The Rise in Co-Vocational Ministry

The growing trend and why it matters.

The word vocation is derived from the Latin term vocatio, which means “calling” or “summons.” A person’s vocation is bigger than their job. It is a sense of purpose often aligned with their skills, passions, and values. Ideally, a person would be drawn to their chosen career path not solely for financial reasons but because they feel a deeper sense of calling.

In the church, different words and phrases have been used to describe vocational ministry.

The first is a leader who is employed in “full-time” vocational ministry. This often means the primary source of income is a local church or nonprofit. In most cases, when a pastor or leader isn’t able to serve full-time, they resort to “bi-vocational” ministry.

The “bi-vocational” moniker often communicates the distinctiveness and separation of two very different vocations. Most bi-vocational pastors and leaders carry out their primary calling in the context of a local church and then work a secular job to make ends meet. In this case, the goal is often to move toward full-time vocational ministry.

In recent years, there has been a more intentional shift to help pastors and leaders understand that multiple vocations can be united under a shared calling.

This description is called “co-vocational,” and the prefix “co” means “together” or “with.” Being co-vocational communicates that the roles of pastor, realtor, insurance salesman, athlete, construction worker, barista, or any other type of job can be integrated under a single calling.

In many cases, pastors and leaders are encouraged to be “co-vocational” for greater missional engagement.

Multiple Vocations

Tommy "Urban D" Kyllonen was first called to pastoral ministry over twenty years ago. Prior to his first ministry assignment, he attended a well-known seminary in the south and prepared to enter “full-time” vocational ministry.

However, as his calling was refined and God began leading him to focus on urban youth, he realized he would need to take a radically different approach to ministry.

Instead of reaching youth through one primary vocation, he would embark on a co-vocational approach.

Tommy is a local pastor.

In the last twenty years, he has led Crossover Church through multiple building campaigns and grown the church from 40 people to well over 1,000. God has gifted him as a leader and pastor.

But Tommy is more than a local pastor.

Finding new avenues to minister to urban youth has required him to adopt a co-vocational mindset. He is also an internationally known hip-hop artist who has released nine full-length albums.

By leveraging a second vocation as a hip-hop artist, Tommy has been able to build bridges back to the local church. In a recent interview, Tommy spoke about his work as an artist and how it was integrated into pastoring. He writes,

“The thing that pushed us (Crossover Church) into the national spotlight was the fact that I got signed to a record label, and my new Hip-Hop CD was in Christian stores everywhere. As thousands of people bought the CD, they opened the insert and saw the picture inside that featured me and the hundreds of urban teenagers that were part of my youth.”

Tommy's vocations include local pastor and national hip-hop artist, but he also serves as a fashion designer, producer, community leader, and author of six books.

His most recent book, “Gotta’ Be Da’ Shoes,” unpacks the world of sneaker culture and identity. By adopting a co-vocational approach, he has been able to reach new groups of people, add new revenue streams for ministry, and find creative ways to connect people to the gospel.

Why The Rise in Co-Vo Ministry?

Tommy is not alone.

There is a rapid rise in pastors and leaders who identify as “co-vocational,” and a number of factors are accelerating this shift. Here are five of them in no particular order.

First, many churches are facing a financial challenge as tithing diminishes and congregations evolve. This challenge has forced pastors and leaders to be more creative with funding models and, in many cases, explore new avenues for ministry. Rather than adopting a bi-vocational approach as a concession, these leaders are trying to be intentional and missional about their new vocation.

Second is the changing ministry landscape. With fewer people seeking spiritual answers from the established church, a co-vocational approach can often create more dialogue and missional engagement.

Third are the opportunities created by emerging technologies. Leveraging new digital opportunities has allowed leaders to engage in various forms of ministry remotely, making it more feasible for them to fulfill multiple roles.

Fourth is the growing importance of specialized ministry. As culture continues to fragment and divide into hundreds and thousands of subgroups, each demographic has its own opportunities and needs. By adopting a co-vocational approach, pastors and leaders are better able to reach these subgroups.

Fifth, the rise in co-vocational ministry also signals a shift in the attitude of emerging generations that blurs the lines between clergy and laity. A professor at a local Christian college recently shared with me that the majority of graduating ministry majors are pursuing co-vocational rather than full-time ministry.

The Priesthood of All Believers

In the same way that many clergy are beginning to migrate in a co-vocational direction, there are many laity who are awakening to see their vocation as ministry.

Ordinary men and women fueled the expansion of the early church in Acts, and every historical renewal movement recovers a healthy concept of the priesthood of all believers. The Apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:19,

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God.”

In Greek, the word for “people” in this verse is laos. Christ is the head of the church, and we are the laos, the laity, the people of God.

We are all priests, and every follower of Jesus has a mission to accomplish. While there are also leaders of the church who emerge as overseers, elders, and deacons, the idea in the New Testament is that all followers of Jesus should see themselves as ministers.

Howard Snyder, in his book Community of the King, writes,

“The clergy-laity dichotomy is one of the principal obstacles to the church effectively being God’s agent of the Kingdom today because it creates a false idea that only ‘holy (people),’ namely, ordained ministers, are qualified and responsible for leadership and significant ministry.”

The move to co-vocational ministry is happening among both clergy and laity and signaling the growing reality that we need more everyday missionaries to reach our changing culture.

Conclusion

The United States now has 180 million people without a connection to a local church, making it the largest mission field in the Western Hemisphere and the third largest mission field on earth.

I live in a suburb of Indianapolis that is experiencing rapid immigration from the Middle East, India, Southeast Asia, and dozens of countries in South America. A local mosque was recently constructed less than a mile from my house.

A new approach is needed to reach these specific segments of people.

In the same way that some clergy will be called to think creatively about new vocations to expand their ministries, lay leaders should also embrace a co-vocational approach to impact a variety of domains and industries.

God has given all of us a unique background and testimony. He has positioned his people in a variety of professions and callings that should be leveraged to reach new groups of people.

Whether you are a pastor, marketplace leader, director of a non-profit, or any other profession or trade, God has given you a calling. He has called you to make disciples. What if there were new ways to integrate your skills, passions, and various networks of people? What might it look like for you to step into co-vocational ministry?

Jon Wiest is the Co-Founder and Strategic Director of Mobilize the Church. You can reach him at jwiest@mobilizethechurch.com or by calling 515.689.7145.