Covocationality as a System
Written by Blayne Banting, DMin, PhD
Ever since the 17th century when John Donne penned that “no man is an island,” we have been trying to unpack what he took moments to state. Poets have that power. The rest of us lower mortals fuss and fume with theories and algorithms trying to catch up. Why is it so hard to take note of what nature (not to mention Scripture) has been telling us along? We are social beings, woven together into webs of relationships, symbiotically interlaced into relational ecosystems. Murray Bowen came along and gave us some helpful vocabulary – he called it systems theory. It’s one of those “why didn’t I think of that?” moments but continues to be put to good use in helping us understand the social dynamics in ministry contexts. Maybe Bowen can help us understand covocationality.
A New Understanding?
Trying to advocate for Co-Vo leaders simply by treating them as autonomous individuals with certain needs is tempting. Do they have mental health and familial needs? Fine, get them some affordable therapy. Do they need some help with leading or preaching? Resource them! Do they need a break? Pay their way to an all-inclusive resort in Hawaii (I included this last one just to see if you were still paying attention!). Not that (most of) these are not important and even necessary supports, but they lack a basic understanding of the system dynamics of those who are serving covocationally. Here’s where systems theory might prove helpful.
Imagine the covocational leader as part of a larger system, where these mutual relationships constitute the boundaries, dynamics, effectiveness, and relative health of the group. We can’t merely pay attention to one part of this interwoven system without recognizing how all the other parts are affected. Systems prefer to be stable, maintaining a rather predictable and comfortable default mode, even if that status quo is far from healthy. That’s why we need to pay closer attention to the whole system before we start fiddling with separate parts of it in isolation. That is a dead-end street.
A Covocational System
So what are the other parts of any given covocational system? There is room for adjusting for each context but imagine the covocational leader as intimately connected with their marital and familial relationships, the local congregation or ministry, their other employment, their ministry peers, their denominational or network relationships, and the educational institution(s) where they receive the requisite training and education for their vocations. That’s a lot of moving parts!
So what happens if the denomination offers their assemblies at times when the Co-Vo pastor cannot attend because of other vocational commitments? And what if the Co-Vo pastor is enthused by this model of ministry but the local congregation expects full-time attention to their own needs while only supplying a partial salary? What happens if the only credentialling preparation is offered in a format not conducive to the schedule of the Co-Vo pastor? What about professional development? Can Co-Vo pastors get necessary training and education to perform their ministries? Can they afford it? What if an intractable marital or familial situation is making ministry next to impossible? Are Co-Vo pastors able to develop the necessary peer relationships with other pastors if their schedules make it difficult to attend local ministerial gatherings or participate in peer mentoring relationships? There are a lot of ways these systems can develop serious difficulties, but it would be pointless to offer help in one area without recognizing the domino effect this might have on the rest of the system. The situation might seem beyond repair and lead us to despair. There is another option, even if it is a simple one.
A Modest Proposal
A good start (not the full solution, mind you) is to help as many members of each covocational system as possible to understand system dynamics. It might be a stretch to assume we could educate the other employment parties or even the ministry peers to this more wholistic systems perspective, but it should be possible to help the Co-Vo pastors, their families, their congregations, their denominations/networks, and their educational/training institutions. Then, as we know, even the faintest light can begin to dispel the darkness.
Blayne Banting is Associate Professor of Preaching and Christian Ministry at Briercrest College and Seminary. He teaches in the areas of homiletics, church leadership, and spiritual formation, with a particular interest in creativity and humour in preaching. Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Blayne has served as both pastor and professor across Canada. He is the author of several books on preaching, including Taking Up Preaching: The Spheres of the Preaching Life (Wipf & Stock, 2023). Blayne is married to Peggy, and together they have four adult children and six grandchildren.