bi-vocational youth workers

Whist at the UYWI conference I had the pleasure of meeting Larry Acosta who is the founder of the Institute. He spoke of his passion for specifically investing in youth workers who were not part of the dominant culture 'i.e. not white and middle class'. The diversity of conference delegates was something that I'd never experienced at a Christian conference and was a significant factor for me - A demonstration of unified urban diversity.

Larry also spoke of the importance of investing in 'bi-vocational' youth workers. We call them volunteers in the UK. I'm not sure this term will catch on at my project but I'm keen to explore similarly affirming terminology.

To describe someones role simply by reference to their status with regard to financial renumeration seems to miss the point. Our church used to have an NSM - a Non Stipendiary Minister, the same person is now described as a 'Self Supporting Minister'. It seems to me that the CofE haven't got is right yet (or come anywhere close) when referring to priests who aren't paid to be priests.

I'm keen to try and do better and seek to empower the bi-voactional members of our team here at Urban Hope in Islington.

Comments

[Scott]

This bi-vocational idea is an interesting one. It seems that the Church is always trying to define emerging realities, even realities that have existed for awhile. For example, I am a Roman Catholic deacon. I work primarily in Adult Formation, but I do not get paid and have a regular, professional, job. I agree that the word volunteer seems dismissive. I also agree that defining ourselves in terms of whether or not we get paid creates serious issues for how are church and how we serve. It goes something like, those who are paid bear the responsibility, while the rest of us are here to help. In other words, people whom we have dubbed volunteers do not see their diakonia as a vocation. So, while bi-vocational may not catch on, I think we need the term vocation. Of course a vocation is a call to put our charisms at the service (diakonia) of others.

In the RCC we are starting to use the term Lay Ecclesial Minister for laypeople, most of whom are women, who either are paid to serve, or who are deeply involved in various aspects of church life. Predictably, this is not without some resistance.