Sean Benesh's Blog, page 7

What's More Important to Your Ministry? Calling or Money?

Before you dismiss the title of this article, I juxtapose them (calling vs. money) for a reason. Let me ask you it in a different way, what will keep you in place in ministry longer term? Is it your calling? Or is it tied to your ability to sustain yourself?

I already know how you’ll answer. It’s how I would respond.

However, the data suggests otherwise.

Over the years of working with church planters, I can safely say that the essential thing that will keep you rooted long term in ministry is not y...

What I Am Personally Learning About Bivocational Ministry and Juggling My Own Startups

2021 has been a breakthrough year for me in a lot of ways. It’s been such an adventure and rush. I’m already excited for 2022. Why? Because I’m living the life and ministry I’ve always dreamed of.

No, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. It is still tricky, and there are trying times. But I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. I am amazed at the constant barrage of emails I receive from mostly church planters looking to step not only intentionally into bivocational ministry but do so through launc...

Moving Away from a Funding Dependency Model in Missions and Church Planting

There are a lot of reasons for celebration this time of the year. My semester is coming to an end, which means celebrating a successful and meaningful time in the classroom with students. There have been lots of amazing conversations and interactions. Some are life-changing. We also know we’re ...

Finding Ministry Outside of Ministry

Like many, when I wrestled with a sense of calling which led me down the path into pursuing ministry, I never envisioned I would enter the professional religious class. In other words, I felt compelled to do ministry, to be in ministry, but I never dreamed I’d one day become a “professional min...

Why Calling Matters in Your Startup

For the first several sessions in our startup coaching, we focus on calling and vocation. Why? Because how your startup intersects with your calling will be the primary determining factor whether you will stick it out or not. In other words, what you believe about what God is calling you to wil...

What If We Funded Church Plants Like New Startups?

The longer I straddle the world of church planting and startups, the more clarity I have on funding, including the often gross negligence when it comes to funding new churches and ministries. Let me explain …

I’m a member of a local outdoor-focused advocacy group. Recently we had our annual meet...

Into the Hinterlands We Go! Why We Start Social Enterprises

It seems a regular occurrence where a friend forwards a website, social media account, or a new social entrepreneurship and ministry event to me. In many cases, it’s about local churches or pastors or church planters stepping intentionally into launching startups as part of their ministry strat...

Are You Becoming Bivocational for Extra Income? Or is it a Missionary Thing?

There are two main camps of those who are stepping into bivocational ministry. Group 1 represents those who have to out of necessity and survival. Group 2 is made up of those who want to out of a missionary heart. Obviously, these are broad generalities, and while they do overlap, there’s an en...

Why More Church Planters Are Starting Businesses

“I’m tired of raising funds and the games that go with it.”

“I just had my funding dropped by half.”

“I lost two major donors in the past month.”

“I feel like I spend more time raising funds and communicating with donors than I actually do in ministry.”

I hear these kinds of statements a lot. They ...

Starting Businesses for the Common Good

“We rise by lifting others.” ―Robert G. Ingersoll

At the beginning of each startup coaching journey, we plant the seeds of adding value to your community through your new business. In other words, we wrestle with questions like:

How do you envision your startup being a change agent?

What need(s) do you want to meet in your c...