecting with the other. Switching from ministry mode to work mode often required a shift in focus and mission. Ministering to someone should not be the same as selling them a product; that simply is not the motivation we are to have as we share the gospel.
I decided to research the origin of the term “Co-Vocational” ministry and found it mentioned within the church planting movement. According to the Send Network, they make the following distinction:
A Bivocational Church Planter works a second job to supplement the salary the church provides. Their hope is that the church will eventually be able to support them financially so they can focus full-time on the church plant.
A Covocational Church Planter has a primary vocation in the marketplace and is simultaneously called to start a church. A “covo” planter has a clear calling in the marketplace that they never intend to leave. They know God has called them to be a teacher, mechanic, graphic designer, or doctor, and they desire to weave that calling into their church planting efforts.
As one can see, each of these definitions comes with a different type of motivation: one with the hope of full-time vocational ministry and the other with the integration of marketplace skills as the foundation of their ministry. Placing the expectation of integration on Bivocationals is like telling them to “get over” their challenges and struggles. This would seem to discount and diminish the hard work they put forth each week just to be able to share Jesus with those whom God gives them.
Perhaps the hope of the term “Covocational” is to show the importance of both job and ministry. In the article “Tent Making and Christian Life (Acts 18:1-4),” the author states,
“It is not the case that Paul engages in tent making as a necessity so that he can do his ‘real job’ of preaching. Instead, Paul’s varieties of work in the sewing shop, marketplace, synagogue, lecture hall, and prison are all forms of witness.”
Each side plays its purpose. It describes a “dual” role, hence why I decided to call this new ministry “Dually Devoted.” If Jesus is important, then no matter what our motivation is in going into the workplace, taking care of our families and our churches serves as a witness to the world around us.
Bibliography:
“Bivocational and Covocational: Definitions - Send Network.” Send Network, 8 Mar. 2023, www.namb.net/send-network/resource/rethinking-bivocational-church-planting-what-is-covocational-2/. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.
Work, Theology of. “Tent Making and Christian Life (Acts 18:1-4).” Www.theologyofwork.org, www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/acts/a-clash-of-kingdoms-community-and-powerbrokers-acts-13-19/tent-making-and-christian-life-acts-181-4.
Awesome! Thank you for the encouragement. Bring Dually Devoted is such a powerful heart and mindset.