by Dennis Bickers | Jan 23, 2020 | Opinion
One third of all seminary graduates in 2017 were planning to enter bivocational ministry. A recent article in Christianity Today cited this statistic from the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), which also noted this includes 57% of black/non-Hispanic and 41% of...
by Dennis Bickers | Aug 30, 2019 | Opinion
I conducted a survey a number of years ago of bivocational ministers within the American Baptist Churches, USA. One of the questions asked concerned their level of education. Those responding reported everything from a high school education to doctorates. Many had...
by Ircel Harrison | Mar 4, 2019 | Opinion
Intuit published its 2020 Report several years ago, offering predictions about coming changes. One of the key observations was this: “By 2020, 40 percent of American workers will be independent contractors.” A significant part of the population will be contingent...
by Ircel Harrison | Sep 21, 2018 | Opinion
Bivocational ministry is emerging as a necessity for many churches and denominations. Yet, most theological institutions still focus on preparation for full-time congregational ministry and tend to ignore any other ministry model. Sharon Miller, director of research...
by Ircel Harrison | Sep 20, 2018 | Opinion
Sixty-eight percent of the 156 congregations affiliated with the Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ had no full-time clergy in 2017. Darren Morgan, the associate conference minister said, “They recognize their reality that they can’t afford a full-time...
