Jeff Russell cuts hair for a living but preaching the Word of God is what he lives for. Right now, his little congregation of 20 people meets for worship in his barbershop on Roosevelt Road. The major denomination haven’t planted a church in Forest Park in something like 80 years, but many of these “bi-vocational” minister have taken a shot at it.
Many, like small business start ups, have gone out of business, but I love their entrepreneurial spirit. Another thing I love about these ministries is that many of their pastors are doing it because they love telling people about Jesus.
Bill Teague, for example, has a full time job–he works the midnight shift–but he’s full of energy on Sunday morning. Sure, he’d like his church to grow, but his enthusiasm isn’t determined by the number of people who show up at 11:30 Sunday morning. The guy just loves doing it.
I think Lutherans, Presbyterians, Catholics, Methodists and all the other mainline denominations ought to check out this model more carefully.
