The blessings of bivocational ministry
GROWING BEYOND THE DOORS
By Rev. Canon Grayhame Bowcott
WHAT DO a Psychiatrist, a Mathematician, and a Teacher have in common?
No, it’s not the beginning of a bad joke (at least this time). What links these vocations together is the fact that in recent months, individuals holding these professions have also been ordained into leadership roles in the Anglican Church of Canada.
Within the last two years, there has been an explosion of bivocational individuals discerning a call to serve our Church. In previous generations, these same individuals might not have stepped forward because there was a misconception that ministry leadership was the sole responsibility of full-time, seminary-trained clergy. Whether or not the concept of a full-time priest in every parish was a sustainable or healthy ministry model, this previous misconception suggested that it should be normative wherever the resources could be found to support it.
In using the word “misconception”, I recognize that some readers could take offense. Allow me to note that I am certainly not against full-time, single-cleric ministry, and in many places within our diocese and across Canada this model has served the church well. However, what we are experiencing in this current moment in the leadership of the Church is a discernment of the wider gifts of the membership of our Church to raise up ordained leaders who desire to work together, in ministry teams, in a division of pastoral, administrative, and liturgical roles that unlock the capacity of congregations to reach out in relationship to more people than the single-priest, single-parish model was ever capable of.
A Psychiatrist, a Mathematician, and a Teacher will each relate to people in different ways. In my years serving in ministry, I have recognized that my own personality and gifts do not necessarily relate to all people in the same way. Where one person might connect with my personal ministry style, another person might not be so inspired. Yet, when I am able to work in partnership with additional ministry leaders, the diversity of their gifts and personalities help to unlock relationships with people that I might not have been able to reach on my own.
Some people believe that bivocational ministry is a blessing because the ordination of non-stipendiary clergy lessens the financial burden of congregations facing financial and numeric membership decline. And, yes, the truth is that without many of our non-stipendiary clergy, there are congregations that would not be able to afford the cost of keeping their doors open for regular worship services. However, it is my experience that bivocational ministry is at its most impactful when these leaders are not utilized as a desperate last line of ministry, but rather as an augmentation of ministries that would like to explore growing in their capacity of diversifying their ministry outreach and in the possibility of seeking new relationships.
There was a time when theological education was restricted in a way that only someone who could afford the time and cost of committing years of study in a residential seminary model would be able to access the skills needed to become a deacon or a priest in the Church. Thankfully, with the teaching innovations that have evolved since the pandemic, more flexible theological study options are available than in any other time of history in our Canadian Church.
And so, now a Psychiatrist, a Mathematician and a Teacher might also be able to share a virtual classroom, within an accessible schedule, that for the first time could allow for them to test out their own vocational call. I find it remarkable that this scenario is no longer just theoretical, but that this is becoming the new reality of ministry in the Anglican Church. If you are reading this article and are wondering: “might he be talking about me?”, perhaps now is the time for you to explore the possibilities of taking the next step in your own discernment to ministry leadership! If so, give me a call, I’d love to hear where it might take you.
Rev. Canon Dr. Grayhame Bowcott serves as Rector of St. George’s, The Parish of The Blue Mountains, and as Program Director for the Licentiate in Theology program at Huron University.
A Psychiatrist, a Mathematician, and a Teacher being ordained for real! All of them are students from Huron University LhT program.
Featured photo: Ben White/Unsplash