FreeTheOx

 If you have followed the previous posts the question may have arisen: Are you against full-time ministry?  To this question I would respond, “Absolutely not.”  In fact I hope to work more full time someday- meaning evangelistic daylight hours. I imagine there will be a day when I am not able to do two works and as we know the Lord’s work doesn’t end.

The reasons I appreciate working in both a school and with the church are simple.  1) The financial arrangements of both the church and myself are beneficial to both.  The church has been able to support more outreach efforts and when there are changes in membership or the economy financial stresses are minimal.  2) Again, as mentioned in a previous post, the ability for a minister to have flexibility in study, outreach efforts, and church edification can’t be emphasized enough.  3) An area I haven’t talked about, but will dedicate significant time to in the future are the number of contacts I have been able to make by teaching in a public school.  It has been a blessing to encounter and have conversations with faculty, staff, students, and parents regarding matters of faith.  The opportunities to plant the seed of the gospel of Christ have been numerous and I feel would have been off limits had I not had more than a foot in the door of a school.

If I were to work full time some day I would hope the above situations would be able to be duplicated.  Obviously, a minister who is fully supported needs to truly be fully supported and to have a large degree of autonomy.  The model of a foreign missionary comes to mind.  He is supported, prayed for, and encouraged to accomplish the Lord’s work:  the work of spreading the gospel message, making disciples, and edifying the church.  My greatest concern would be that I would not be exposed to as many people on a daily basis.  Would I be able to continue to be the public influence for the Lord I’ve been striving to be?  I would have to find a way to be involved in the lives of the community and families.  Perhaps community groups, gyms, or volunteering within schools would fulfill the desire to be around people who need God’s message.

I know many full-time ministers who have a great relationship with church leaders and are given minimal guidelines other than to do the Lord’s work.  Unfortunately, there are also many ministers who feel constrained by expectations that take them away from teaching the word.  Part-time or full-time, we all should make the best use of the time and strive to do the Lord’s work, remembering the Day is closer than when we first believed.
-Eric Dougherty

One of the most often asked questions I get is, “How do you do it?”  Both church members and teachers I work with wonder how I spend all day in the classroom and then in the evenings and at least one day of the weekend in a completely different work.  Sometimes this is inquiring about time management while others it is a question of energy levels.

When it comes to the time portion, the quantity is much like any other endeavor, we just have to make the best use of the time.  It is very easy to lose track of time and let the minutes slip away.  It definitely takes intent and balance to make sure that both works are being done to the fullest while not neglecting either the work or family responsibilities.  As much as has been possible I’ve tried to include family in any activity.  I have a schedule that is the ideal I shoot for, but often it needs to be adjusted throughout the week.  On Monday evenings I do any work that requires a follow up from Sunday.  Tuesday evenings are set aside for Wednesday’s Bible study prep and Thursdays and Fridays are when I try to finish Sunday’s lessons and the bulletin article.  One of the best time savers I’ve found is to continually study and read about all subjects so material is fresh in my mind and also to at least get the topic of the lesson in my mind so that I can mentally work on it while I drive or run.  That’s a pretty simplistic view of time management and one I’m sure is not unique to me.

Most often though the question is more about the energy requirements in having two distinct jobs.  The energy level is much harder than just finding the time.  The mental, emotional, and physical toll can be exhausting.  I jokingly have sometimes answered that I can accomplish what I do with the help of God, my wife, and running.”  This is not to misapply Philippians 4:13.  When Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” which is more on what he is able to endure for the cause of Christ, not that he can accomplish any human task with the Lord’s help.  Every minister should absolutely be relying on the Lord though-in study, prayer, hope, comfort, etc.  This is a given.

My wife has been an incredible partner in my ministry.  In conversations I most often refer to the “we” of “our” work with the church.  For example, my favorite Bible study style is to invite individuals or couples into our home.  My wife usually fixes a nice meal and we just relax and have a good conversation.  After dinner we clean up and then have some desert and break open the Bibles.  Depending on what we are studying these typically have lasted between one and three hours.  During this time my wife joins the conversation, refills coffee, and keeps the study atmosphere focused and free from distractions.  In past years she might have been attending to either our children or our guests.  This simple style has resulted in many people becoming Christians and I’m very partial to a team-centered, open Bible approach to study.

I’ll just make a note of it here, but we will go into much more depth later.  Running has been critical to my work.  Going home and getting a few miles in is the rejuvenation necessary when doing a dual work.  Although in recent years I may have added an extra nap day, running clears my mind like nothing else.  There are some days that after a good run, it’s like waking up to a brand new day.  So of course we rely on God first in multiple ways, a supportive wife helps and is nearly critical-at least for me, and a good run prepares me for a productive evening.

Eric Dougherty

The subject of whether a minister is employed or supported by the church has been discussed for decades.  In most cases the federal government views the minister as a church employee, but since we are more concerned with Bible definitions and God’s plan we will leave the government and taxes out of the discussion.

Although secular words like “staff” may be associated with ministers, most churches would acknowledge their ministers are not employees, but rather are supported by the local church in order to accomplish the Lord’s work.  There is a difference, however, in how this often plays out in practice.  Consider a person who does mission work in a foreign country.  This person takes in funds from one or more churches and may be under the guidance of a supporting church or eldership.  The missionary is not under daily oversight, but has near autonomy as to how they spend their day.  They can strike the balance they believe is necessary between building up and equipping members and reaching out to those who are not Christians.

Contrast this with the paid preacher within the domestic church.  On the strictest end of the spectrum a church who holds the employee view will have all of the expectations for the minister spelled out with little room to deviate.  This could include specified study times, office hours, number of visits required, documentation of studies, clerical tasks, and possibly building and lawn care maintenance.  No doubt there are church leaders who want to be good stewards of the finances and resources of the church.  Perhaps specified duties are reactionary to a bad experience where a minister was not accomplishing the Lord’s work and the leaders feel that strict oversight is required.

While it is true Paul was an apostle and had an authority we don’t see today, he does demonstrate what the work of the Lord should be like.  We see a man whose goal was “to know nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified,” 1 Corinthians 2:2.  Imagine if all ministers had that view and all church leaders trusted them to put that faith into action.  Perhaps what begins as strict oversight will eventually lead to greater minister flexibility when a relationship of trust develops between the minister and the church.  It is encouraging that many churches do indeed see their ministers as trustworthy and assign minimal tasks that would hinder their work.

The benefits I’ve noticed by being the part time minister is that apart from presenting lessons, writing articles, and coordinating the occasional activity, my time outside of the building has been highly respected.  My study and lesson prep times are in the evenings, my wife and I visit members as needed, and we have had many opportunities to host Bible studies within our home.  Many of the tasks that sometimes fall on the shoulders of the full time minister have been readily picked up by members looking for ways to serve.  It’s a blessing to see so many working to accomplish what often falls to one or two people.  If the situation allows, the spreading out of responsibilities is a blessing to all.  My encouragement to church leaders is to trust and empower your ministers with the support they need.  Emphasize the biblical mandate we see throughout the New Testament and turn them loose to accomplish the Lord’s work.

Eric Dougherty

There are many ways in which a person can serve the Lord.  Some may choose to be fully supported by a local church or raise support where they can dedicate the majority of their day to ministry in an “official” capacity.  For many this is a lifelong dream and should be nurtured and encouraged by those who want to follow this path.

I considered “full time” ministry for a while and for me there were two reasons that nudged me towards the path of the “part timer.”  The first was that in my early 20s I had an unrealistic view of what a preacher should do.  My perception at the time was that during the weekdays, preachers studied alone in their office in the mornings and then visited the hospitals in the afternoon.  While this is partially true, full time ministry is far more complex and can be tailored to fit both the minister and needs of the church.

The other reason, and probably the most important, was the guidance of the church elders when I was going through my undergraduate degree.  I had switched back and forth between a Bible major to an education major a couple of times.  Since I was at a Christian college and taking Bible classes the elders encouraged me to pursue my education degree.  I was already working with them as a youth minister and gaining practical experience. Their thought was that I may need to be self-supporting some day and an education degree would offer that ability.

That struck a nerve.  Through much prayer and discussion with my wife I developed a life goal where I wanted to work with a church that couldn’t afford a full time preacher and work in a public school.  It took awhile to get there.  I finished my degree, started substitute teaching, worked part-time with another church, and worked in a couple of Christian schools before I found myself with the dual positions of minister and public school teacher.

I worked with one church for four years and my current work for 16 years.  Both of these have been in the role of part time.  This has allowed for my family to be more financially secure and to provide long term stability to the local church.  We have been able to accomplish much in the way of supporting others without the financial strain of either the church or my family.

Although any work that is considered a day job would suffice for financial reasons, I wanted to work in the local school system to be able to have the influence of Christ on children.  There are many ways that Christians can make an impact on both students and adults within a school.  We often hear of perceived limitations in the school system, but there are many ways a Christian can be effective for the Lord in the public school setting.

There are many paths one may take in serving the Lord.  In near future posts we will examine the education of the minister, the influence of the minister during the work day, the role of the minister, the minister’s relationship with the church, how Christians can impact public schools, and the options of increasing the family income without it impacting the work of the church.

There are fewer words that cause me to cringe than when I’m introduced or referred to as a part-time preacher.  In fact, I’m making myself a bit on edge now by typing it and feel a great need to put “part-time preacher” in quotes.  Maybe it’s just a bit of sensitivity on my part, but when a well-intentioned brother says, “He’s just a part-time preacher,” I have to suppress the urge to make a defense.

When someone refers to a vocational minister as “part-time” they are making a comparison with the minister who begins his work in the early morning and keeps office hours.  A “full time” preacher is already viewed by some as getting paid for a few hours of public speaking and dropping by to visit folks all day.  It’s not a hard stretch to think the part-timers are doing far less and can be a tough perception to counter.

Raised eyebrows followed by the question, “You call that part time?” are the reaction I most often get when I describe my responsibilities.  Currently, those are: two Sunday sermons, teaching the adult class on Sunday and a class on Wednesday, writing a weekly bulletin article, conducting home Bible studies, organizing the yearly VBS, maintaining the website, conducting weddings and funerals, and coordinating visitation and outreach efforts.

The biggest difference between my work and that of the traditional full time minister is that I do my studying and lesson prep in the evening and I don’t spend as much time visiting church members.  The elders were clear when they first sat down with me that they wanted my work to be more outward focused, while they would take care of most internal matters.  If the situation allows it and both the church leadership and members are on board, “part-time” preachers can be a valuable asset to the local congregation, especially when it is understood what part-time really means.