GADSDEN, Ala. (BP) – Alvin Johnson has a calling. Two, actually. He loves both and sees God work in their respective settings.
One of those roles is as a nutrition manager for Ohatchee High School. The other is related, in a way, as Johnson often talks about the Bread of Life while standing behind the pulpit at Lakeview Baptist Church in Southside.
In both cases, the point is to help others take in what keeps you healthy, whether in body or spirit.
“I love it,” Johnson said of his secular job. “I enjoy not only being able to create food and see people enjoy their meal, but I get to be around students. I’m around faculty and get to invest in them.
“Most pastors would not have that kind of opportunity,” he added. “I feel God has placed me there to be able to do that.”
The growth of bivocational ministry coincides with many churches’ first consideration of that option. Craig Carlisle has seen cases where that switch – mentally, emotionally and spiritually – didn’t take. But, he has also observed instances where it did and unlocked a new era of ministry for a congregation.
Carlisle, director of Etowah Baptist Association in Gadsden, Ala., and newly elected SBC 2nd vice president, sees Lakeview as one of those positive cases. For any church, though, making that change comes with a lot of questions.
“I give them my opinion on what path they should consider, but it’s ultimately the church’s decision,” said Carlisle on when churches consult him on seeking a full-time or bivocational pastor. “They want to know what going with a bivocational pastor means for their church and how they are going to do that.
“I explain to them that some things will change. His availability, most of all, will be different. He won’t be able to do all the visits or be in the office throughout the day. You’ll need to schedule committee meetings and things like that for when he can be there.”
Meeting expectations
Churches that transition well confront those changes, Carlisle has noticed.
“There may be some pains in the beginning, but ultimately, they end up functioning well,” he said.
David Bankson’s family background includes service through law enforcement, a path he began in his early 20s and has continued to this day. A few years later, he answered a call to preach.
That preceded a move to Louisiana, where he attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in the late 1990s and earned an undergraduate degree.
His time in law enforcement never stopped. While in New Orleans, Bankson was part of the NOBTS campus police. After graduation, he moved back to the Gadsden area and worked with the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office and as a school resource officer (SRO). That accompanied a bivocational pastor position and eight years as a full-time pastor at another county church.
In September 2019, Bankson accepted the role as bivocational pastor at Cove Creek Baptist Church in Glencoe while continuing his work as an SRO.
Doing both, he admitted, can be demanding. But he is comfortable with the role. The folks at Cove Creek have also responded well.
“There is more opportunity for people to plug in and help,” he said. “They do things that would be expected of a full-time pastor.”
Etowah Baptist Association has 80 churches. Fifty-five pastorates are part-time or bivocational. Carlisle notes the difference in those categories, with part-time pastorates consisting of those who do not work another job, such as retired pastors.
Discussions with churches looking to fill a pulpit begin with salary. Many congregations and search teams are filled with older members. As such, a disconnect can result as to the increased costs of raising a family. Often, churches look to the pastor’s wife for what she could bring to the equation. A job as a teacher, for instance, would help bridge the salary gap as well as provide insurance.
“A full-time guy needs to be paid in the $75,000-range, plus benefits,” said Carlisle, who is also the current president for Alabama Baptists and last week was elected to SBC 2nd vice president. “Many churches can’t reach that threshold.”
Fight and build
Joshua Copeland notes the connection between the work of a pastor and construction, a business he has been in practically his entire life.
“Christ was a carpenter. Nehemiah was a builder,” he said. “My former pastor, Garry Ragsdale, gave me some advice before I went out into ministry to be like Nehemiah. Carry a hammer in one hand and a sword in the other.
“Fight and build. That’s been a stronghold of my ministry.”
Copeland was discipled under Ragsdale at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Alexandria, before entering the ministry. He began as pastor of North Gadsden Baptist Church in September 2022 while continuing his work as a construction crew foreman and credits the congregation for a successful transition.
“They are a faithful bunch,” he said.
North Gadsden’s former pastor had experienced years of declining health before dying of congestive heart failure.
“They loved him, his wife and his family and did everything they could to take care of them,” said Copeland. “During that time, many of them shouldered the responsibilities of things that needed to be done in the church.”
That put an all-hands-on-deck mentality that continues to benefit the church. There have been visitors and baptisms to go with the one scheduled in two weeks. The church will host a wedding next month, the first time to do so in years.
“There has been a culture shift,” Copeland said. “It’s been a blessing and an opportunity. Christ is the leader of the church and I’m His servant. I’ve said that we’re not looking for volunteers, who can be temporary. We’re looking for servants.”
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