So on Monday I became a teacher…

I guess it all began a few weeks ago. I heard a “story” about a guy in a flood. As the water rose to his knees someone came by in a boat. “Do you need help?” “No, my God’s going to rescue me”, was the man’s reply. As the waters continued to rise someone else came by in a boat. “Do you need help?” “No, my God’s going to rescue me”, was the man’s reply again. Eventually the water rose so high that he had to climb onto his roof. Not long after that a helicopter came by. “Do you need help?” “No, my God’s going to rescue me”, was the man’s reply yet again. Well he ended up drowning. Upon arriving in Heaven he asked God, “Why didn’t you save me?” God’s reply, “Well I sent two boats and a helicopter, what more were you waiting for?”

Now the business of a church is tricky at times. And sometimes when you feel like you are doing the ministry God has called you to it doesn’t always add up in terms of finance. And at our own church it has been this way for quite some time. You could see the proverbial waters rising and we all were just waiting on how best to solve this dilemma. Then a couple of weeks ago I found out that the school my kids attend needed a science teacher. For most pastors this probably wouldn’t sound like a boat, but this pastor happens to have an undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Not only that, but the school was looking for a Middle School teacher and I had worked with Middle School students for over five years during my youth ministry days…what?!? So I applied, talked it over with my board and on Monday I became a Middle school science teacher.

Now here’s the beauty of it; I’m not alone in this endeavor. More and more pastors are turning to bi-vocational ministry as they seek to minister to contemporary culture and settings. Not only that, but there is a Biblical example for this type of ministry as well. In his letter to the Thessalonian church we read this from Paul, “For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.”‭‭2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:7-8‬ Although I may feel a little overwhelmed, I am actually excited about the possibility of working outside and inside the church. It will help stabilize our church finances, but it will also give me an opportunity to see the work and sacrifice many of our laypeople already engage in (not to mention a platform to speak to those laypeople who aren’t all that involved).  So I invite you along on this new journey with me and our church. I ask for your prayers and patience in the days ahead. And I still look with ever-increasing expectation and optimism to what God is going to do among His people.