Article

What Is Covocational Church Planting?

Understanding covocational church planting requires more than simply recognizing that a planter works a job outside the church.

A covocational church planter is one whose primary vocation is in the marketplace and who is also called to start a church. Rather than viewing work outside the church as secondary or provisional, covocational leaders understand their marketplace vocation as an essential part of their calling. They know God has called them to be a teacher, mechanic, graphic designer, or doctor, and they desire to weave that calling into the plan to plant a church.   

The prefix “co” is the reduced form of the Latin “com,” which means “together” or to have “in common.” English words like cofounder, copilot, or coauthor are examples of words that denote partnership and equality. Covocation embodies the reality that if a person is called to the marketplace and at the same time is called to start a church, the two callings are not isolated from one another but are interlinked and equal.  

Understanding covocational church planting requires more than simply recognizing that a planter works a job outside the church. It requires a shift in how we think about calling, mission, and leadership. For some, the language of working two jobs has historically been associated with necessity, transition, or limitation. For others, it represents opportunity, presence, and long-term sustainability. Clarifying these distinctions matters because the assumptions we bring to the conversation influence how we talk about and evaluate ministry.   

Bivocational vs. Covocational

Here is a simple way to differentiate between the language of “bivo” and “covo”.  

A bivocational church planter works a second job to supplement the salary the church provides. Historically, the language of “tentmaker” (the Apostle Paul’s trade described in Acts 18) has been used to define this type of church planter. Typically, a bivo planter has a marketplace job that is viewed as temporary. Their hope is that the church plant will eventually be able to provide financial support for the planter to leave their part-time job to focus full-time on the church.  

A covocational church planter, by contrast, does not view marketplace work as a temporary necessity or a fallback plan. Covocational planting is a missional strategy, not a stepping stone to full-time ministry. A covo planter understands their marketplace vocation and their church planting calling as interwoven and mutually reinforcing. Rather than asking how long they must remain in the marketplace, covocational leaders ask how God is already at work there—and how planting a church can grow organically out of that presence. This approach invites leaders to pursue a vision of success shaped by faithfulness, long-term sustainability, and meaningful presence within their local context.   

To learn more about covocational church planting, including the challenges and benefits, download the free eBook, Discovering Covocational Church Planting, now.