The following interview was edited for Church Executive. Many thanks to my friend Ron Keener, the magazine's editor, for his interest in this issue.

1.    What is the extent of career crossover in ministry?

According to our research, of the roughly one million people working in ministry in the U.S., 38% have a marketplace background. That’s 380,000 people in our churches, parachurches and other ministries that stepped out of full-time jobs to work in ministry. Another striking statistic is that 44% of today’s senior pastors came from the marketplace.

2.    What is there about the Western mindset that makes crossover difficult or unusual?

In the West we tend to prioritize money, position and material possessions over life purpose. When God calls you to cross over, it takes guts to leave a successful career, especially when the new one promises to be harder and pay less! I was amazed to learn in the research that so many brave souls have made this leap. Their stories and advice make up much of my book.

3.    How is crossover a metaphor for finding meaning or significance in one's life?

 Most of the respondents in our survey were excited and relieved to finally take action on their ministry dreams. For them it truly was crossing over from one life to another. A great example is Jesus’ calling of the disciples to leave their daily work behind and use their talents in a new way.

4.    Is there a tendency toward bivocational ministry more out of necessity than desire?

I think so, however the bivocational route does afford the crossover a lifestyle transition rather than a cold-turkey switch. It’s also a way to see if he or she is cut out for ministry work. 

Twenty-seven percent of the crossovers in our survey kept at least a part-time job. Sometimes there’s no other way for the bills to get paid. I met a pastor of a small church that had to find work because his church had shrunk and could no longer pay his salary. Another one worked out an arrangement with his boss that allowed him to reduce his hours so he could work half days at his church.

5.    Was there a LifeStory that most stood out in your research of the crossover movement (other than Buford)?

Dr. Thom Rainer (author of Simple Church) has one of the most interesting stories. He went from a promising young bank executive to pastor, then founded the Billy Graham school at Southern Seminary, wrote a bunch of books, and finally left his position as dean to become president/CEO of LifeWay. You could say he’s back in business, but he sees it as ministry that fits his life mission. It also matches his skills and experience perfectly. Wouldn’t we all love to have work that fits us like that?
 

6.    Crossovers from secular to ministry are evident, but what of ministry to secular?

There seems to be a 10:1 ratio of those who leave the marketplace for ministry, versus those who go the other way. This isn’t a scientific statistic, just an impression from my discussions and research.

Like Thom, many go back and forth. A pastor friend named Dan Hall was a pastor for 20 years, then entered a business partnership. Since then he’s gone back into ministry. Another young friend is leaving his pastorate to become a dentist because he realized he doesn’t have the skills necessary to lead a church, but still wants to help people on the mission field using his new medical skills.
 

7.    Because of its business aspect, is the executive pastor role particularly prominent as a place to land in a ministry crossover?

It’s a great place to start for the crossover used to running a business. The people and administrative skills transfer easily. The seminary training doesn’t have to be complete. Plus it’s a great way to come under the wing of a senior pastor and see a church CEO in action.
 

8.    What are you saying about being opposed in your ministry calling from people you trust and love?

A potential crossover needs to share his or her dreams early on with family members. When they feel part of the process, and have time to digest the coming life changes, they’ll be more apt to support rather than resist.

Not every family will react as positively as this crossover’s: “My family was willing to change addresses and go to a new school, make new friends, etc., all because they knew that God had called. I was off on the dream of my life and they had to endure several years of lifestyle adjustment to a lower salary and a different work schedule.”

9.    What do you forecast for the crossover movement in coming years?

I believe we’re going to see more movement from the marketplace to ministry. Dr. Bob Pavelsky, dean of the Londen Institute Graduate School of Ministry (a distance-learning school for crossovers), has watched the trend for decades: “In the 1960s and ‘70s [crossovers] tended to be 50-plus and were very frustrated with their work…. Through the ‘80s, ‘90s and now 2000s, the age seems to be going down. More people in their mid- to late-30s are leaving the marketplace to go into ministry. These people seem not to be frustrated or unhappy in their work but feel a strong call of God on their lives, leading them into ministry.”


Career Crossover: Leaving the Marketplace for Ministry (B&H Publishing, 2007)