I wrote this in 2021 and published in 2022. It is an in depth look at what I have learnt over 30 years of pastoral leadership, almost all of it done in the bivocational mode. This book was a nominee for Australian Christian Book of the Year in 2022.
The title describes what I believe and hope to depict within the book itself—that the future of pastoral leadership in the Western world will be increasingly bivocational. This can be viewed by some as a symptom of poor church health (we can’t afford a pastor full time) however I advocate for it as the preferred mode of leadership in churches going forwards.
Because the pastor’s availability for church work is limited he/she is then able to focus on the things they do well rather than having to fake omnicompetence. Bivo mode allows the pastor to function in a much healthier way..
Further, there is potential for the pastor to actually engage missionally in their world by having a job and doing what every other church member does—turn up at work day in day out. This ensures the pastor isn’t locked away in a church office, doing church things but disconnected from the reality of the world around them.
If we can get past the perception of bivocational ministry as “second best” then we may actually be able to learn new ways of leadership in the years ahead,
We are four years on from publishing and I’m still not embarassed by anything I wrote in that book – so that’s a great sign.
Hi Vis Faith
This book came together after a short preaching series at Riverview Church in 2025 on the subject of “Faith at Work”. The call to live faith out in very ordinary spaces has been close to my heart for many years and while writing a book seemed possible, it looked like an already busy marketplace for books of this ilk.
That said, very little in the contemporary ‘Faith/Work space is written by Australians and I couldn’t find anything that spoke to the tradesmen and practical workers amongst us. Being a tradie myself I have tried to write for those other “hands on” workers who want their everyday contribution to make a difference for the kingdom of God.
This book suggests we view our workplace as our primary ministry space and consider how we live out our faith there. Serving in church is often seen as ‘ministry’ while the things we do in the workplace are seen as our employment. I believe God wants us to live out our faith in the workplace and for this be seen as the space in which the church does some of its best work.
Publishing in June 2026