At first glance, the lives of Tommy and David Richardson seem to mirror one another.
Brothers David (left) and Tommy Richardson work to prepare a Kentucky church for a new roof.They are twins, both are married, each has three children, they are both pastors in Aiken Association (Tommy serves Montmorenci First Baptist; David is pastor of Howlandville Baptist), and they run a roofing business together.
But their paths to ministry took different turns. Tommy’s call came early. He recognized God’s prompting, enrolled in Bible college and began to preach while time in the National Guard.
David’s path led him into the military and to Alaska, where he lived for 10 years. On a return visit to Aiken, he heard a powerful message that spoke to his heart, and he knew God was calling him into ministry. He went to Bible college, and his new life began.
David moved back to Aiken, and he and his brother decided that since they both had experience in roofing, they would start their own company.
As a young pastor, David had to learn how to balance his life. “At first I thought I had to be everywhere and do everything,” he admitted. “I worked in the heat all day, came home and showered, then started visiting church members.”
He recognizes the value of his family. “Churches don’t understand how much pressure is on the family,” he said. “Without our wives’ support, we couldn’t do it.” When his church is involved in a mission project, David takes his family. His young children have learned to pull their weight, and, in return, they hold him accountable to “live how you preach.”
Jim Diehl, Aiken Association’s director of missions, said the Richardson brothers “have a passion for the Lord’s work that is very intense.”
“As bivocational pastors, they have to be good at managing time,” he said. “Like every pastor, they are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The pastoral needs are still there. It is a tremendous work load.”
In addition to the challenges, however, Diehl has seen some advantages to bivocational ministry. “They are able to utilize their work opportunities to reach out to others,” he said.
God has provided a number of such opportunities. Tommy recalled a plea for help from a North American Mission Board missionary. They were told of an African-American church in Kentucky in urgent need of a new roof, but no one was responding locally. The steep pitch and height of the roof, along with the racial barrier, were factors in the neglect.
Tommy and David Richardson, bivocational pastors who own a roofing company, stand with the pastor of a church in Kentucky. The Richardson brothers took mission teams from their churches to put a new roof on the Kentucky church.The brothers gathered teams from their churches, traveled to Kentucky, and accomplished what volunteers rarely have the skill to do. They tore off the old shingles on a Thursday night and had the roof ready for its congregation by Sunday. The grateful church members saw an example of God’s provision and color-blindness.
The Richardson brothers have had opportunities to work with Habitat for Humanity and other projects. Two years ago, Tommy’s church became aware of a home in the community with a tarp on the roof. They found a couple living there unable to make the repair as they waited for approval of disability payments. The church roofed the house at no cost. The couple was so grateful that, much later, when the husband received his disability benefits, they proudly presented the church with a check for $500.
For the brothers, ministry on the job is not limited to providing a new roof. “We are not scared to share our testimony on the job,” David said. Also, over the years, they have offered work to a number of prison inmates on a work-release program and have seen many of those lives changed. Some have given their lives to the Lord, a few have stayed with them as employees, and others continue to keep in touch.
The Richardson brothers say they are ready to continue building for God – whether on a rooftop, or in a pulpit. – SCBC