Is Your Ministry a Job or a Side Hustle?

"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." - Sir Edmund Hillary

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

Does it ever feel like your primary role as a pastor is just one of several hats you wear to make ends meet? One moment you’re crafting a sermon, the next you’re running to a chaplaincy shift or managing the administrative tasks for a second congregation. If this juggling act feels overwhelming and isolating, you are far from alone. The reality for a significant portion of clergy today is that ministry is not a single, contained role but a complex web of responsibilities that often includes outside employment.

This reality can be a source of significant stress, especially when you're trying to revitalize a church that is struggling. The pressure to grow the congregation, manage tight budgets, and prevent personal burnout is immense. For many emerging pastors, the necessity of taking on multiple roles feels less like a strategic choice and more like a financial imperative.

The Bi-Vocational Reality

The romanticized image of a full-time pastor, wholly supported by a single congregation and free to focus solely on its needs, is becoming less common.

In his Substack article "The Many Jobs of a Religious Leader", Ryan Burge examines recent data from the National Survey of Religious Leaders, which paints a clear picture: about a third of all clergy have a non-ministry job in addition to their primary pastoral role. This isn't a fringe phenomenon; it's a mainstream experience for a huge number of church leaders.

The survey highlights several common scenarios:

• The Bi-Vocational Pastor: Holding a completely separate, non-ministry job to supplement income.

• The Multi-Congregation Leader: Serving two or more churches simultaneously, often in rural or financially strained areas.

• The Chaplain-Pastor: Combining parish ministry with chaplaincy work in settings like hospitals, universities, or prisons.

A small but notable group—7% of those surveyed—are even managing to serve multiple congregations and work as a chaplain. This data confirms what many young pastors already know in their bones: the financial landscape of modern ministry requires immense flexibility and, often, a second or third income stream.

Why Pastors Take on Extra Work

The primary driver behind this trend is straightforward: financial necessity. The survey data reveals a stark correlation between household income and the likelihood of having outside employment. A majority of pastors with a household income under $25,000 a year are working outside their clergy role. This percentage drops as income rises, but the trend is clear. For those leading small to medium-sized churches facing plateaus or decline, the budget simply may not support a full-time salary with benefits.

However, financial need isn't the only reason. For some, chaplaincy or serving another congregation is a way to broaden their impact and utilize their skills in different contexts. It can be a source of new energy and perspective, enriching their primary ministry. A chaplaincy role, for instance, provides raw, unfiltered experience with human suffering and joy that can deepen a pastor's empathy and inform their preaching in profound ways. Serving a second, smaller congregation might offer a different kind of fulfillment and a less complex leadership environment.

Still, the challenges are undeniable. Juggling multiple roles creates a significant time crunch, making it difficult to prioritize work-life balance—a key concern for younger pastors. It can stretch you thin, increase the risk of burnout, and make it feel impossible to give your primary congregation the focused attention it needs to grow and thrive. The very solution to your financial stress can become a major contributor to your emotional and spiritual exhaustion.

Finding Balance in the Juggle

Managing multiple professional roles is a skill, and it’s one that can be learned and honed. The key is not to view your various jobs as competing for your attention, but as different facets of your overall calling. Each role can inform and strengthen the others if you approach them with intention and strategy. Your work as a chaplain can make you a more compassionate pastor. Your skills from a secular job can bring fresh administrative or organizational insights to your church.

Embracing this reality means moving from a mindset of survival to one of strategic integration. It requires you to be ruthlessly efficient with your time, clear about your boundaries, and honest with your congregations about your capacity. It also demands a strong support network, something that is often limited for emerging pastors. Building connections with other bi-vocational leaders is essential for sharing best practices and finding mutual encouragement.

Here's what you can do to put this into action:

1. Conduct a Time Audit: For one week, track every hour of your day. Use a simple spreadsheet or a time-tracking app. The goal is to get an honest look at where your time is actually going across all your roles—including sermon prep, pastoral care, administration, and your other jobs. Identify time-wasting activities and areas where you can be more efficient.

2. Create a Role Synergy Map: Draw three overlapping circles on a piece of paper, one for each of your primary roles (e.g., Pastor, Chaplain, Secular Job). In the overlapping sections, write down the skills, experiences, or insights that are shared between the roles. For example, does your chaplaincy work give you sermon illustrations? Does your secular job teach you project management skills you can use for a church outreach event? This exercise helps you see how your roles can complement, rather than compete with, one another.

3. Establish "No-Fly Zones" in Your Calendar: The greatest risk of juggling multiple jobs is the erosion of personal and family time. Block out specific, non-negotiable times in your calendar each week for rest, family, and spiritual renewal. Treat these appointments with the same seriousness as a meeting with a church elder. Communicate these boundaries clearly and kindly to your congregations so they understand your availability.