Co-Vocational Pastors (S.W.O.T. Analysis)

Co-Vocational Pastors are men who may or may not receive [enough] salary/income while pastoring a church and so they have an additional “secular job” as well to make up the difference needed.

Recently, I sat down a created a S.W.O.T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis regarding…

“The pro’s and con’s of pastors who are Co-Vocational or Bi-Vocational at their church.”

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STRENGTHS:

1. Co-Vocational (CoVo) pastors are often able to earn more income to support their families, while being only partially (or not at all) financially supported by their church.
2. CoVo pastors are able to take lead or associate pastor positions at small-to-medium sized churches that typically can’t afford to pay someone full-time.
3. CoVo pastors are often “less concerned” about how necessary (often controversial) decisions to be made at the church could impact their salaries and/or the church budget.
4. Having a CoVo pastor allows a church to divert money to a ministry or mission that might otherwise have been used to pay salary, taxes, or another employment expense.
5. CoVo pastors have greater opportunities to develop relationships with people in the local community and workplace.
6. Younger generations today seem less interested in financially supporting a church that has a budget heavy on personnel expenses. A church with a CoVo pastor could be very appealing to younger people.
7. CoVo pastors are less likely to need his wife to work outside of the home to make up the difference in what their family needs financially.
8. CoVo pastors are often able to get health benefits, life insurance, retirement, stock options, and other fringe benefits from their employer rather than the church.
9. CoVo pastors are often perceived by congregants as “more like them” compared to full-time compensated pastors.
10. Married men with children are less likely to be able to financially support a family in the USA based on current pay for pastors. Allowing a man to be CoVo opens up opportunities and can remove/eliminate financial stress and/or marital problems due to money shortages.
11. CoVo pastors are oftentimes able to give/donate more back to the church financially, since they tend to earn more being CoVo.

WEAKNESSES:

1. There is no such thing as a part-time pastor; only part-time pay. Thus, congregants are less likely to be aware of the CoVo pastor’s schedule, while still expecting him to be present at most events.
2. CoVo pastors often work more hours during the week than non-CoVo pastors.
3. CoVo pastors are typically unable to do as many home or hospital visits, compared to non-CoVo pastors.
4. CoVo pastors, depending on the type of employment, do not have flexible schedules where they can drop everything between 8am – 5pm, to meet someone when needed.
5. There is still a negative stigma that pastors who are CoVo are “not real pastors.”
6. CoVo pastors often have less time for sermon prep.
7. CoVo pastors are less-likely to be seminary trained with an MDiv and, therefore, are often overlooked by pastor search committees.
8. Churches with CoVo pastors may have a reputation that they’re less stable (not growing; stagnant) than other churches.

OPPORTUNITIES:

1. Smaller churches or churches in need of revitalization will have a bigger pool of applicants available to them if they’re open to a CoVo pastor.
2. Church planting is more “doable” financially for a CoVo pastor.
3. With a shortage of seminary-educated men to be pastors, CoVo pastors will fill many positions around the country.
4. CoVo pastors are able to take online classes to earn degrees, and do not need to leave their church or local community to do so.
5. CoVo pastors may be better at delegating ministry roles and responsibilities to other spiritually gifted people in the congregation, since they often aren’t able to take on as much as a full-time pastor.
6. Many would-be pastors are slow to embrace God’s calling on their life to pastor, when they also feel a call to keep working in secular employment. The CoVo role should help to eliminate those internal struggles.

THREATS:

1. Personally, I often struggle in my own calling at times, thinking that a CoVo pastoral role is not “as legitimate” compared to a man able to pastor full-time. (negative self-image)
2. Pastoral search committees (made up of congregants) are often not interested in a CoVo pastor.
3. CoVo pastors are less likely to apply to a church, thinking the congregation would not be interested in a CoVo role.
4. The vast majority of senior/lead pastor positions shown online typically require full-time employment as a pastor and have an MDiv completed. Thus, CoVo pastors won’t even apply.
5. Due to time constraints in both secular employment and for the church, CoVo pastors may have more marital or family stress, since there is less time available.