Reflections on Bivo (So Far . . .)

Last Friday (October 17^th) was my last day as a seasonal Park Keeper for the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board. I have a couple of week off before I start my next position as the temporary custodian at Trinity First Lutheran School in Minneapolis. I’ve written a few times on bi-vocational ministry, which you can read here, here, and here if you’d like. In light of these initial 4+ months of bi-vocational ministry, I thought I would share my three main reflections on this particular type of ministry.

1. Work Hard and Work Well. I cannot stress this enough – for all who lead the bivo lifestyle, the “non-ministry” job cannot be seen as something less important and less worthy or your energy and effort. Such an attitude would be obvious to your co-workers and boss and will affect how they view you. It will also cheat the organization for which you work, which is unfair to them. Ultimately, such an attitude will be detrimental to your witness in the workplace. On the flip side, if you work hard and work well (at a job you truly enjoy, which is a huge plus!), you will establish a good reputation, which will open all sorts of doors. I have so many stories of my work ethic shaping my reputation in the work place, which then opened numerous doors to deep spiritual conversations about Christ and His Gospel.
2. It Is Really, Truly Hard. I also cannot stress this enough – the bivo lifestyle is physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding. You work 30-40 hours per week at your “non-ministry” job and then an additional 30-40 hours per week for the church. Of course, on top of this you need to prioritize your life as a husband and father (if applicable). Naturally, this doesn’t leave much time for anything else. However . . .
3. It Is Really, Truly Worth-It. One more time, I cannot stress this enough – the bivo lifestyle  will put you and the church in positions that otherwise would not be accessible to you. You will engage with the lost, broken, and hurting in ways that are not available to full time ministers. You will understand the lifestyles of “lay leaders” in the church in ways that you would not if you are full time. You will allow the church as an organization to be leveraged for financial health, both now and in the future, in ways that would not be possible if you were drawing a full time salary. Yes, bivo is hard. But for those called into it, you will quickly realize that you wouldn’t have it any other way.
4. BONUS – Make Sure to Have Really Good Financial People in Your Corner. This is the last thing (I promise!) that I cannot stress enough – if you do not have people in your corner who understand accounting, taxes, etc. REALLY well, you will develop extreme headaches due to the administrative side of bivo. With taxes being so different between church work and non-church work, it can be brutal trying to figure out exactly how much you’re actually making. By far, this area of bivo has caused me more heartburn than all the other aspects of this lifestyle combined.

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