Preaching into overtime

Churches would be nothing without the people inside them, and that includes the pastors who guide members and help them put their faith to action. For some, ministering is just one of their professional talents, as they hold a second job in a non-related field.

Bivocational pastors, by definition, support their families through incomes provided by the church and other sources. Some men and women know early on that ministerial work is what they’re meant to do, but they decide to take on additional employment.

Others don’t receive their calling to the ministry until later in life. Often, that’s after they’ve already established themselves in a separate career — and they continue to do both.

Pastors in Middle Georgia said their church roles are a calling rather than a job, but still a full-time commitment amid their other work.

THE CALLING

Kenny Rodgers has been farming since 1980, growing raw crops like cotton, corn, peanuts and soy, and he’s also been the pastor at Bonaire First Baptist Church for 28 years.

He said he started college not intending to be a pastor. But after graduating from Middle Georgia State University, he enrolled at Mercer University to go to seminary.

“I felt a really strong calling for it from an early age,” said Rodgers, who lives near Bonaire but farms with his brother in Macon-Bibb County. “It wasn’t something I chose; it was really something that chose me. I truly wanted to be a farmer.”

Michael Jones co-owns Ken’s audio and electronics stores in Macon and Warner Robins. Since 1986, he’s worked for the business that his dad founded, but it wasn’t until more recent years that he felt called to serve the Lord.

He said he became a Christian 12 years ago after a long life of making bad decisions. He gave his testimony at a men’s Bible study, and that led him to tell his story at other churches.

His family’s good reputation in the community and Ken’s 30-minute weekend infomercial, which ends with Jones reading scripture, amplified requests for him to speak.

Ultimately, he decided he wanted to be a preacher, and he went to school to ensure he had the proper credentials. He’s been the associate pastor at Heritage at Bass United Methodist Church in Macon for five years, and he’s started his education to become a senior pastor.

“It’s really amazing how God will use something that you don’t even think is part of the equation, which is my job,” Jones said. “My store, I do that for (my employees) and to pay my bills, but what I do for a living is praise God.”

Jeff Grist, of Warner Robins, became a Christian shortly after moving to Georgia to take a job as a computer programmer at Blue Bird Corporation in Fort Valley 32 years ago.

He held a few positions at one church for 25 years before becoming the pastor of Living Hope Baptist Church in Crawford County seven years ago. He holds a master of arts in ministry.

Grist thinks he’s meant to do both jobs — since God didn’t give him any word about leaving Blue Bird.

Eastman resident Brad Dowdy has pastored for seven years at New Union Baptist Church in Eastman, but by day he’s a power line design technician at Ocmulgee EMC, a post he’s held for 17 years. He said he felt drawn to the ministry as a young adult, but it took him a while to follow through.

He served as a church deacon and did other work within the church before being called to New Union Baptist. He’s pursing his theology degree at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary now.

BALANCING ACT

Rodgers spends Fridays and Saturdays at the farm, two full days a week at Bonaire First Baptist, and splits time between the two on the other days. He said his farming is normally only intensive and time-sensitive for a month in the spring, summer and fall, which allows him to balance his responsibilities. But church always comes first.

Dowdy works at the power company 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and pastors outside those times.

“The pastoring is not a job. The pastoring is a calling. It is part of my life,” Dowdy said. “It is, per say, time consuming, but only when I start thinking selfishly. The Lord reminds me that I have a retirement plan in glory. I need to be working.”

Jones said his business has made him used to juggling time. He’s at Ken’s Monday through Saturday and at church Wednesday nights, Sunday mornings and other times in between.

Amid their work, the pastors also have to make sure their families’ needs are met.

“There’s really no such thing as a part-time pastor, because you’re either a pastor or you’re not,” Grist said. “The hardest thing is you’re juggling two jobs and a family. Sometimes you have to give a little less time to one of those ... and you have to just try to catch up a little more later.”

WORKING HAND-IN-HAND

These men’s two vocations give them better insight into each of their responsibilities. Grist said being a pastor has taught him people skills while programming has taught him logic and systematic ways to approach issues.

Jones said people told him bringing God into Ken’s would be business suicide, but they’ve never had a down year, even after deciding to close the store on Sundays.

He prays with his employees in the morning and doesn’t allow them to curse, and his workers know they are representing him and that he represents the Lord.

His two positions feed off each other, and he said his career has escalated because God has allowed him to have knowledge in both areas. Both his jobs require him to be a leader and on call 24/7, and the administrative and financial matters of the church are second nature to him because of his business experience.

“They go hand in hand,” Dowdy said. “We live in our world now that’s so full of negativity. As a pastor, I think you get to see people at their worst, and you get to also see them at their best, and I think it helps me. When I see someone, I’m not necessarily looking at the bad. I see what’s possible; that helps me at work.”

He said both jobs bring the unexpected — from an extra busy week at the power company because of a tropical storm to people coming to church to seek help. They’ve helped him learn how to stay calm and see things from a different perspective.

A GROWING TREND

Grist said bivocational pastors always have been a part of the ministry, in worship centers of all sizes.

“There are a lot of small churches, particularly in rural areas, that need pastors,” he said. “A lot of times, churches are not able to provide for pastors full time, so those pastors end up working two jobs.”

These days, it’s less common for people to earn large incomes solely doing ministerial work, Jones said. Churches have more funds available for mission work when they don’t have to commit a huge chunk of their budget to salaries, he said.

“You look at the Apostle Paul. He sort of labored in the field to support himself. He also did the work of the Lord,” Dowdy said. “A lot of people will look for the larger church that may be a little more financially stable. But I’m just blessed that I have a job that supplies for my family, and I’m not really dependent on the church. There are other things we can do as a church to carry out the Lord’s will.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Preaching into overtime."