It’s been interesting. I’ve been a pastor for 10 years. In all this time I’ve always been bi-vocational. You can read about that in other places on my blog. During that time I’ve come to the realization that two things are (generally) true:
- In the traditional / established church world you aren’t a “real pastor” unless you are paid full-time by the church.
- In the church planting, missional, emerging (whatever words you want to use here) world you aren’t totally legitimate unless you are bi-vocational.
Why don’t we just go ahead and say that neither of these assumptions are healthy.
There is a time and place for full-time paid pastors. There is a time and place for part-time paid pastors.
Neither one is more spiritual than the other.
That is all.