Co-Vocational Ministry in Canada:
Lessons from the 2025 Symposium Unity not Competition
Written by Rebeca Heringer
Although not a new phenomenon, co-vocationality has been gaining increasingly more attention across denominations and academic circles in North America and Europe. At Co-Vocational Canada (a ministry of Briercrest Seminary) we use the term “co-vocational” (CoVo) as an umbrella term to reflect the lived experience of a pastor who is appointed to serve in a local church while also working in outside employment.
The benefits of co-vocationality are well known and include, for example, providing missiological flexibility/missional focus, reducing ministry costs, offering pastors a greater point of contact with the community, and stimulating the congregation to be more active in serving the church as a priesthood of all believers or a “whole Body” approach to ministry. It can also allow greater financial independence to the minister, the opportunity to use different gifts, passions, and skills to serve God in multiple and varied ways, and a greater sense of personal freedom and identity to the pastor.
However, the difficulties that may come with co-vocational ministry are also known and include, for instance, the difficulties with time management and scheduling (which includes often foregoing rest and family time), facing the stigma of being a co-vocational pastor (as though it meant being “less than” a pastor who works exclusively at the church), and managing the expectations of the congregation (who may sometimes expect the pastor to be available as a “full-time” pastor).
In light of the potential challenges and affordances brought by this approach to ministry, in February 2025, Co-Vocational Canada brought together 23 denominational leaders, CoVo practitioners, and academic leaders from different parts of the country to answer questions about credentialing, education, and the well-being of CoVo pastors. The goal of this online symposium was to raise the profile of this important congregational paradigm through clarifying, strengthening, and envisioning (new) ways of supporting co-vocational pastors and congregations and discussing standards of education and credentialing. In addition, by gathering to listen we hoped to find ways to help denominational leaders think about and wrestle with questions that may assist theological educators better equip pastors and churches for co-vocational ministry success.
The study revealed how CoVo is becoming more common across denominations in Canada (though at different paces and for different reasons). Immigrant/multi-ethnic churches particularly seem to embrace CoVo more naturally and commonly, thus it would be helpful for denominational leaders, pastors, and academics of the field to try to learn from their experiences.
Participants emphasized that co-vocationality requires changing the idea that the pastor has to do everything. Rather it requires identifying and training lay people who are gifted to serve in different areas, even preaching. They also expressed how misunderstandings about the role of CoVo pastors must be addressed in the congregation, especially as it relates to expecting the CoVo pastor to be available as a full-time pastor.
While some pastors have shifted to CoVo after a while, others have intentionally been working co-vocationally from the very beginning, whether by necessity or by choice. It is necessary, however, for congregations and denominations to recognize and address the stigma faced by CoVo pastors, as if being CoVo were an indicative of failure.
Participants also emphasized how important it is to remove barriers for CoVo pastors in credentialling and attending denominational events, such as by offering online meetings and at non-business hours times, and offering them a stipend to cover the costs incurred by their participation.
In a similar vein, the importance and need of greater flexibility in seminary education, especially as it relates to offering online and modular education was greatly discussed. Changes needed to seminary education include, for example, tailored evaluation of student learning (e.g., competency-based instead of solely credit-based evaluation), and teaching about money management, retirement planning, administration and time management skills.
In light of findings like these, Briercrest has launched Co-Vocational Certificates, which is a pathway for those who feel called to step into greater ministry or leadership in their church but don’t feel adequately equipped. The certificates are designed to support those working co-vocationally and those who are interested in taking on more pastoral responsibilities within their home church. It is also designed for spiritually mature lay people who want to learn more about theology and pastoral ministry. Find out more at: http://www.briercrest.ca/covo.
Watch for more information about the growing number of churches of all sizes across Canada who are adopting or considering this ministry model. Together, pastors, denomination leaders and congregations are learning to remove barriers to and support the opportunity to thrive in co-vocational ministry. We can help. Please reach out to ellenduffield@briercrest.ca if we can assist in any way.
Rebecca Heringer serves as a researcher with Co-Vocational Canada, a national initiative that supports co-vocational pastors and churches across Canada. Her work focuses on studying emerging ministry models and helping equip leaders with research and practical insights for faithful and sustainable pastoral leadership.