Book Review by Ron Baker
Tentmakers: Multivocational Ministry in Western Society
James Watson and Narry F. Santos, editors
Wipf and Stock, 2022, 139 pages
Imagine that the Christian church in Western Society was declining – at least in revenue and size. Further, imagine that clergy staff are finding revenue income in the churches they serve is minimally able to support them.
OK, so we don’t need to imagine. This is happening!
In Watson and Santos’ book a variety of contributors lay out the latest in the reality of multivocational ministry. Note that the title is multivocational – a further enhancement of what we used to call bi-vocational ministry. This is a reality of a phenomenon noticed a few years back, that a gig economy is truly in place.
Outlined in the book is the Canadian Multivocational Ministry Project. In an attempt to verify anecdotal feedback, a survey was undertaken to uncover how prevalent multivocations were becoming in the church, and how this was seen by leadership. A takeaway is the need to be aware of the emotional cost of multivocational work.
But what of the foundations of departing from the recent ideal of full-time vocational work in churches. The Bible is rife with examples of tentmakers and those whose ministry is peppered with insights from their jobs outside of vocational ministry. If there is a strong point to be had in this book it is that the task of multivocational ministry is not new, nor is it a lesser approach to ministry.
Of course, this requires a fuller understanding of charism, vocation and work. While this may seem to be a nuanced and perhaps unnecessary division of a “job”, the distinctions are needful. Diverse gifts of grace to individuals in the church bring about a vocational obligation to each one. Contributing to human flourishing calls on the minister to take seriously the work God has called them to. The book’s pages that flow into these consideration are will worth digesting.
As a retired pastor I know of the constant question of work – life balance. More pointedly this brings up the matter of “home” and what infringement upon the obligations of home may mean. As we look to the stretched minister we find that Sabbath and personal care are vital to a lasting multivocational ministry.
As any good story will do, principles are fleshed out in personal reflections from multivocational ministers. Pointed out in the reality of life are the disadvantages of a dividing of focus for the minister, the too often held emphasis of administration over other pastoral tasks and, of course, the tension with divided time for home life. On the other hand, multivocational work allows for a true sense of community ethos, a directive work towards a communities’ illnesses and a place for both acceptance and trust in the community.
This book is a well-spring of thoughts taken directly from research done here in Canada. The powerful challenge is to consider multivocational work in our era of declining church participation. Read, ruminate and consider your vocation for God in this new world.