Ten Years As A Pastor's Wife

This past first Sunday marked a milestone in our lives. It has been ten years that my husband has been a pastor and I have been a pastor’s wife. However, we have been a ministry couple for a total of 17 years, since 1997 when my husband accepted his call to be a minister of the gospel.

I remember when my husband came to me and told me he was sensing a strong calling from the Lord to proclaim His Word; we had been married 4 years and at the time we were parents of a one-year old daughter. I accepted the news with a calm spirit, not yelling, kicking, or screaming, as I have heard some wives share as they recall similar conversations with their spouses. In my mind I always had the attitude that wherever the Lord was leading my husband, then I was sure to follow. I always felt that his calling was genuine, that Jesus Christ had called him to the ministry, and not that he called himself.

I have experienced a lot in these ten years, as I am sure many of you have as well. As clergy wives, we have all seen our share of the joys of ministry: salvation experiences and subsequent baptisms, weddings, births, graduations, and other joyous celebrations. We also witness some of the sorrows of ministry: marriages gone sour, illnesses, deaths, long-time church members leaving (which can almost feel like experiencing a death since we grieve) and the list could go on. The wonderful saints in our churches become like family to us as we build relationships and enjoy fellowships that we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

The Lord also teaches us to love the whiners and complainers, those looking for the “perfect church”. Maybe one day they will figure out that there is no such thing, but in the meantime, Jesus wants us to be patient and gracious to these individuals (after all, isn’t He patient and gracious to us when we whine and complain?).

Also, my husband and I have been at the same church for the entire ten years; I can’t imagine how it must feel to grow so close to a church family and then have to move away and start all over again, as I know some of you have done. Yet when we belong to Christ, all lives are not our own. We have to be willing to move and move again if necessary if our Savior leads us to new places of service.

Pastor’s wife, look back and celebrate all that the Lord has done through you as you have served Him in this role. As I stated earlier, ministry has its joys and sorrows, but it is a tremendous blessing to be used by the Lord. Be faithful, keep serving, and one day long to hear our Father say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”