Submitted by philip on
By Brian Blackwell, Marketing Director
MONROE – Ricky Baker’s full-time job as a financial program manager at ARCO, A Community Resource, may end at 4:30 p.m. but many times his day has just begun.
Each day is different for this bivocational pastor at Grace Baptist in Monroe.
One day he might conduct a funeral in the afternoon and that evening visit with a church member undergoing surgery at the local hospital.
The next day Baker may spend his lunch hour visiting several sick church members and that evening could drop in on a prospect who visited the church the Sunday prior, before preparing for his sermon soon after.
But Baker doesn’t see the extra work as a burden. He sees it as a high calling that he wouldn’t think twice from stepping aside as a bi-vocational pastor.
“I love to be with my people,” Baker said. “Never did I see myself as a bi-vocational pastor before coming here. But God changed my heart and I’m so thankful He did.”
A native of West Monroe, Baker felt the call to ministry at age 14 while attending a youth camp in Pass Christian, Miss. At the time, Baker was unsure what path he might take.
A few years later, while Baker was attending Northeast Louisiana University (now University of Louisiana at Monroe) God used him to help lead music at a revival at First Baptist Waterproof. That led to Baker serving on staff as music director.
He later served in youth and music roles at Highland Baptist and Emmanuel Baptist, both in West Monroe, and at Ebenezer Baptist in Jonesboro.
While at Ebenezer, Baker said, he felt restlessness in his heart, and learned why during a parliamentary procedure NOBTS seminary class.
The students were asked if they planned to serve full time at a church. All but two raised their hands, Baker recalled.
“He told us, ‘I want some of y’all to pray about it because if we have a vision as a convention to start new churches, then some of you are going to have to pray about going bivocational,’” Baker said. “God pricked my heart.”
Two years later, in 1996, Baker was faced with the choice of accepting a full-time position at a church or a bi-vocational pastorate at Grace Baptist.
“God gave me that so I would seek Him,” Baker said. “He said ‘Rick, I have already spoken to you about this. Now what will you do?’”
With a peace about the decision, Baker began working at ARCO and Grace Baptist, both of which he has served at since October 1996. He said having an employer who understands the time a bivocational needs away from his full-time job is important.
“ARCO has allowed me to do more than 90 funerals and visit my members when I needed to and never once did they say no,” Baker said. “The more I have worked in this bivocational role the more blessed I am to have this job at Arco.”
Gary Mitchell, a smaller church specialist with the Louisiana Baptist Convention, said bivocational pastors like Baker play an important role in the state.
Of the LBC’s 1,600 churches, 1,243 are considered smaller churches, with memberships of 125 or less. Grace Baptist averages fewer than 100 in Sunday worship.
“The small church is unique and has been strategically placed in a community by the Lord,” Mitchell said. “It may not have the large budget and huge programs of a mega congregation, but it has everything it needs to impact its community for the kingdom.
“Too many churches and pastors labor under the illusion that they aren’t doing enough for the kingdom because they are small. Let me relieve you of that burden. Smaller does not mean less than, but it does mean different.”
The church’s ministry efforts in 2012 included allocating 19 percent of their budget to the Cooperative Program, preparing 140 boxes for Operation Christmas Child, delivering baskets on Thanksgiving Day to 30 needy families in the area, signing Christmas carols and giving personal care kits to residents of the Northeast Louisiana War Veterans Home, distributing care packets to 125 people at a local homeless shelter and hosting 140 people in Vacation Bible School.
“Our people believe you can’t outserve others,” Baker said. “They want to be a part of ministry. This is our mission field.”
Baker said his members realize the amount of time needed to serve them and his employer at Arco. He emphasized that his members have never complained about his dual role.
“I may not be able to make it to every single surgery right when it happens but my members know that I will be there as soon as I can, maybe even twice a day,” Baker said. “You can be a preacher but what people really want is a pastor – someone who loves on them, who is there for them.”
To view a video testimony about the importance of bi-vocational pastoring, please click here.