Market Street Pastor: Ministry Sustainability without Money Stress

by Eric Hoke, Peyton Jones (foreword)

Pastors want to work hard to provide for their families, be radically generous, and build a legacy of ministry that they can be proud of. In the modern ministry vocation, the only way to do this is to expand vocational options and earn additional income outside of the church. The problem is that pastors have only ever worked in churches and have no idea how to message their valuable skills in a way that makes sense to hiring managers in the open marketplace. As a result, they are paralyzed and frustrated because they know that they could break into the workforce, earn more money, and meet community members outside the church but don’t know where to start on the job hunt. Eric Hoke understands how difficult it is to change industries and move from being a pastor to a marketplace professional because he did it in New York City, where he spent ten years living and ministering as a church planter while also working in Manhattan for-profits. Hoke has helped thousands of others to do the same through a proven five-step process that helps pastors break into the marketplace and build a ministry of sustainability.

139 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2024

Reviews

[Mark Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written. Appropriately quick. Makes wise connections between pastoral skills and marketplace skills—and wise translations between evangelical ministry talk and secular business talk. Talks turkey about money in ministry in a helpful way. Tells very, very relatable stories about pastors and finances. Maintains a biblical and Christian tone.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting and it was pretty clear I wasn't the intended audience, but I still really appreciated it. I was hoping for more about *being* a covocational minister, where this was about *becoming* a covocational minister, for those who are currently full-time pastors. All that said, I found the book helpful and insightful. Even though it's not written with my own situation in mind, it still had a lot of practical information that I'm sure I'll have use for.

I'd definitely recommend it for pastors who are looking to transition into a "marketplace" role, and especially for those who are planning to do so while continuing in covocational ministry.

[David Brock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eric asks great questions coming out of extensive experience both in ministry and the marketplace. He presents not just a healthy model for pastors and churches, but a future forward perspective of how ministry can and will be sustainable for the majority of churches and church plants in our ever changing culture!

[Jason L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pastors need to hear this

Eric loves the Church and loves pastoral ministry, and he brings a fresh, honest perspective to how those in vocational ministry can support their families. Market Street Pastor is a practical guide for vocational ministers to rethink how they make a living. I loved how Eric spoke words of hope for pastors and the Church. Rather than degrade pastoral roles and pay scales, Eric offers words of encouragement to pastors and then shows them that their skills are valuable in other settings.

This book is very practical. If you actually read it and use it, you will discover how you can sustain your ministry calling without money stress.

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is primarily a book on how pastors can re-brand transferable skills to be hired in secular spaces, either to get out of ministry or to become bivocational, which the author refers to as “co-vocational.” He suggests pastors are most qualified for roles in coaching and development, nonprofit leadership, project management, or sales. The book, however, does not offer much by way of helping co-vocational pastors manage their time between being a pastor and working in a secular industry besides suggesting that pastors do only that which they can uniquely do and either delegate or eliminate the rest.