More than half of Alabama Baptist churches are served by bivocational pastors who balance their church responsibilities with the demands of a full-time role in another workplace.
And with that balancing act comes a specific set of needs — needs that can be met by a program made possible by Samford University, the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM) and a Lilly Endowment grant.
“The Pastoral Sustenance Network (PSN) makes resources available to groups of bivocational ministers — when and where it works best for them,” said Michael Wilson, director of the Resource Center for Pastoral Excellence at Samford.
The center partnered with the SBOM to form the network. The program is one of several offered to ministers by the center and is funded through a grant from the Lilly Endowment.
“As a bivocational minister, time is a precious commodity,” said Michael Duckworth, pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church, Fayette, in Fayette Baptist Association as well as announcer and office manager for WLDX Radio.
Monthly group meetings
He appreciates the well organized structure of the monthly group meetings of PSN he’s attended over the past three years.
“It’s definitely worth the investment of time. We study together; we pray together. The study, the materials and camaraderie are very beneficial,” he said. “I learn a lot and I can call on any one of them anytime for anything.”
The relationship among members engenders a significant component of the program, Wilson said. “The groups have built high levels of trust that allow them to talk about sensitive issues as they gather for peer support and encouragement, study and discussion of church and family issues.”
“About 10 PSN groups are now active,” said Gary Farley, who as director of missions for Pickens Baptist Association leads PSN groups there.
“There is tremendous diversity among bivocational ministers and they have special needs.”
Twenty years as an educator and 13 years’ work with rural churches through the Home Mission Board (now North American Mission Board) made Farley a valuable participant in PSN’s development in 2003 to respond to those needs.
“Some have not had opportunities for formal education at universities; others are well-qualified and prepared in a profession,” he said. “Most have three roles — the church, the workplace and the family. There are tremendous demands and never enough time.”
Among PSN participants are postal workers, engineers, small businessmen, mechanics, students, even an explosives expert — and each has felt the call to share God’s Word.
Dual roles do offer opportunities to draw upon workday experiences for sermons.
“One bivocational minister I love to hear preach draws upon principles in his work as manager of a moving company,” Farley said. “His messages are powerful in the pulpit.”
While targeting rural areas where resources may not be as accessible as metropolitan areas, PSN recognizes that it must be responsive to individual group needs.
Group size varies and ages vary. Some participants are awaiting their first full-time position as a minister; others have decades of experience.
Even the method of teaching and study may differ among groups.
Peer learning
Farley, who describes himself as “old school,” often opts for books — convenient to carry and easy to reference later. “Ministerial Ethics,” “Servant Leadership” and “Shepherding Small Churches” have been recent selections by one of his Pickens Association groups.
For another group, the choices included a video series on the Bible, and for those who commute, it has been “Preaching Today” on CD.
With Larry Barnes, director of missions for Fayette Association, the meeting structure is two segments of two and a half hours each.
Each selected topic receives content, discussion/reflection, then prayer. Baptist distinctives, Jesus on leadership and Christian history are recent topics.
“At different times, we use different resource materials, but the core element is responsiveness to the needs of the group,” he noted.
While participants run “the gamut from those awaiting their first church to those retiring,” Barnes said, invariably, they cite peer learning as the program’s most helpful aspect.
“Discussing application of the topic with other ministers — the true life experiences in church ministry. … Whether it’s the wisdom of a well-seasoned pastor or the fresh viewpoint of a beginning one, these shared experiences are helpful,” he said.
Terry Billings, outreach minister at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, Gordo, in Pickens Association and owner of Billy’s Bayou Restaurant and a meat packing plant, is one of those in Farley’s “transitioning” group who agrees with that sentiment.
“The education on Scripture … counseling on issues related to parenting, family, alcoholism … our leaders … our materials — it all works together and you can see God’s hand in this,” Billings said.
The young minister voiced his appreciation to PSN’s organizers: “Their efforts on our behalf and what they’re doing is an awesome blessing.”
Farley said, “What’s being created is a legacy of ministers who know the Bible, give good council and preach good sermons.”
Based on its current success and its recognition as a model for similar programs in Alabama and beyond, program organizers are planning to expand the Pastoral Sustenance Network.
For contact information and to learn more about PSN’s resources, visit www.samford.edu/rcpe.
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