What To Do After You Leave the Ministry?

David Hayward — the “Naked Pastor” — has some advice, and it’s good. A struggling church planter recently told me, “I have no marketable skills.” She felt that nothing she learned in seminary was transferable to any other vocation. David begs to differ. Among his pieces of advice is self-employment:

Self-employment: Many of the pastors I know have some kind of skill. The few times I have been without a church I have applied my own skills. One time I was a full time artist. I learned the meaning of the term “starving artist” during that year. I also learned carpentry and did renovation work. Another time I had some extra cash and bought a dump of a house cheap and renovated it and sold it. I didn’t get rich but I lived and supported my family for a year. Being self-employed in these ways were nice ways to heal without being under the thumb of another boss.

read the rest of his advice: vocational advice for ex-pastors | nakedpastor.