Bivocational Church Planting: Building a Tent-Making Pathway with Joshua Brown

For decades, bivocational ministry has carried a stigma: you only worked another job because your church wasn’t “big enough” to support you. But that story is shifting. More pastors and church planters are realizing that working in the marketplace doesn’t limit ministry—it multiplies it.

That’s why I sat down with Joshua Brown, better known as The Pressure Washing Pastor, to explore how he built a thriving business that funds his family, creates jobs, and serves as a platform for discipleship. His story of moving from burnout in the traditional church growth movement to leading a multi-million-dollar company that disciples people in everyday life is both convicting and inspiring.

From Pastor to Entrepreneur

Joshua’s journey didn’t begin in business—it began in brokenness. A high school dropout, once far from God, his radical conversion at a revival service set him on a path of ministry. For 22 years he pastored in a variety of churches, from planting to student ministry to leadership roles.

But eventually, the weight of church growth metrics, constant transitions, and burnout led him to ask: Is this really discipleship?

When no clear path forward emerged, he started Googling “businesses you can start for under $5,000.” That search turned into Brown’s Pressure Washing, which in just a few years grew into a thriving company in Nashville.

Discipleship in the Marketplace

Here’s where Joshua’s story gets powerful. He didn’t just start a business—he made it a discipleship engine.

Instead of asking how to get more people in pews, he began asking:

• How do we spend real time with people?

• How do we create space for witnessing, mentoring, and multiplying in everyday life?

• How do we see business not as a distraction from ministry, but as ministry itself?

One of his key insights: Bible study is not discipleship. Reading and learning are critical, but discipleship is about training people to walk with Jesus and multiply their faith. Joshua has built rhythms in his company where employees aren’t just trained to wash houses—they’re trained to share their testimony, pray with customers, and see themselves as missionaries in the workplace.

Stories of Impact

Joshua shared story after story that highlight what happens when work and witness come together:

• A team member saved a young woman’s unborn baby by courageously intervening when she was planning an abortion.

• Another started praying with customers and led the creation of a company-wide initiative called “Washing Widows’ Homes”, where widows receive free home cleanings as a tangible witness of God’s love.

• Staff members are discipled through daily rhythms, leadership development, and encouragement to see their work as a calling.

This isn’t theory—it’s disciple-making in action.

A Tent-Making Pathway for Bivocational Church Planting

Joshua’s heartbeat is to mobilize ministers into the marketplace. His Tent-Making Pathway isn’t about settling for a side hustle. It’s about launching sustainable businesses that fund ministry, multiply disciples, and create jobs in the community.

For church planters, this pathway offers more than financial stability. It gives leaders a natural discipleship environment—time with people in the trenches of everyday life. And it challenges the prevailing assumption that ministry happens only in church buildings.

As Joshua puts it, “Why not have every home service business in America run by marketplace ministers?”

Why This Matters for the Future of the Church

The North American church is in a crisis of discipleship. Too often, we equate attendance, programs, or events with transformation. Joshua’s model is a prophetic reminder that disciple-making is not about drawing crowds—it’s about multiplying witnesses.

For pastors and church planters, bivocational leadership may not be a compromise. It may be the future.

Takeaway

Joshua Brown’s story is a wake-up call for leaders stuck in the tension between financial pressure and ministry calling. His life proves that integrating faith and work can create fertile ground for disciple-making, church planting, and kingdom impact.

If you’re wrestling with sustainability in ministry—or if you’re planting a church and wondering how to build financial stability—consider what a tent-making pathway and bivocational church planting could look like in your city.

AI assisted in turning this interview into a blog post.