Does having two jobs make you bivocational?

A few years ago I was interviewing a couple of church planters, and the conversation turned to finances. The husband-and-wife team, Juan and Cirila Lugo, had paid out-of-pocket for many expenses when the congregation began meeting. They were pleased that it had become self-sufficient enough to hire Juan full time. Cirila told me, without a hint of complaint, about writing sermons on her lunch break while she drove a delivery truck six days a week.

But she didn't call herself bivocational, and rightly so. No doubt she and many pastors in similar situations bring their ministry gifts into the other setting in which they serve, whether that’s counseling or truck driving. But if a pastor would gladly leave behind that second role should her congregation find enough funding, chances are she doesn’t have two vocations—she has two jobs.

Not that having two jobs is all bad. Depending on the second job, it can create more balance between human interaction and solitary projects than full-time congregational work often allows. For introverts in ministry—remember that conversation last year?—it can create more time and space alone, time for us to do our thinking and recharging. And a second source of income is handy during transitions.