Dually Devoted – a Devotional for Bivocational Pastors and Leaders.Sample

Be confidently Bivocational! There is no need to apologize for not holding a typical full-time ministry role. There will always be those who don’t understand why we do what we do, with the workload we have and the limited resources we use. The only ones who fully understand are you and God.

Even our families may not fully grasp what goes on in our minds as we scrape for everything we can, squeeze out more than we thought we had, and fight and wrestle just to get through another week.

The barrage of questions we face often causes us to doubt and wonder, “Do I look like a fool? What do people think of me when they find out I work two jobs just to do ministry? Will they take me seriously?”

First, there will be those in your community who think that because you are Bivocational, you might not be a “real” pastor. Second, there will be fellow pastors who question your validity because it seems you can’t make the church work or grow enough to pay you full-time. Finally, we may even question ourselves, wondering if it is all worth it as we reflect on the past week.

Confidence is crucial as you navigate ministry. The question is, who should you place your confidence in? It was God who called you, God who gifted you, God who positioned you, and God who empowers you. Our confidence should be in Him.

People will always question things they don’t understand. But remember, God doesn’t second-guess Himself. He is the author and finisher of your faith, the yes and amen, the one who hears and answers. It is part of His nature.

Be confident that the God who called you, gifted you, positioned you, and empowered you knew full well that your ministry would look different, might not be understood, and might not be accepted by some. Our dedication to Christ may make us look like fools, but only He fully knows what He is doing.