Three terms show up constantly in conversations about rural and small church ministry: bivocational, covocational, and tentmaking. They are often used as if they mean the same thing. They do not. The differences matter, both for how pastors understand their own calling and for how churches support the people who lead them.
The quick comparison
| Term | Primary driver | How the outside work is viewed | Most common context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bivocational | Financial necessity | A means of support | Rural and small church ministry |
| Covocational | Dual calling | A genuine vocation, not just a job | Small church movement, church planting |
| Tentmaking | Mission access | A platform for ministry in a closed context | Cross-cultural and international mission |
Bivocational: the most common model
A bivocational pastor holds two jobs: one in ministry and one outside it. The outside job is typically taken because the church cannot fully fund the pastoral role. The pastor’s primary identity is as a pastor. The second job is a means of support.
This is the most common model in rural and small church ministry. Lifeway Research (2025) found that evangelical pastors are more likely than other Protestant pastors to be bivocational. In rural communities specifically, the majority of small church pastors hold outside employment.
The word “bivocational” carries a slight weight of compromise in some church cultures, as if it means the pastor is not quite fully committed. That framing is wrong and worth pushing back on. A bivocational pastor in a rural community is often doing exactly what the community needs: a pastor who works alongside the congregation, understands the pressures of real work, and has not been insulated from the economic realities the congregation faces every day.
Covocational: a different frame
The covocational frame, popularized in recent years by Karl Vaters and others in the small church movement, reframes the second job as a second calling rather than a financial necessity.
A covocational pastor is a teacher who also pastors a church, or a farmer who also pastors a church, and who sees both roles as equally valid expressions of their calling from God. The outside work is not something to be endured until the church can afford a full-time pastor. It is part of who this person is and what God has called them to do.
The practical difference between bivocational and covocational is mostly a matter of framing and identity. The schedule looks similar. The financial reality is similar. But the covocational pastor does not experience the outside job as a compromise. They experience it as a calling.
For many rural pastors, the shift from “I am bivocational because my church cannot afford me full-time” to “I am covocational because God has called me to both of these things” is one of the most freeing reframes available.
Tentmaking: the missionary model
Tentmaking refers to the practice of supporting oneself through secular work while doing ministry, drawn from the Apostle Paul’s practice of making tents (Acts 18:3). It is most commonly used in cross-cultural or international mission contexts, where a missionary enters a country on a work visa and supports themselves through employment while doing ministry.
In domestic rural ministry, the term is sometimes used interchangeably with bivocational, though the missionary connotation is stronger. A tentmaker sees the outside work primarily as a platform for ministry access, not just a source of income. The job gets them into relationships and contexts where they can do ministry that would otherwise be unavailable.
In rural communities, this distinction can be meaningful. A pastor who takes a job at the grain elevator or the school is not just earning money. They are gaining access to relationships and trust that no amount of pastoral visiting can replicate.
Which term fits your situation?
If you hold a second job primarily because your church cannot fully fund your salary, and you experience the outside work as a burden you carry for the sake of the ministry, you are probably bivocational in the traditional sense.
If you hold a second job and genuinely love both roles, see both as callings, and would not give up the outside work even if the church could afford to pay you full-time, you are probably covocational.
If you took the outside job specifically because it gives you access to people and relationships you could not reach as a full-time pastor, and you see the job primarily as a ministry platform, you are probably operating in a tentmaking model.
Most rural pastors are some combination of all three. The terms are not mutually exclusive. They are lenses, and different lenses illuminate different aspects of the same calling.
Resources for Bivocational and Covocational Pastors
MinistryPlace has a complete bivocational pastor hub with time management tools, survival guides, and practical resources built for pastors who carry two callings.
Related reading
- How AI Can Help a Bivocational Pastor Without Replacing Pastoral Work
- Why So Many Rural Pastors Are Getting Older at the Same Time
- Rural Ministry Metrics: What Churches Should Measure Instead of Growth
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a bivocational pastor?
A bivocational pastor is a pastor who holds two jobs: one in ministry and one outside it. The outside job is typically taken out of financial necessity because the church cannot fully fund the pastoral role. The pastor’s primary identity is as a pastor; the second job is a means of support. This is the most common model in rural and small church ministry.
What is a covocational pastor?
A covocational pastor is a pastor who holds two callings, not just two jobs. The outside work is not merely a financial necessity but a genuine vocation in its own right. A covocational pastor might be a teacher, a farmer, a nurse, or a business owner who also pastors a church, and who sees both roles as equally valid expressions of their calling. The term was popularized by Karl Vaters and others in the small church movement.
What is tentmaking ministry?
Tentmaking ministry refers to the practice of supporting oneself through secular work while doing ministry, drawn from the Apostle Paul’s practice of making tents (Acts 18:3). It is most commonly used in cross-cultural or international mission contexts, where a missionary enters a country on a work visa and supports themselves through employment while doing ministry. In domestic rural ministry, the term is sometimes used interchangeably with bivocational, though the missionary connotation is stronger.
Which model is most common in rural churches?
Bivocational is by far the most common in rural evangelical churches. Lifeway Research (2025) found that evangelical pastors are more likely than other Protestant pastors to be bivocational. In rural communities specifically, the majority of small church pastors hold outside employment. The covocational framing is newer and is gaining traction as a way to reframe the second job as a calling rather than a compromise.
Is being bivocational a disadvantage for a rural pastor?
Not necessarily. In many rural communities, a pastor who works alongside the congregation in a real job has more credibility, not less. The farmer-pastor who understands the pressures of the agricultural calendar, or the teacher-pastor who knows every family in the school district, often has relational access that a fully-funded outsider pastor cannot replicate. The disadvantage is time and energy, not credibility.
Sources
- Lifeway Research: Evangelical Pastors More Likely to Be Bivocational (2025) — documents the prevalence of bivocational ministry among evangelical pastors.
- MinistryPlace: Bivocational Pastor Hub — practical resources for pastors navigating dual callings.
- Acts 18:3 (ESV) — the biblical basis for the tentmaking model.