Healing bodies, souls Liz Retz, pastor of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Midland, Mich., has similar sentiments about her pharmaceutical job. Working there helps her connect with co-workers and patients alike, as well as “keep a pulse on what it’s like to be working for a company and all the stresses.” After 10 years as a pharmacist, Retz said she felt
called to ministry when a patient came in and “just needed to talk. All the medication in the world wasn’t what this person needed.” Later Retz studied at Wartburg Theological
Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, while continuing to work as a pharmacist.
Bi-vocational calls: Blessing or burden? Peter Roy understands this well. When his full-time call changed to half-time, he was unsure how he’d supplement the loss of income for his household. “The reduction in hours, but no reduction in responsibilities, made finding alternative work extremely difficult,” he said. A second-career pastor serving St. John Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Saint Johns, Pa., Roy’s back- ground was in community banking. Returning to part-time work in that industry didn’t translate well. As a part-time solo pastor, Roy needed a flexible
position that would allow him to be available to his members when life emergencies came up. That led him to part-time substitute teaching. “I felt called to serve, and teaching is another voca-
tion of service,” said Roy, who with his wife has four children and is expecting twins. “Yet it has become a struggle, one that has put stress on my prayer life and limited my ability serving as a pastor since I need to supplement my income to feed, clothe and care for my growing family. The sacrifices are great.” Melinda Alenka, a youth ministry coordinator
Photo: Connie Sassanella
Liz Retz, a pharmacist and pastor of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Midland, Mich., feels called to serve in both capacities.
Today she splits three-fourths of her time as
a pastor and one-quarter as a pharmacist for HealthSource Saginaw. But she sees herself in full- time ministry, a vocational vision instilled in her at Wartburg. “The sacrament [of communion] is in a lot of ways the same thing that I do as a pharmacist,” she said. “It’s administering the life-giving medicine, but for people’s spiritual life.” The dual roles are also practical—
pharmaceutical work is essential to her financial livelihood. They’ve also given way to opportunities for ministry. Once while working at the pharmacy, Retz was called to comfort a patient’s family whose relative was dying. Being a bi-vocational minister is challenging
at times, Retz said. The line between work and personal time can be easily blurred for full- and part-time pastors. She avoids burnout by tracking the time she spends at St. Timothy. “There are weeks that I am way over [at church]. Then I have to back off and balance it,” she said. Retz also connects with other bi-vocational
pastors for support. “We are holding each other accountable,” she said. “It’s awfully easy to put more time into church stuff.”
from Rockford, Ill., has a different take on her dual roles. For nearly 14 years she has been working part- time at St. Mark Lutheran Church. She supplements her income by spending 10 to 15 hours a week as a nanny for a family with two boys, one of whom has cerebral palsy and needs extra assistance. Although her nanny position began as a part-time
job, it quickly “turned into a lifetime commitment to this family in need,” Alenka said. “The relationship to this family is a blessing like nothing I could have ever imagined.” Though bi-vocational ministry has its strengths,
Louise Johnson, president of Wartburg Seminary, said her “hope for our church is that this is an exception and not a rule. By and large we all know too well that ministry is full-time work.” Since the cost of seminary education doesn’t
track with the salary of a pastor or church worker, Johnson said Wartburg is collaborating with other ELCA partners to create a structure for theological education that will reduce student debt. One thing is certain: bi-vocational ministry isn’t
going away anytime soon. Martin Luther might suggest that we all consider ourselves bi- or multi- vocational or, as Nelson the barista puts it: “Ministry belongs to all of us, and we belong to each other. I’m no less a Christ-bearer behind the coffee counter and neither are you.” Continued on page 26
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