{"id":49811,"date":"2025-05-01T12:32:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T16:32:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/?p=49811"},"modified":"2025-11-04T16:25:02","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T21:25:02","slug":"bivocational-pastors-incredible-servants-of-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/bivocational-pastors-incredible-servants-of-god\/","title":{"rendered":"Bivocational pastors: \u201cIncredible servants of God\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

In Christian circles, they are called \u201ctentmakers.\u201d To Florida Baptists, they are known as bivocational pastors.<\/p>\n

They are ministers like the Apostle Paul who happened to make tents for a living; these ministers have found an additional occupation outside the local church. They navigate dual callings in the ministry and the marketplace. They could be teachers, counselors, engineers, coaches\u2014most any career field imaginable. Although they only spend part of their time in the church, all agree God\u2019s calling to preach is their primary responsibility.<\/p>\n

Close to 12 percent of pastors serving in Florida Baptist<\/a> churches are bivocational. Of the state\u2019s 2,622 Florida Baptist churches, more than 300 of them are led by bivocational pastors. These bivocational pastors are just as much \u201cincredible servants of God\u201d as their full-time counterparts, said Stephen Rummage, Florida Baptists\u2019 executive director-treasurer.<\/p>\n

\u201cBivocational pastors make a huge difference for God\u2019s kingdom,\u201d said Rummage. \u201cThe simple truth is that many of our Baptist churches in Florida and across America would not even exist without the faithful and sacrificial work of bivocational pastors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
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“Bivocational pastors are a significant part of our heritage as Baptists, and as we move into the future, they will be increasingly crucial for the vitality of our churches.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n Stephen Rummage<\/strong>
\n executive director-treasurer, Florida Baptist Convention\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Rummage reflected on the faithful service and tireless impact his uncle, a bivocational pastor, made on his impression and work ethic of bivocational pastors serving in local churches\u2014often in obscurity\u2014around the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of my heroes in ministry is my uncle Thurman Howard, a self-trained, bivocational pastor,\u201d he shared. \u201cMy uncle worked hard, long hours each week in a secular job, and then preached every Sunday at his Baptist church for years. That church would not have had a pastor if my uncle hadn\u2019t been willing to do what he did. I think of Uncle Thurman\u2013now with the Lord Jesus\u2013every time I\u2019m around bivocational pastors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese men are incredible servants of God,\u201d said Rummage. \u201cThey outwork most people. They find time to study and prepare, preach faithfully, minister to the needs of their people, and love their wives and families, all the while working in other demanding jobs. Bivocational pastors are a significant part of our heritage as Baptists, and as we move into the future, they will be increasingly crucial for the vitality of our churches.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniel Garcon, a real estate advisor and lead pastor at Christ Center Fellowship of Lehigh Acres, shared that his role as a pastor directly impacts his real estate career.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing a pastor has taught me how to minister and serve people well, and the people in the community trust me as I also care for their needs,\u201d said Garcon, originally from Haiti.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Daniel Garcon, a real estate advisor and lead pastor at Christ Center Fellowship of Lehigh Acres, believes his role as a pastor directly impacts his real estate career as he develops relationships in the community and residents learn to trust him.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Looking to be more relational than transactional, Garcon intentionally makes his business signature and printed products incorporate both of his two worlds\u2014”Daniel Garcon, Pastor and Realtor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

John Voltaire, Florida Baptists\u2019 Haitian church catalyst, commended<\/a> Garcon for his desire to reach his community. \u201cPastor Garcon loves the Lord and has a heart for ministry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Matt Thomas, a bivocational missions pastor at Fellowship Church<\/a> in Immokalee, is a civil engineer for Collier County, something he sees as \u201can extension\u201d of his ministry.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always seen my career as an engineer as an extension to pastoring as it offers me a unique insight into parts of the world that most pastors would never have access to,\u201d he said. \u201cWorking in construction in particular, you deal with all sorts of different individuals, and rarely do you see believers in this industry. I have had opportunities on many occasions to share the gospel and even lead people to Christ right in the middle of a construction site.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advantages and challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n

Serving in various ministry positions more than 12 years, Thomas recognizes the various advantages and challenges that come alongside the bivocational role of \u201cjuggling\u201d pressing responsibilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the advantages to being a bivocational pastor are that I reduce the financial strain on the church and that it provides me with more time and opportunity\u00a0to spend with the community that we live in,\u201d he said. Challenges are the time constraints with the church and the needs of the church \u2026 this becomes a juggling act on how to prioritize\u00a0your schedule and relationships. Also, another challenge is not always being involved in the day-to-day operations of the church, which makes communication even more important.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Florida Baptist pastors agree that working bivocationally opens doors that otherwise would not be open to them to reach more people with the good news of the gospel.<\/p>\n

\u201cPastoring is not just a part-time position but is a full-time responsibility whether I am ministering to members of the church or working alongside the lost in this world,\u201d said Thomas. \u201cI can use my career as a platform to take Christ to people that would otherwise might have never heard. Shining the light in the darkness wherever the Lord takes me in this career path He has chosen for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Also, the pastors reflected on the necessary skill to prioritize, sacrifice and plan well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is only so much time in the day, and sacrifices will need to be made to ensure ministries are functioning and sheep are being provided for,\u201d said Thomas.<\/p>\n

Wayne Briant, regional catalyst for the convention, said that more than 20 bivocational pastors within the southwest<\/a> region undergird the majority of small local churches.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are grateful for the significant number of bivocational pastors in the southwest region of the Florida Baptist Convention,\u201d said Briant. \u201cTheir contributions in ministry and evangelism make a productive contribution to our partnership in ministry.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In Christian circles, they are called \u201ctentmakers.\u201d To Florida Baptists, they are known as bivocational pastors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":49812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,50,25],"tags":[1062,1063,580,1064,1065,1066],"class_list":["post-49811","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-providing","category-region-southwest","category-stories","tag-bivocational-pastors","tag-daniel-garcon","tag-fellowship-church-immokalee","tag-matt-thomas","tag-tentmakers","tag-wayne-briant"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49811","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49811"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49811\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67860,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49811\/revisions\/67860"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49812"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49811"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49811"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49811"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}