Phill Sandahl

A term often used in discussions of tentmakers troubles me. It is frequently used by those who are pastoring a church but also holding another job to make ends meet financially. That term is “bi-vocational”

The term may, or may not, be used correctly but that is not what bothers me. What disturbs me is that it reinforces the unbiblical concept of a secular-sacred divide. It gives a mistaken understanding of the biblical teaching on work and leads to a number of other problems.

Conversations about being bi-vocational often center around how hard the person has to work doing two jobs. Then there are problems of maintaining balance – whether in the use of time, the management of finances, or some other aspect of life.

This approach is not helpful. What is called for is some perspective. When there is a problem resolving a conflict of interests it is best to look for an overarching principle that addresses all of them.

Consider this:

• For the Apostle Paul tentmaking was not a Plan B when funds ran low, but rather, his preferred, intentional strategy (see Why Did Paul Make Tents). It is a legitimate model and in the early church the predominant one.

• Vocation – the term is related to the word for calling. When one says that he is bi-vocational he is saying that he has two distinct callings, and that they are in conflict. God may ask a person to do a number of different things in his life, but there is one calling.

• When there appears to be a conflict, either one or more options are wrong, or we are not looking at the problem correctly. In most cases there is, in fact, a greater overarching call which can properly align the subsidiary activities.

• All Christians are citizens of the Kingdom of God, and called to build his Kingdom.

• The church is God’s vehicle to transform all of society – Not the building. Not even the institution. But the people. (see companion article Travel Light).

• Life is frequently divided into different domains or sectors: family, leisure, professional, financial, etc. Each person participates in each of these domains and connects with other people within them. However, there is no separate domain for faith. Effective faith should permeate all the domains speaking across all of them.

• Each of us has received a unique personality, skills, gifting, and training to prepare us to do the will of the Father. Life, like the body, consists of many parts, all necessary and working together.

When we focus on the Kingdom of God we see that God calls each of us to contribute in different ways to building His Kingdom and taking back territory from the Enemy. 
To that end He uniquely equips us to transform all sectors of society, by living out our faith where He places us.

We need to change the image of life. It is not the juggling of multiple disparate activities. Rather it follows the dynamic model of an atom. It is a single entity consisting of multiple moving components interacting together to achieve one purpose – building the Kingdom.