From news editor Daniel Silliman: A lawyer once told me you should never ask a question in court if you don’t already know the answer. It’s a rule of the trade of trying cases, I guess. One of the things I love about being a journalist, though, is that I get to be surprised. Sometimes, to my delight, I’m even surprised when I think I know the answer to and find out I don’t.

That’s what happened when I asked Zach Collier if he was a solo pastor. From the website, I was pretty sure it was just him at Campton Baptist, which is located in one of the poorest counties in America, but I wanted to check my facts. He said yes, it was just him, and then added he had a second job as a science teacher at the high school.
 
“You’re a pastor and the science teacher?”

“And also I drive a school bus.”

“You drive a school bus?”

“The district needed drivers and I thought, I’m going there anyway.”

The idea of a bi-vocational pastor isn’t new to me. But now when I hear that term, I think, Or tri-vocational, and ponder how incredibly busy some small-town pastors really are. It was a surprise to me and a reminder to pray for the preachers who are also teachers and also driving school buses.