Theologian · Author · Minister
Kristen Plinke Bentley writes at the intersection of vocation, theology, and congregational life — offering field-tested wisdom for ministers who serve in more than one world at once.
1 in 4
U.S. ministers serve bivocationally
12 yrs
of field research & ministry practice
Chalice
Press, 2024
New from Chalice Press
A practical, pastoral guide for congregations navigating ministry when their pastor also holds another job — and for ministers learning to hold both worlds with integrity and grace.
— from Bivocational Ministry
From the blog
The warehouse floor, the hospital ward, the classroom — each workplace is a seminary of the unexpected. Here's what bivocational ministers know that full-time clergy often miss.
Read more →When your pastor is also your coworker, your children's teacher, or the person who bags your groceries — what does faithful congregation membership look like?
Read more →What does Christian theology have to say to those who work two jobs, raise families, and still show up on Sunday? More than we might expect.
Read more →Six concrete practices for preparing a faithful sermon when you have 12 hours a week — not 40 — to give to the congregation.
Read more →Rethinking what health and faithfulness look like in communities that will never fill a stadium — and why that's worth celebrating.
Read more →What if holding two callings isn't a compromise, but a particular charism — a way of embodying the gospel that a fully-funded pastor simply cannot?
Read more →Speaking & Workshops
Kristen leads workshops and retreats for congregations, ministerial associations, and seminary students on bivocational ministry, congregational vitality, and the theology of work.
Kristen's workshop gave our governing board language we didn't have before — and a framework for honoring our pastor's whole life, not just her Sunday mornings.
Jean Morrison
Board Chair, First Congregational UCC
Every seminary student considering a bivocational path should read this book and hear Kristen speak. It changed how I understand ordination.
Rev. Dr. Rosalee Parker
Professor of Ministry, Lexington Seminary
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