Hybrid Ministry

I love the internal combustion engine. One of my first cars was a gas-guzzling V-8 Mustang. Today’s itsy-bitsy four-cylinder gas misers are certainly more practical. But if you want to hear me giggle like a little girl, put me in the seat of a 650-horsepower Shelby GT500. Watch as I shtail the car, sprint to 100 mph, stomp the brakes, then do it again.

But here’s the sad reality. The day will likely come when the earth runs out of affordable crude oil. It could be 50 years from now, or it could be 300 years. On that day, a Jaguar convertible, a Hummer, even a Lamborghini will be of little practical value. What good is a powerful gasoline vehicle, if the world has no fuel?

The fossil fuel crisis may be centuries away. But the evangelical fuel crisis—the crisis of donations—is already upon us. And it will only grow more severe in the future. Senior citizens comprise 19 percent of church attenders, but they account for 46 percent of all donations. As members of this generation die, they will pass on their wealth to heirs who are less likely to give generously and consistently to churches. Many ministries could see revenue decrease by as much as 50 to 70 percent in the next 10 to 30 years.

This raises the question: What good will a staff intensive, program-driven 20th-century ministry model be for ministries without fuel? Without a reliable stream of cash, our largest, most powerful ministries will be Lamborghinis with empty gas tanks. Impressive, but impractical. And ultimately, relics. But we can begin building “alternative vehicles” now. These vehicles may not be as much fun to drive. But the point is that they still will drive in 15 to 30 years—when ministry Hummers and gas-guzzlers are abandoned in the desert.

These new ministry vehicles need not run without the fuel of donations. They just need to run on less fuel. Ultimately, they will depend less on dollars and more on disciples. This is what I call Hybrid Ministry.

What do I mean by a hybrid ministry model? One that still runs on donations—but requires less money to produce more ministry. Hybrid ministries don’t require as much money because they’ve been careful about buildings and other overhead costs, and they also have an alternate energy source (nonpaid staff).

Hybrid autos use an alternate energy source—electricity—to reduce the need for fuel. In ministry, the alternate energy source is disciples, or unpaid staff. Unpaid or alternative staff can greatly reduce the need for donation fuel, while also moving us toward a more disciple-based model.

By unpaid and alternative staff, I do not mean volunteers who require constant monitoring and prodding from paid staff. I mean trained, called, qualified, and gifted staff and pastors, who work tent-making jobs and do not draw full-time salaries from the church. Realistically, these nonpaid staff will not be putting in as many hours as paid staff, but there is no limit to the number of nonpaid staff a ministry can add to the team.

Hybrid ministry is not only necessitated by a decline in giving. It also forces us back to discipleship in the local church. Jesus didn’t hire staff members; he called disciples. Leaders who imitate Christ’s discipleship model can “engineer” and “build” auxiliary engines in the coming years.

As we train new leaders, God will call some into traditional full-time ministry. But—aware of the pending church fuel crisis—we can teach many new leaders their value in the secular marketplace, as leaders who do not draw full-time wages from the congregation. This is, after all, how the apostle Paul served the New Testament churches Christ called him to plant and feed.

I enjoy hiring and leading full-time salaried pastors. They are convenient, fun, and always available. I also enjoy gas-guzzling V-8 engines.

With a “fuel crisis” upon us, will we spend the next decade working harder and harder at fundraising—or working harder and harder at disciple making? Leaders with an eye on the long term will, I believe, choose to depend less on dollars and more on disciples. Reprioritizing in this direction is not just strategic. It’s also biblical.

The crisis is here. We must plan to do more with less. If we don’t, we will end up doing less with less.

John Dickerson is senior pastor of Cornerstone Evangelical Free Church in Prescott, Arizona.

Excerpted from The Great Evangelical Recession (Baker, 2012).