For the past 25 years, Keith Crouch has stood behind the pulpit of Belmor Baptist Church in Mooresville nearly every Sunday. And on the weekdays — at least up until he retired last year — he was also behind the wheel of a UPS truck.

“At about age 29, I was serving as a deacon and Sunday School teacher at my church, and the Lord just convicted me that I needed to do more,” Crouch said. “I felt the unmistakable call that He was calling me into the pastoral ministry.”

He didn’t have any ideas of what that would look like, but soon he heard of a need for someone to preach at Belmor Baptist while they looked for a pastor. He started filling in there, and it wasn’t long before he and Belmor — a small church that could only offer a part-time pastorate — agreed that maybe God wanted him to stay.

So during the week Crouch would deliver packages, and on Sundays he would deliver a message. He did that on repeat for nearly a quarter century.

“I’ve had people ask me, ‘Why have you not ever tried to be a full-time pastor?’ And I tell them that churches like mine need pastors too,” Crouch said.

He’s right, according to the numbers.

‘Staggering’ numbers

Bryan Blass, director of the office of LeaderCare at the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, said 60 to 70% of Alabama Baptist churches are led by bivocational pastors.

“When you realize that there are more than 3,000 Alabama Baptist churches, and 60 to 70% have a part-time staff, that number is staggering,” he said.

That means hundreds of men in the state are juggling a career and a ministry calling every week, something that brings with it joys and challenges, Blass said.

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This article was originally published at TheAlabamaBaptist.org.