Part-time Pastors and Gift-filled Congregations
Lovett H. Weems Jr. describes the growth of part-time pastoral leadership, particularly in older and established traditions where part-time ministry has not been considered the…
Browsing: Bivocational Ministry
Articles
What Does Declining Attendance Portend for Congregations and Their Leaders?
A sustained decline in worship attendance is afflicting most American congregations. Drawing on findings from the Lewis Center’s Religious Workforce Project, Lovett H. Weems Jr.…
“Trends in Latino Congregations” featuring Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi
Podcast Episode 143 How are the trends in majority Latino congregations different from those in non-Latino congregations? We speak with Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi about her report…
8 Adjustments Needed as Bivocational and Covocational Pastoral Roles Become the Norm
The shift to bivocational work is reshaping expectations in the church as many pastors now rely on multiple income sources. As bivocational and covocational roles…
Embracing Mutual Ministry: An In-Depth Interview with Lydia Bucklin
How can your congregation function as a community of ministers rather than a community gathered around a single minister? Lydia Bucklin of the Episcopal Diocese…
“Embracing Mutual Ministry” featuring Lydia Bucklin
Podcast Episode 136 How can your congregation function as a community of ministers rather than a community gathered around a single minister? Lydia Bucklin explains…
How to Keep Preaching Fresh: An In-Depth Interview with Teresa Fry Brown
How can preachers keep their preaching fresh? Doug Powe of the Lewis Center staff interviews Professor of Preaching Teresa Fry Brown about preaching familiar texts…
“How to Keep Preaching Fresh” featuring Teresa Fry Brown
Podcast Episode 123 How can preachers keep their preaching fresh? Teresa Fry Brown, professor of preaching at Candler School of Theology, shares strategies for preaching…
When the Pastor Is Your Plumber
Lovett H. Weems Jr. writes about the long and rich history of bivocational ministry in the Bible, throughout the generations of American history and around…
Bivocational By Choice: An In-Depth Interview with Ben Connelly
Can bivocational ministry be a strategic choice and not just a reluctant concession to financial constraints? Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff interviews Ben…
“Bivocational by Choice” featuring Ben Connelly
Podcast Episode 114 Can bivocational ministry be a strategic choice and not just a reluctant concession to financial constraints? Ben Connelly shares how bivocational ministry…
Four Incarnational Benefits of Bivocational Ministry
Steven Van Ostran challenges the common perception that bivocational ministers are second class or somehow “less than” those serving full time. He names four specific…
Congregations That Thrive without Full-Time Clergy
Jeffrey MacDonald shares the story of a Massachusetts church on the brink of closing that turned itself around by embracing a new ministry model with…
Episode 64: “Churches Thriving with Part-Time Pastors” featuring G. Jeffrey MacDonald
We don’t typically associate a thriving church with having a part-time pastor. Journalist and pastor Jeffrey MacDonald begs to differ as he discusses with us his new and provocative book, Part-time is Plenty: Thriving without Full-time Clergy.
The Changing Face of Ministry
Lewis Center Director F. Douglas Powe describes shifting staffing patterns and ministry models emerging as more and more mainline congregations suffer decline. The Lewis Center…
2 Churches — 1 Pastor
It is increasingly common for a congregation to share a pastor with another congregation and for pastors to be serving more than one church. Lew…