Five Ways to Survive the Rigors of Bivocational Ministry

Kent Murawski

In part 1 of the Bivocational Series , I elaborated on the upsides of being bivocational; then in part 2 the challenges and downsides. Today I want to share some thoughts on how to survive the rigors of bivocational ministry. Whether you are neck deep in it, thinking about it, or circumstances seem to be pushing you in that direction, my hope is that this post will encourage you, bless you and help you on your journey.

Tentmaker
Aciamax via Flickr

Surviving the Rigors of Bivocational Ministry  

1) Respect the season.   A wise mentor of mine once said this. By it he simply meant, whatever season you find yourself in, respect it and don’t try to live outside of it. If you find yourself in bivocational ministry, there is grace to live it successfully – until and unless the season changes. It may be hard. It may not be what you want to be doing. But if God has led you in that direction there is grace for the season.

When we were preparing to launch Journey Church we had raised enough money for me to go full-time. As April came and went, I was ready, even though the launch finances didn’t kick in until June. I had had enough of burning the candle at both ends. But as I shared my thoughts with our prayer team, the Lord prompted one of them to ask me this question: whose spiritual growth are you hindering by leaving your job early? You see, God had opened up a door for me to do a Bible study with some people at work, and one young lady in particular was showing real interest in the things of God. Would my leaving the job early short-circuit her growth in Christ? As me and my wife prayed about, we thought yes, it would. So I decided to stay until the end of the school year when the program was over. Several months later, the young lady came to our launch and gave her life to Christ.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. (Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV)

2) The top priority is to keep the top priority the top priority. Your family is first. There are a lot of things you are going to have to turn down in order to keep it that way. Schedule the most important things first. As a senior pastor that would be your personal time with God, your family, message preparation, leadership development and discipleship. Here are two things that will help you keep your family top priority:

3) The work will always be there. When working bivocationally (or in ministry for that matter), you will never feel like everything is done. There will always be work hanging over your head. When you don’t get everything done, remember, there is always tomorrow! Do the most important things first and if the rest doesn’t get done, most of the time it can wait.

For me, that boiled down to my sermon, my life group, a few young men I was discipling and some weekly administrative tasks I needed to fulfill. 

The Silver Lining

There is a silver lining in all this. Time is a funny thing. It seems the less time we have the better we manage it and the more we have the more we squander. While working bivocationally, I learned how to manage my time really well. The important things got done and the not so important things fell to the wayside. On the flip side, there is very little margin or room for error. As I said before, you must focus on the most important things first or you will drown. 

Equipping and Delegating

Equipping and delegation must become your focus . Because you have less time, equipping and delegating become even more critical. Having less time forced me to be intentional about equipping people for ministry, involving more people in the process and delegating things I didn’t have time to do.

4) Remember, the Church belongs to Jesus and it’s up to Him to build it. Sometimes we mistakenly think that the sole responsibility of building the church falls to us. But it doesn’t, it actually falls to Jesus (see Matthew 16:18). While working bivocationally, I learned to do my part and trusted God to do His. My part is to plant and water, God’s part is to bring the increase (see 1 Cor. 3:6). Then when He does, we harvest it! I also realized my part was smaller than I originally thought. I came to that conclusion when after all my efforts (including some that weren’t directed by Him) nothing changed. Like Jesus, I only want to do what I see the Father doing (see John 5:19) and move where He is moving. When we come to understand that the Church rests on Jesus’ shoulders, not ours, we tend to work from a place of rest, not striving, and we give God the glory for what happens.

This leads me to my last and final tip…

5) Find a rhythm of rest. Despite the high demand on your time, you must find a rhythm of rest. Even while working bivocationally, I rarely compromised my Sabbath day. As I previously mentioned, we were also planning a major public launch or grand opening while I was working bivocationally. There were always things that needed to be done, but after God taught me an important lesson about rest , I knew I was destined for burnout if I didn’t find and establish a rhythm of rest. Here are a few things that helped me establish a rhythm.

  • Never compromise your Sabbath day
  • Pick a stop time to end work (with the help of your wife) and stick to it
  • Get enough sleep. Sleep is your friend.
  • Plan some fun activities on a somewhat consistent basis

In the end, if you do find yourself having to work bivocationally, pray and do your best to find something with flexibility and adequate pay. This is easier if you have some skills that allow you to do this – like carpentry, graphic design, photography or some type of consulting. Since I possessed none of those skills, I had to find a job that paid well and accommodated the hours I needed. God opened up the perfect opportunity for me to work at an urban youth center; putting together my teaching gift with my love for youth.  Uber is also a great option if it exists in your city. It is flexible and pays well.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would say, if you can avoid having to work bivocationally, do it.  The difficulty of working as a bivocational minister is really taxing. Honestly, I don’t think I could have continued that way forever. I have the utmost respect for those who embrace it as a way of life. There are some who even work a full-time job while pastoring a church. This is nothing short of miraculous. My hat is off to you.

If you find yourself in bivocational ministry, know that God’s grace will sustain you. He will give you everything you need when you need it. I know it’s hard, but your reward is great in heaven. Your willingness to lay down your life and be obedient to the call is an example to us all. Thank you! 

Other Parts in the Series

Resources on Being Bivocational

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3 Ways to Master Summer Without Burning Out

By Kent Murawski • July 28, 2025
When was the last time you ended a summer feeling more energized than when it started? ​​Summer brings changes for many of us—minimizing our motivation to work, disrupting work routines, and altering schedules. With summertime often comes a desire to slow down, and yet, we're not always sure how to do that. This week is my last new post for a little while (though I may resend some popular posts from the 2024-2025 season). I’m pressing pause to create space and pour my energy into finishing my new book. But stay tuned—when I’m back in six weeks, the newsletter will be refreshed with some exciting updates you won’t want to miss! Read to the end to find out more. In this week's edition of Catalyst, I want to share 3 ideas to help you effectively navigate summer. 3 Ways to Master Summer Without Burning Out 1) Stop and Think (Reflect) Socrates famously said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." For Socrates, life was more than pursuing the things that most men occupy themselves with, things like wealth, household affairs, status and position, and political clubs and factions. He believed that life only has value and meaning when we question what we think and know, and by more deeply understanding ourselves and others. The beginning of summer is an ideal time for reflection, and we all tend to occupy ourselves with the things Socrates talked about more than we probably care to admit. Taking a reflection day at the end of each quarter (consider removing "or trimester" for conciseness) can be an effective way to navigate seasonal changes. Finding a place far enough removed from your normal day-to-day life will help you get into a different headspace. A friend of mine often says: Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. I've used hotels, monasteries, or even a beautiful outdoor location if the weather permits. Here are a few questions you might want to ask: How am I feeling spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically? How are my closest relationships doing? Am I living out my core values? Is my life moving in a direction I feel good about? What do I need to change or adjust? Here are a few ideas for how to conduct a reflection day: Prayer, meditation, or silence Review your biggest wins and assess your goals from the previous quarter Work on high-impact projects that require focus Preview the upcoming quarter and set your Big 3 goals: personal, marriage/family, work/business 2) Cut the Non-Essentials (Reevaluate) Both my wife and I work, so when summer arrives, we need to re-evaluate our schedules to accommodate our twelve-year-old son. In the past, I've made the mistake of trying to keep the same workload despite being home with him two days a week. I ended up frustrated all summer long, living in the tension of wanting to spend more time with him while trying to carry the same workload. Summer requires me to pare down my work roles to the essentials: Writing (currently working on a new book) Executive coaching (6-8 coaching clients) Relationship building and outreach Necessary administration (keeping this to 30% or less of my responsibilities) Moving forward, I will probably keep things this way. It feels more sustainable than the unrealistic expectations I previously held myself to. Once you define your key roles and responsibilities, the question becomes how to achieve better work-life integration not work-life balance. I use the Big 3 System. Choose only three big things to focus on at one time—quarterly, weekly, and daily. That's right, just three. Those three things are usually a combination of personal, marriage/family, and work. Each quarter, I typically choose 1 personal goal, 1 marriage and family goal, and 1-3 work goals, depending on the quarter. Here are a few questions to consider. If you have a partner, discuss them together: How does your schedule change in the summer? What work-related responsibilities and expectations do you need to adjust? What are 3 things you want to do this summer? What do you NOT want to do? 3) Choose What Matters Most (Rest) Paring down expectations isn't only for work, it applies to rest, too. Because it's summer, there is the temptation to want to fit in everything (—vacation, visit family, trips, fun, etc). In the past, we would try to do so much that by the time fall rolled around, we were exhausted. Last year, out of necessity, we planned a staycation instead of going away. It was one of the best vacations we've had in a long time. And besides, summers in New England are gorgeous! We went to see a movie, ate out, went to Six Flags, had a beach day, and took days in between just to relax. We loved it so much, we're doing a staycation again this year! Write down your list of summer expectations and plans. Now, cross out everything that feels exhausting and unfun. Don't try to fit everything in this summer. Pick a couple of things that feel life-giving and focus on those. Your Move Reflect. Re-evaluate. Rest. Choose one of the three and work on it in the next 24 hours. Plan a day of reflection. Have a conversation with your spouse. Choose how you're going to rest this summer. I don't care which one it is, just take action. Here’s one question to consider: What would you stop doing this summer if no one was watching? Most people think summer is about maximizing experiences and fitting everything in, but the truth is that the most productive leaders use summer to strategically subtract, not add. They understand that rest isn't what you do after the work is done—it's what makes the work sustainable in the first place. You've got this.

Why you're exhausted before fall even arrives...

By Kent Murawski • July 23, 2025
When was the last time you ended a summer feeling more energized than when it started? ​​Summer brings changes for many of us—minimizing our motivation to work, disrupting work routines, and altering schedules. With summertime often comes a desire to slow down, and yet, we're not always sure how to do that. This week is my last new post for a little while (though I may resend some popular posts from the 2024-2025 season). I’m pressing pause to create space and pour my energy into finishing my new book. But stay tuned—when I’m back in six weeks, the newsletter will be refreshed with some exciting updates you won’t want to miss! Read to the end to find out more. In this week's edition of Catalyst, I want to share 3 ideas to help you effectively navigate summer. 3 Ways to Master Summer Without Burning Out 1) Stop and Think (Reflect) Socrates famously said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." For Socrates, life was more than pursuing the things that most men occupy themselves with, things like wealth, household affairs, status and position, and political clubs and factions. He believed that life only has value and meaning when we question what we think and know, and by more deeply understanding ourselves and others. The beginning of summer is an ideal time for reflection, and we all tend to occupy ourselves with the things Socrates talked about more than we probably care to admit. Taking a reflection day at the end of each quarter (consider removing "or trimester" for conciseness) can be an effective way to navigate seasonal changes. Finding a place far enough removed from your normal day-to-day life will help you get into a different headspace. A friend of mine often says: Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective. I've used hotels, monasteries, or even a beautiful outdoor location if the weather permits. Here are a few questions you might want to ask: How am I feeling spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically? How are my closest relationships doing? Am I living out my core values? Is my life moving in a direction I feel good about? What do I need to change or adjust? Here are a few ideas for how to conduct a reflection day: Prayer, meditation, or silence Review your biggest wins and assess your goals from the previous quarter Work on high-impact projects that require focus Preview the upcoming quarter and set your Big 3 goals: personal, marriage/family, work/business 2) Cut the Non-Essentials (Reevaluate) Both my wife and I work, so when summer arrives, we need to re-evaluate our schedules to accommodate our twelve-year-old son. In the past, I've made the mistake of trying to keep the same workload despite being home with him two days a week. I ended up frustrated all summer long, living in the tension of wanting to spend more time with him while trying to carry the same workload. Summer requires me to pare down my work roles to the essentials: Writing (currently working on a new book) Executive coaching (6-8 coaching clients) Relationship building and outreach Necessary administration (keeping this to 30% or less of my responsibilities) Moving forward, I will probably keep things this way. It feels more sustainable than the unrealistic expectations I previously held myself to. Once you define your key roles and responsibilities, the question becomes how to achieve better work-life integration not work-life balance. I use the Big 3 System. Choose only three big things to focus on at one time—quarterly, weekly, and daily. That's right, just three. Those three things are usually a combination of personal, marriage/family, and work. Each quarter, I typically choose 1 personal goal, 1 marriage and family goal, and 1-3 work goals, depending on the quarter. Here are a few questions to consider. If you have a partner, discuss them together: How does your schedule change in the summer? What work-related responsibilities and expectations do you need to adjust? What are 3 things you want to do this summer? What do you NOT want to do? 3) Choose What Matters Most (Rest) Paring down expectations isn't only for work, it applies to rest, too. Because it's summer, there is the temptation to want to fit in everything (—vacation, visit family, trips, fun, etc). In the past, we would try to do so much that by the time fall rolled around, we were exhausted. Last year, out of necessity, we planned a staycation instead of going away. It was one of the best vacations we've had in a long time. And besides, summers in New England are gorgeous! We went to see a movie, ate out, went to Six Flags, had a beach day, and took days in between just to relax. We loved it so much, we're doing a staycation again this year! Write down your list of summer expectations and plans. Now, cross out everything that feels exhausting and unfun. Don't try to fit everything in this summer. Pick a couple of things that feel life-giving and focus on those. Your Move Reflect. Re-evaluate. Rest. Choose one of the three and work on it in the next 24 hours. Plan a day of reflection. Have a conversation with your spouse. Choose how you're going to rest this summer. I don't care which one it is, just take action. Here’s one question to consider: What would you stop doing this summer if no one was watching? Most people think summer is about maximizing experiences and fitting everything in, but the truth is that the most productive leaders use summer to strategically subtract, not add. They understand that rest isn't what you do after the work is done—it's what makes the work sustainable in the first place. You've got this.

Crisis Creates Clarity

By Kent Murawski • May 26, 2025
“Should I end this?” were the last words I said before collapsing to the ground in excruciating pain. The only thing I ended that day was my basketball career ⛹️! On Sunday, May 18, 2025, I ruptured my patella tendon playing basketball with my boys. We were playing a game of P.I.G., and it was […]

‘When You Hurry, You No Longer Care’: A Wake-Up Call from the Monastery

By Kent Murawski • May 16, 2025
“You’re not going to become a monk, are you?”  My wife asked me this after I excitedly returned from a week-long retreat to a Trappist monastery and my growing fascination with monastic rhythms.  The obvious answer is no, since I’m neither single nor celibate It began the previous week when my twelve-year-old son and I […]

The View from 50

By Kent Murawski • May 7, 2025
I always thought the big decisions were what shaped my life trajectory, but my 50th birthday celebration revealed something way more interesting—it’s actually the tiny, everyday choices that determine where you ultimately end up. It was the most meaningful birthday I’ve ever had.  Fair warning, this is a long one, but it will be worth […]

The Productive Power of Strategic Pauses

By Kent Murawski • March 19, 2025
Your capacity to recognize when to pause may be more valuable than knowing when to push. Lately, I haven’t had anything to write, which is a rare occurrence. Sure, I could try to pound something out or pull some unused content out of the archives (which I have tons of), but here’s what I’ve discovered: […]

How Are You? (The Success Predictor)

By Kent Murawski • March 6, 2025
How are you? Your answer to this question reveals more about your future success and well-being than any strategic plan. We often wear busyness as a badge of honor. Ask ten people how they are doing, and nine out of ten times the answer will be, “busy.” That’s not the way things ought to be. […]

The Hidden Cost of Being Too Hard On Yourself

By Kent Murawski • January 30, 2025
The weight of unrealistic self-expectations can feel crushing, especially at the start of a new year. January is not even over, and I’m already feeling overwhelmed.  It’s often said that we can be our own worst bosses or that the most challenging person to lead is the person in the mirror.  What do you do […]

The Missed Opportunity in Failed Dreams

By Kent Murawski • January 16, 2025
Failed dreams can become your greatest victories. While dreams are essential for hope and growth, unfulfilled dreams can breed disillusionment. Yet what appears to be a “failed” dream often reveals itself as an opportunity. Barbara Corcoran, the renowned Shark Tank Investor, once said, “All my best successes came on the heels of failure.” This wisdom […]

Less Is More (Why Resolutions Don’t Work)

By Kent Murawski • January 4, 2025
Did you know that 92% of people give up on their goals by January 12th? Pretty shocking, right? I used to be part of that statistic. Every year, I’d write down my goals with excitement, only to find them collecting dust by February. It was frustrating and, honestly, a bit embarrassing. But then I discovered […]