Congregational life


By Erin Strybis


Photo: Crystal Turino Photography


For Andrew Tobias Nelson, bearing witness to his faith is a way of life, whether he’s working as pastor of Christ our Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Chatham, N.Y., or as a Starbucks barista. With a part-time call, Nelson spends 20 to 30 hours a week at Starbucks to make ends meet.


When making a living and living in service intersect Bi-vocational ministry a gift, challenge for ELCA church workers


Starbucks barista. Pharmacist. Substitute teacher.


Nanny. Animal handler. Roller derby announcer. These seemingly unrelated professionals have


one thing in common—they’re all leading “double lives” as church workers, most as pastors. While this may seem unusual, working in the


church and in another (often secular) role may become the norm in the future. There’s good reason to speculate: the Pew Research Center reported last year that a rising share of Americans is religiously unaffiliated. What has followed is a shrinking share of people in the pews and dollars in offering plates. The ELCA is no exception: the number of


weekly worshipers has declined 38 percent since its inception in 1988. Many small congregations can’t afford full-time pastors. ELCA pastors are coming out of seminary with


an average debt of nearly $46,000, churchwide organization staff report. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median wage for full- time pastors is $43,950, and less for other church workers. What are church workers to do?


24 APRIL 2016


Well, other things. A typical weekday for Andrew Tobias Nelson,


pastor of Christ our Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Chatham, N.Y., begins at 5:30 a.m. at Starbucks. “To pay for groceries I work [for Starbucks] 20 to 30 hours a week,” he said. “[Being] on my feet and caffeinated as befits an extrovert. My second job pays $10 per hour, plus tips, free coffee while I work and other benefits.” He balances being a barista with 20 hours a


week at Christ our Emmanuel, focusing on sermon and worship preparation, leadership, council meetings, senior high ministry, faith formation and “other duties as assigned.” Some of the traditional tasks a full-time pastor might manage are led by volunteers, including visitation, Sunday school and community outreach activities. Nelson sees working at Starbucks as a gift to


his ministry because it allows him to connect with people outside of the church and keep abreast of the realities of minimum wage work, which he says is “struggling mightily.”


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