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Calling and Career: A Guide to Bivocational Ministry
EVENT DATE & DETAILSNote: This workshop takes place on Eastern Time (ET).
The model of clergy working at multiple jobs is re-emerging as relevant to the 21st century. The reasons for this are as varied as the congregations in which clergy serve. Some congregations are considering a shift to bivocational ministry because they have economic challenges which limit their capacity to compensate a full time clergy person. Some congregations already engaged in the “bivocational model” experience difficulties because they need to adjust their expectations of the role of the clergy person and/or the way they approach ministry. The bivocational model, though around for some time, has been overlooked due to a preference for what is often called “full-time ministry.”
Join workshop leader Rev. Kris Bentley, author of Bivocational Ministry: Field Notes for Congregations and Ministers as she shares key takeaways from this study about the success and beauty in bivocational ministry.
Participants will:
- Learn from reflecting and discussing several stories of success from bivocational clergy and ministers and congregations.
- Reflect on the expectations congregations have of ministry leaders.
- Engage in a learning activity about adjusting or “tinkering” with the way ministry is shared among clergy and lay people.
About the instructorRev. Dr. Kris Bentley is an ordained minister with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She has served in congregational ministry in the central Kentucky area for more than twenty years, sometimes in the role of a bivocational pastor. In 2014 she began working at Lexington Theological Seminary (LTS) when LTS was awarded a grant by Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Economic Challenges Facing Future Ministers (ECFFM) Initiative. While at LTS, Kris has guided a research project regarding bivocational ministry, serving as the lead researcher.
Kris is an alum of Lexington Theological Seminary, holding a D.Min. (2020) and M.Div. degree (1997) from LTS, as well as a M.S. in Education (1981) from Indiana University, and a B.A. (1979) from the University of Kentucky. Prior to attending seminary, she worked in higher education administration, serving at Midway College (now Midway University) and the University of Kentucky. Kris and her husband, Perry, live in the Lexington, KY area. They have four adult children and three grandchildren.
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