In recent months I’ve written a lot about side hustles and bivo/covocational pastoring. I’ve also had several podcast convos about it. And there are more coming.
Why? Because the need to be creatively bivocational is here. In a big way. And it will get bigger for the next decade or so.
If you’re thinking about becoming bivo/covocational, or if you’re wondering about the value of a side hustle that helps you, your family, and your church become more financially stable, this guest article from Andrew Hamilton is a great place to start. It’s very practical, and comes from his real-world experience.
— Karl Vaters
I’m a long-time pastor, but today I found myself Googling “bike mechanic courses.”
Why on earth . . . ?
The main reason is that I now own a bike, and I want to save some money on repairs. In the last two months I’ve been cycling four or five times a week, often on rough tracks, so the bike takes a bit of a beating.
On Friday I texted a mobile bike mechanic to see if he could fix a problem with my gear-shifting. He could, but it would be $230 (plus parts!) per hour. I quickly lost interest.
Then I thought, people are paying this amount to have their bikes repaired. It sounded like an outrageous amount to adjust some screws, but perhaps that’s the going rate. Then I thought, I could learn this. Bikes can’t be that complicated.
I don’t know if I will do anything with the thought, other than a bit of self-education, but for an aspiring entrepreneur with savvy social media marketing skills, bike repair is a great small-business opportunity.
It reminded me of a recent podcast in which pastors were trying to imagine themselves as missionaries. One was bivo, and his other role was . . . bike mechanic! It engaged him with his community, and they appreciated his services. Another pastor took a short barber course, focusing on folks who couldn’t afford a regular haircut. It’s a very personal thing to have someone in your immediate space for 30 minutes, so conversation inevitably flows.
For some people, the idea of going bivo sounds daunting – like where do I start?
Simple answer – start with what you are good at and what you enjoy. Chances are you will continue to enjoy it and even get paid for it.
Smart Jobs / Dumb Jobs
In his book Bivo, Hugh Halter writes about smart jobs and dumb jobs you can get as a bivo pastor. He further divides the idea into four types of jobs. I have slightly modified it by adding the word “local”.
- High local people contact + high income = smart job
- High local people contact + low income = okay job
- Low local people contact + high income = okay job
- Low local people contact + low income = dumb job
You can probably think of jobs that fit each category. My time in reticulation was a smart job – lots of local people and a steady supply of well-paid work. My caravan-weighing business (RVs in the U.S.) and diesel-heater business are more in the “okay” sphere. They pay well, but the personal contact is not specifically local.
You can, of course, just get a job and do the bivo thing that way, but unless you are in a high-paying vocation you will likely just be earning a reasonable salary (which is fine). But a clock-in/clock-out job typically brings constraints and limitations that a self-starter business doesn’t.
So my advice to people who are serious about being bivo is to start a small venture that can grow, and is both lucrative and local – like being a bike mechanic. Seriously – as well as lucrative and local, I would suggest that you look for roles where there is a low bar to entry. You can’t just head out and be a plumber tomorrow, unless you complete a 3-4 year apprenticeship, so while plumbing is a good idea, it is not an immediate solution.
What are some examples I am aware of?
- Just last week I caught up with a 21-year-old who wants to figure out how to serve God but also keep the cash flowing. He had read my post here and wanted to chat. He had found a niche in email marketing, bringing in around $1,000/week that is well-positioned to grow. I have no doubt his biggest challenge will be turning away work and limiting his income as a result.
- My friend Stuart runs a consulting business that is now well established and highly regarded. He is also helping a country church through transition. We sometimes laugh about his high corporate rates, but this is the financial ballpark in which they play. As a result he can offer churches top quality help at a very nominal price. He can do what he loves for a long time – and get well paid for it.
- Then there is Andy who used to live in our local area and work as a pastor. He did a stint with a country church, working part-time as a pastor and also on the local mine. He runs a SUP (stand-up paddleboard) school. While some of his clients are tourists, a good number are local. He is a long-time surfer, so being in the water and with people are two of the things he loves and is good at.
Get the idea?
What are you good at that you may be able to convert to a small business to help fund some ministry ventures?
Find A Niche
I have considered doing things in the area of drone photography and coffee roasting, as these are both loves of mine. The fun I have had cycling lately on an electric Fat-bike made me wonder whether Fat-bike tours could be a fun venture, too.
The point is to find a niche – ideally, something you enjoy and pays well. Begin working locally, among your own community and build a base of local clients. If you are leading a church at the same time, you can model missional leadership and Christlike living to the people in your congregation as you inhabit the working world with them.
Want some other ideas? (They just keep coming at me and I don’t have time to pursue them all.)
- Start a garage door repair business: Very little training is needed. It’s often a one-person operation and pays well.
- Be a carer for people with disabilities: You can set your own hours, choose your clients, and receive a very healthy income. My 21-year-old son is doing very well at this. Anyone pursuing a bivo path could do it with minimum training.
- A couple of years back, while we were travelling throughout Australia, one of the ideas we mulled around was buying a local school-bus run. A few months back we spoke at a country church where some local people told us how they loved their kid’s school bus driver because he took an interest in their lives – he made it about much more than bus driving.
There are many creative, lucrative ways to pursue that kind of calling. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
(This article originally appeared here. It is used by permission from the author.)
(Photo by Umberto Brayj | Flickr)
