Gary Mitchell spent 20 years as a pastor in small, rural congregations. Like many church leaders across the country, Mitchell held a full-time job to support his ministry.
"I've been bivocational my whole life," said Mitchell, who is 68 and "retired." He now trains, equips and networks with the nearly 1,000 bivocational pastors in the Louisiana Baptist Convention.
"The vast majority of churches are led by a bivocational pastor," Mitchell noted. Nationwide, the Bivocational Small Church Leadership Network estimates there are about 37,000 smaller church pastors, most of whom are bivocational, within the Southern Baptist Convention.
"Most bivocational pastors are looking for affordable study tools to assist them in their sermon preparation," Mitchell said. "They are starved for information and resources. I constantly search for study materials that are easy to use and not overwhelming. Bivocational pastors have limited time and resources."
One of the main tools Mitchell tells pastors about is MyStudyBible.com, a robust online Bible study tool launched in 2010 by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention.
"I love the format of MyStudyBible.com," Mitchell said. "All the tools are in one spot."
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