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Hey everyone,For our pastors here who are bi-vocational or have been in the past, what are some good jobs that you feel work well along side pastoring? That are flexible. Have any of you ever drove for UBER? If so what is your experience like www.takeheartchurch.com

Substitute teaching has been the best match for me. You decide what days you want to work and the pay is better than most retail places.

You can make extra driving to games and other event

I teach at a local private school. As I've taken on more responsibilities at the school, it can be tough to balance it all sometimes. But- more often than not, it works out really well.

Great advice

That's good stuff, right there.Indeed, as a teacher, I have the chance to not only teach kids history, but perhaps a thing or two more. Further, it might even wind up helping a church out.One of my worst student comes to my church! He's personally nice...but almost always come in late, does absolutely nothing...then wants a ride to church. HA! Love that guy. Now, yes, he's coming because he knows I pastor and because he likes some girls that attend, but still!Last year, a girl was hurting (headache, I think), and I took her aside a prayed for her. She knew I was a pastor, and I asked her if she'd like me to pray for her. She did. So I did.

We've done some food street vending. I don't know if it is as easy to get started doing this in other places. You have to have access to a commercial kitchen. There is a community kitchen here, but there is always a capacity issue. They have event organizers that work with the city to block of streets so people from neighborhoods can come out and try street vendor food. It's a popular thing to do around here. When you sell, you put in a loooooot of time and effort on it. Catering is actually better if you can get the clients. The event organizer we worked with increased prices and numbers of vendoers, which means they make a lot of money, and we got to where we were breaking even not counting our labor or losing money part of the time and stopped doing it.There is an arena here in town that does trade shows and we've sold food there. The organization that contracts with the state asks for a third. if the event organizer wants $600 or so, that is a huge cut, but we have made money doing that. One guy was selling pineapple tie during the arena's most busy event of the year. People came in out of the hot sun. He had a raised thing on the table and put the tea on it and asked everyone passed if they wanted a glass. At $3 a pop. I heard he could make up to several thousand in a day doing that. And he only had to hire two people and was selling mostly water. If you do that and don't make enough sales to cover $600 and salary and other fixed costs, it isn't worth it, but at a busy event, it is good. For the bi-vo preachers out there, if you can find something to sell at an event that really makes money, that's something to consider. There are lots of small businesses in little niches if you know where to look. I had a brother-in-law who wasn't a bi-vocational preacher. He'd owned one of the largest car dealerships and then had a heart attack. His hobby was go-carts. He started a business selling car-care products especially for go-carts. I think he'd take the soap or lube or whatever products for automotive and have them bottled up under different brands especially for go-carts. Maybe some of it was made just for go-carts. The good thing about having your own business is that you can set your own hours, but when you have an event, it can be rather all consuming. So I wouldn't say you reduce the number of hours you work

As a bi-vocational pastor I kinda view it as John Wesley did:I look upon all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation.For me, my view point is that I can be a witness to the world more so than sitting behind a desk at the church. I work for a utility and have for years. I really don't mind working outside of the church. I look at all the people I work with at an extension of my church congregation. If someone can work at their church full time then praise God; but for me I enjoy ministry this way. Just my 2 cents