Stay with me! As a bivocational pastor, it seems insane to add something else to your week from your job and your ministry. It's only for a season but it will be last beyond that. For me, I just wrapped up my 6th season of coaching youth football. Does it take away from some stuff at the church, Yes. Does it take away from the job I earn money from, Yep. So, why do I do it? Because it brings me a sense of joy and fulfillment. For me, when I step on that practice field or game field, I'm not thinking about anything ministry related. I admit to having a major problem when it comes to taking time off or "resting" from ministry. It's not something I'm good at. I'm not talking about just physically going to the office or holding meetings but shutting off my mind (just ask my wife). So, yeah, a typical week of football consumes approximately 8 hours of practice time, game time, roster adjustment, play changes, etc. BUT...that is 8 hours that I am not thinking ministry stuff.
For me, coaching is a "getaway" from ministry. However, none of this works if not for the support of Velocity Church and my family. I have been blessed with an understanding board and ready to help leaders that allow me 3 months to reach out to other families in our community For them, they are ok with the reduction in office hours and the frequent guest speakers. From August through yesterday, I had 5 Sunday's that I did not have to prepare for. The church understand how much of a passion for football I have. They understand the need for their pastor to be involved in the community. Coaching allows those two things to come together. The BIG difference maker is that they don't expect me to do all the coaching on top of preaching every Sunday. For my family, we do as much of it together as we can. From time to time, my daughters will be water girls for the team, my son will help run chains and my wife is always ringing that ridiculous cowbell in the stands, lol. We all know that during football season, dinner is gonna be late and Dad is gonna yell alot (on the field of course) but they know that even though my schedule is busy, my mind isn't occupied by more ministry stuff.
I'm not telling you to go out and start coaching...especially if you don't know anything sports, haha. I am encouraging you to find something away from your church to be involved with that brings joy and fulfillment to you and keeps your mind off the ministry. When it can be in your community, that is even better as you will build relationships and meet people that you may not otherwise get to meet. So yes, it will take some work and vision casting from you to your church board and your congregation. Am I promising you that all of the sudden you will have people flooding your church when you add something else to your list? NOPE!!! What I am promising is that when you find whatever that is and get the church and family support you need, you will be a better you and a better pastor. It will take some trial and error of scheduling and re-assigning tasks to some leaders but remember, it all means your church is healthy.
Monday, October 24, 2016
Monday, October 10, 2016
Be About The Business
Well, it is another Monday morning. For many pastors, it is the day they wake up and don't want to go to the office. Sure, there are stats out there about how many want to leave the ministry on Mondays but who really knows how true those are. Today, that is not where I am going. However, I do think many of those problems would be less concerning if pastors, especially those that are bivocational, did a better job of running the business of the church. Oh No, I just lost you or you think I don't care about the ministry. That isn't the case. It is because of the business of the church that I can do a better job ministering to the people of the church and those in my community.
It was the advice of my presbyter, Kevin Crow (pastor of Harvest Ridge Church, North Ridgeville) where this mentality first surfaced. Of course, this was new to me because at my two previous churches, I was in the role of a team pastor and wasn't very involved with the business of the church. At the time, Kevin did not know me very well but today I would consider him a great friend and mentor. What he did know was that I was a 29 year old Lead Pastor taking his first church. As a presbyter, he also knew some of the struggles Velocity Church had faced in the decade or so before I arrived...many things I did not know and quite frankly, didn't care to know. Look, if God calls you to a church, he wants you to dream about the vision not dwell on the past. Kevin said these words to me, "Bill, many churches fail because of good pastors and terrible business men." At the time, I didn't really get it. It didn't take long for me to realize what he meant. As I came to the church, I began to look at some of the policies and procedures of bookkeeping, past tax practices, payroll practices, etc. Oh, by the way, there wasn't a course at the Ohio School of Ministry on all of that. And someone just felt, "This guy didn't even go to Bible college, what does he know?" I know that if you don't heed this advice as I did, you will be out of ministry or at the very least, out of your church within 5 years.
Needless to say, I learned quickly how we needed to do business better with some help from our Ohio Ministry Network Resource Center (district office) leaders and their admins. Within a year, the church had switched to a payroll system with W2's verses a 1099 or letter at the end of the year along with regular filing of our quarterly 941's (all for less than $200/year). We did an overhaul on how expenses were paid and how deposits were recorded in Quickbooks. We also purchased software to help us better track people's personal tithes throughout the year. We developed a system for ministry leaders to PROPERLY be reimbursed for expenses they were racking up. This hasn't been picture perfect for us, but we have done a good job of learning the right way to do things. Since that time, we have even adjusted these systems as our church nears 100 people.
Here is a Facebook post of mine from March of 2015: "HUGE VICTORY TODAY FOR Velocity Church!!! As a GROWING CHURCH (we don't use the word "small church") it is often left up to the pastor to act as Pastor, CEO, CPA, etc. all at the same time. Of course, most have people, as I do, that help out with these things but the reality is that most of the time...it is the Pastors butt on the line. Coming to #VelocityChurch as lead pastor, I knew very little about church law and finance and by no means am I an expert now. With help from churchlawandtax.com, The Ohio Ministry Network and Shelby Pratt, I have learned a few things along the way. Part of my natural DNA is a refusal to back down...from anyone or anything. Long story short, the IRS sent letter after letter explaining why we owed nearly $800 in payroll taxes from 4th qtr 2011. I knew if qtrs 1-3 were good, so was the 4th. They levied our bank account in December of last year. Once again...I sent them some more paperwork/documentation. Today, we got a check back for the amount they levied PLUS $4.48 in interest. If you are the pastor of a GROWING CHURCH and you do the payroll and taxes in house, don't just pay up. Swallow your pride, ask questions, get help, learn something and defend the gifts that come in for offering week after week!" Side note, since this Facebook post, I have learned more about being a "small church" and it isn't all bad. I will share more about that in a future post.
Just recently, the Secretary of State Office sent a letter informing us that we hadn't updated our articles of incorporation. In case you don't know, that has to be done every 5 years. So, if you can't recall doing it since 2011, check their website as soon as you finish reading this. It was a quick phone call and a document reference that showed them I had filed it. They called it a "clerical error."
As I wrap this up, I want to remind you to keep copies of everything. If you don't have a business or corporation folder for your church, start one. Even for those emails and scans...keep some copies. Perhaps you are blessed with people that "handle" all of these items for you. If so, that is great! You need to encourage them and resource them as much as possible and at the same time, stay in the loop. If not, you may find yourself in a legal battel you don't want to be in. If you "Love people and preach Jesus" (advice from MY Pastor, John Dawson) and you determine to Be About The Business of the church, you will find Mondays a little less intimidating. Perhaps that means you need to contact your denominations district or national offices for some help. If you are an independent church pastor, find a colleague in ministry to assist you. Pastor, at the end of the day whether you like it or not, you are running a business so don't let your church fail because you failed to care about the business of the church.
It was the advice of my presbyter, Kevin Crow (pastor of Harvest Ridge Church, North Ridgeville) where this mentality first surfaced. Of course, this was new to me because at my two previous churches, I was in the role of a team pastor and wasn't very involved with the business of the church. At the time, Kevin did not know me very well but today I would consider him a great friend and mentor. What he did know was that I was a 29 year old Lead Pastor taking his first church. As a presbyter, he also knew some of the struggles Velocity Church had faced in the decade or so before I arrived...many things I did not know and quite frankly, didn't care to know. Look, if God calls you to a church, he wants you to dream about the vision not dwell on the past. Kevin said these words to me, "Bill, many churches fail because of good pastors and terrible business men." At the time, I didn't really get it. It didn't take long for me to realize what he meant. As I came to the church, I began to look at some of the policies and procedures of bookkeeping, past tax practices, payroll practices, etc. Oh, by the way, there wasn't a course at the Ohio School of Ministry on all of that. And someone just felt, "This guy didn't even go to Bible college, what does he know?" I know that if you don't heed this advice as I did, you will be out of ministry or at the very least, out of your church within 5 years.
Needless to say, I learned quickly how we needed to do business better with some help from our Ohio Ministry Network Resource Center (district office) leaders and their admins. Within a year, the church had switched to a payroll system with W2's verses a 1099 or letter at the end of the year along with regular filing of our quarterly 941's (all for less than $200/year). We did an overhaul on how expenses were paid and how deposits were recorded in Quickbooks. We also purchased software to help us better track people's personal tithes throughout the year. We developed a system for ministry leaders to PROPERLY be reimbursed for expenses they were racking up. This hasn't been picture perfect for us, but we have done a good job of learning the right way to do things. Since that time, we have even adjusted these systems as our church nears 100 people.
Here is a Facebook post of mine from March of 2015: "HUGE VICTORY TODAY FOR Velocity Church!!! As a GROWING CHURCH (we don't use the word "small church") it is often left up to the pastor to act as Pastor, CEO, CPA, etc. all at the same time. Of course, most have people, as I do, that help out with these things but the reality is that most of the time...it is the Pastors butt on the line. Coming to #VelocityChurch as lead pastor, I knew very little about church law and finance and by no means am I an expert now. With help from churchlawandtax.com, The Ohio Ministry Network and Shelby Pratt, I have learned a few things along the way. Part of my natural DNA is a refusal to back down...from anyone or anything. Long story short, the IRS sent letter after letter explaining why we owed nearly $800 in payroll taxes from 4th qtr 2011. I knew if qtrs 1-3 were good, so was the 4th. They levied our bank account in December of last year. Once again...I sent them some more paperwork/documentation. Today, we got a check back for the amount they levied PLUS $4.48 in interest. If you are the pastor of a GROWING CHURCH and you do the payroll and taxes in house, don't just pay up. Swallow your pride, ask questions, get help, learn something and defend the gifts that come in for offering week after week!" Side note, since this Facebook post, I have learned more about being a "small church" and it isn't all bad. I will share more about that in a future post.
Just recently, the Secretary of State Office sent a letter informing us that we hadn't updated our articles of incorporation. In case you don't know, that has to be done every 5 years. So, if you can't recall doing it since 2011, check their website as soon as you finish reading this. It was a quick phone call and a document reference that showed them I had filed it. They called it a "clerical error."
As I wrap this up, I want to remind you to keep copies of everything. If you don't have a business or corporation folder for your church, start one. Even for those emails and scans...keep some copies. Perhaps you are blessed with people that "handle" all of these items for you. If so, that is great! You need to encourage them and resource them as much as possible and at the same time, stay in the loop. If not, you may find yourself in a legal battel you don't want to be in. If you "Love people and preach Jesus" (advice from MY Pastor, John Dawson) and you determine to Be About The Business of the church, you will find Mondays a little less intimidating. Perhaps that means you need to contact your denominations district or national offices for some help. If you are an independent church pastor, find a colleague in ministry to assist you. Pastor, at the end of the day whether you like it or not, you are running a business so don't let your church fail because you failed to care about the business of the church.
Monday, October 3, 2016
The Bivocational Pastor
Spoiler alert...I am a 34 year old bivocational pastor. In case you don't know or need a reminder, a bivocational pastor works outside of the church or ministry they serve in order to supplement a shortage of salary that can't be provided from their church. Chances are, you clicked this link because you are one. There could be many reasons for this but the main reason is that the pastor or staff pastor serve a smaller church, typically less than 150 people but sometimes, depending on the churches financial situation, could be a church up to 250 people. This is my situation as pastor of Velocity Church in Mansfield, OH. Velocity Church is a church that currently averages 75-85 people (including kids) on a Sunday morning.
Moving forward, I'm hoping to take a few minutes each week to encourage those currently in bivocational ministry or who may find themselves there someday. Know this...being a bivocational pastor doesn't make you a second class pastor. You and I experience things, see things and have insight to things that some full-time pastors could only dream to be part of. At the same time, we experience struggles that at times, have our mouths watering to be in full-time ministry or perhaps wanting to throw in the towel every other Monday.
As for me, I have been in some form of pastoral ministry since 2005. I'm not saying I know all there is to know about ministry...far from it. I just hope that some of my experiences will help or encourage someone else. In 2005, my home church, New Hope Assembly of God in Lancaster, Ohio asked me to serve as youth pastor after being active in the church and youth ministry since 2000. I did have a 10month break in there and someday, I may share that situation. I was thrilled to accept the position while I was also working full-time outside of the church while serving the students of New Hope. After getting credentialed with the Assemblies of God in 2007, I went to New Beginnings A/G in Tiffin to serve as full time youth pastor and was there until 2011. In April of 2011, my family and I made the move to Mansfield. Originally, I was full time but in August of 2012, made the move back to bivocational ministry and continue to do so to this day.
If you are keeping track, of my 11 years in pastoral ministry, all but 5 years and 4 months have been as a bivocational minister. I wouldn't say this makes me an expert on the subject but it certainly makes me qualified considering I have done it as both a team pastor and a lead pastor. No, I have never written a book, done an interview or been a conference speaker. Until now, I have never really blogged about it and yet I am sure there are some finer writers out there on the subject. I have simply been that guy that has gutted it though hurdle after hurdle, year after year and am still active in ministry.
Be encouraged by Galatians 6:9 (ESV) "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." You are doing good. Lots of Good. Keep it up! Don't give up!!!
So, in the posts to come, I will share some REAL thoughts, REAL struggles, REAL loses and REAL victories that I have experienced as a result of nearly 6 years in bivocational ministry. I hope to give you insight of experiences that were good and not so good for me personally, my family or the church.
Moving forward, I'm hoping to take a few minutes each week to encourage those currently in bivocational ministry or who may find themselves there someday. Know this...being a bivocational pastor doesn't make you a second class pastor. You and I experience things, see things and have insight to things that some full-time pastors could only dream to be part of. At the same time, we experience struggles that at times, have our mouths watering to be in full-time ministry or perhaps wanting to throw in the towel every other Monday.
As for me, I have been in some form of pastoral ministry since 2005. I'm not saying I know all there is to know about ministry...far from it. I just hope that some of my experiences will help or encourage someone else. In 2005, my home church, New Hope Assembly of God in Lancaster, Ohio asked me to serve as youth pastor after being active in the church and youth ministry since 2000. I did have a 10month break in there and someday, I may share that situation. I was thrilled to accept the position while I was also working full-time outside of the church while serving the students of New Hope. After getting credentialed with the Assemblies of God in 2007, I went to New Beginnings A/G in Tiffin to serve as full time youth pastor and was there until 2011. In April of 2011, my family and I made the move to Mansfield. Originally, I was full time but in August of 2012, made the move back to bivocational ministry and continue to do so to this day.
If you are keeping track, of my 11 years in pastoral ministry, all but 5 years and 4 months have been as a bivocational minister. I wouldn't say this makes me an expert on the subject but it certainly makes me qualified considering I have done it as both a team pastor and a lead pastor. No, I have never written a book, done an interview or been a conference speaker. Until now, I have never really blogged about it and yet I am sure there are some finer writers out there on the subject. I have simply been that guy that has gutted it though hurdle after hurdle, year after year and am still active in ministry.
Be encouraged by Galatians 6:9 (ESV) "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." You are doing good. Lots of Good. Keep it up! Don't give up!!!
So, in the posts to come, I will share some REAL thoughts, REAL struggles, REAL loses and REAL victories that I have experienced as a result of nearly 6 years in bivocational ministry. I hope to give you insight of experiences that were good and not so good for me personally, my family or the church.
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