The FaithX Project

Strategic Missional Consulting

Bi-vocational Church

By Steve Matthews, FaithX Senior Missional Consultant

Across the US, churches are discerning how to continue their ministries (and stay open) as many experience decreased attendance and giving.  Some churches have addressed this issue by decreasing the hours and salaries for their priests and pastors, which often means that the pastor needs to find other work to maintain their needed income. Thus, these priests are often referred to as “bi-vocational.”  Some churches with bi-vocational leaders find ways to continue their ministry in sustainable ways.  Some thrive, and some see this as the beginning of the end — increasingly scaling back on their ministry as their income and human resources dwindle. 

It is common for churches to believe they are clergy-dependent.  The ecclesial water in which many of us swim suggests that seminary trained leaders can and should lead our congregations – setting visions and priorities, offering prophetic sermons and compelling worship, visiting the sick, increasing membership, growing stewardship.  Is this model sustainable?  Is it even desirable?

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Ecclesiastical Autoimmune Syndrome – Part 7

This is the final post of a multipart series on Ecclesiastical Autoimmune Syndrome.
Click here for last week’s post.

Recovering from Ecclesiastical Autoimmunity Syndrome

By Ken Howard

For the last several weeks we have reviewed the causes and symptoms of Ecclesiastical Autoimmune Syndrome. Now we turn toward how to treat it. What follows are a collection of ideas about attitudes and practices that might help stop the downward spiral of E.A.S. and start the upward journey toward congregational and organizational health and vitality.

  1. Admit That We Have the Disease. Think of it as joining Autoimmunes Anonymous and beginning something like a 12-Step process of recovery (step one: admitting A.E.S. has taken control of your corporate life). Ecclesiastical Autoimmune Syndrome is not only an allergy to change, but also an addiction “to the way things are.” But it is worse than most other addictions, because we are born with it. Our addiction to homeostasis is part of our (sinful) human nature. Like any other addiction, the first step is admitting we have the disease. It’s also perhaps the hardest step, because since we have never not been infected, we don’t really know what “healthy” is, often mistaking the behavioral symptoms of E.A.S. as an heroic defense of “tradition.” Faith-based communities and organizations often have to get very close to death before the reality of the disease breaks through our denial, and sometimes not even then. So start by recognizing that your congregation or organization has E.A.S. and realize that you will always be in recovery. [Read more…]