A Missed Opportunity: The Benefits of Bivocational Ministry

Posted on August 19, 2024 
Filed under Opinion

“Since February of this year, I have had the great joy and privilege of studying at Bible College. Initially, I enrolled to equip myself to serve faithfully as a layperson in a church – a role I greatly admire. However, after much consideration, I have decided to pursue chaplaincy work at the completion of my Diploma – rather than returning to my previous work or pursuing ordained church-based ministry (I’ll save this story for another day).

During this time, as I considered vocational ministry for myself, something has been bothering me… Why does Australia have so few bivocational ministry workers? Along with many others, I have been growing increasingly convinced that we should consider this more seriously. I am not saying this is a silver bullet to our problems, nor that I want to see fewer people in full-time gospel ministry. Rather, my question is: are we missing out on something good and helpful by failing to equip and support bivocational ministry workers?…”

– Cooper Rispin, who is studying at Moore College, wants to help us consider the value and appropriateness of bivocational ministry. At AP, the Australian Presbyterian online journal.

(You can read about Cooper, and his fellow Moore College students, in the 2024 issue of Societas.)