Release to Build Part 2: From Prophet to Practitioner

by Dave Miller

In my last post, I shared how I’ve been learning to release ideas, tools, and training—even when they’re not perfect—not because I’ve “arrived,” but because growth is a community project. But there’s another layer I’ve been unpacking lately, especially for those of us who come from a full-time ministry background and are navigating life in the CoVo (covocational) space.

And it’s this:

The hardest part isn’t execution. It’s identity shift.

Why Ministry-Minded Leaders Hesitate

If you’ve been trained in full-time ministry, especially with theological precision and pulpit preaching, you’ve likely developed a strong grid for right vs. wrong, righteous vs. unrighteous, true vs. false. That’s good. It’s biblical. But that same grid, when applied to every conversation, every action, every shared idea—can become paralyzing.

In that world, every statement feels like a sermon, and every sermon must pass theological inspection. You don’t just “try” something—you declare it. And if it’s not right, you expect and fear harsh correction, challenge, even rejection.

That environment doesn’t breed iteration. It breeds unreasonable caution. And in the covocational life, caution will be silence. Silence is the greatest barrier to abundant multiplicational gospel sowing, the very reason for leaning into the covocational life.

From Teaching Truth to Practicing Wisdom

But here’s what I’ve discovered: there’s a vital difference between "thus says the Lord" and "let’s put this into practice." In full-time ministry, we are prophets. We speak on behalf of the truth. But in the CoVo life, we become practitioners of wisdom.

That shift is subtle but essential.

We emphasize both:

• proclaiming truth AND living wisely

• defending doctrine AND demonstrating grace

• teaching theology AND training in practice

• standing firm in God’s perfect truth AND working out our salvation in our imperfect lives

And the beautiful part?

The gap between pulpit and pew starts to disappear.

Suddenly, our theology isn’t locked in the echo chamber of sermons—it’s showing up in carpool lines, team meetings, customer complaints, and Saturday side hustles. People see the gospel, not just hear about it. Because now it’s practiced. Faith becomes a journey towards excellence in the model, Jesus Christ, through our attempts, failures, lessons, and recoveries everyday in the power of the Holy Spirit. And of utmost importance, the word of the gospel is abundantly multiplied as a spoken message to the nations through a repeatable model in the priesthood of all believers.

What This Means for CoVo Leaders

If you’re transitioning from full-time ministry into the covocational life, you’ll feel the tension. You’ll feel the pressure to be right before you try. You may hesitate to share an idea until you’ve systematized the theology behind it. You may worry that if it’s not airtight, it will be attacked.

But here’s the truth I’ve had to preach to myself:

Wisdom grows in the doing, not just the declaring.

When you live in the field, with others, for others—you’ll find that the need to be perfect fades and the need to be present rises. And with presence comes practice, and from practice comes real maturity.

You Don’t Have to Be a Trained Theologian to Be Faithful

You have to be obedient to Jesus and His Word. And obedience in the CoVo life often looks like trial and error, open hands, and deep dependence.

So to my fellow prophets learning to become practitioners:

Keep releasing. Keep trying. Keep building.

The Word became flesh, and so must we.