There Are Great Rewards to Being a Pastor's (Ministry) Wife!

There Are Great Rewards to Being A Ministry Wife

I’m always looking for great resources on the Internet for Pastor/Minister’s Wives (P/M Ws), whether it be articles, video teachings, or fellowships, conferences and retreat opportunities. Most of the information I find is beneficial yet a lot of it dwells on the negative aspects of being a ministry wife. My prayer for this blog and the fellowship ministry is to provide a balance between the highs and lows of holding such a position. As it seems the lows are brought to the forefront more than the highs. I’ve seen an ex-pastor’s wife upload YouTube videos not only depicting the demise of her unfortunate marriage but outright degrading and questioning the church. I purchased an eBook written by what I perceived to be a pastor’s wife thinking it would provide insight and comfort and the book was filled with the author’s horrific accounts of being married to a pastor who lived a different life than he preached. Needless to say she’s also an ex-pastor’s wife. While these ladies are sharing their experiences and it may in fact be beneficial to someone I’m afraid that the hurt and pain still apparent in their lives have left them bitter, resentful, and angry. These feelings if expressed to a vulnerable P/M W could garner confusion and discouragement. The key is to provide encouragement for the lows and celebration for the highs- a balance that will deal with the issues instead of skate around them, yet provide hope in times of despair. There are great rewards to being a ministry wife! Some of the rewards are obvious and some of the rewards require us to dig a little deeper for exposure. Take a look at a few:

• A Greater Relationship With God: Let me preface to say that we should have a personal relationship with God through Jesus not just because we’re ministry wives. We must establish this relationship because we want to be saved from our sins and redeemed back to God! But, when you are a ministry wife, your relationship with God should become greater, because you’re going to have to pray, fast, and build up your most holy faith in the Word in order to endure in this position. You are better in every area of your life when your relationship with God is firm and solid.
• Called To Serve: Contrary to popular belief that ministry couples are called to be pampered and catered to is a far cry from the truth. The truth is ministry couples are called to serve! We are called to serve God, we are called to serve our Pastor/Husbands and we are called to serve people! Serving others require that we think less of ourselves and more about someone else. When we choose to serve others we open up the portal for God to bless us and make it conducive for service to be reciprocated back to us!
• Called to Be An Example/Role Model: Many people in the public’s eye deter from this role. I must admit I did early on in this position. It is a lot of pressure to have someone watch our every move, decision, trials and triumphs. But the fact that others look at our lives as living examples of how we are to be Christ-like reminds me of the lyrics in a Kirk Franklin song that says we may be the only Jesus they see. Being in this position causes us to be accountable to and for our actions which will in turn help strengthen our walk with Christ!
• Fulfillment: To sum it up, a greater relationship with God, serving others and being a Christian example makes for a fulfilling and purpose filled life! What an honor to be in such a position where we can impact the lives of others in a positive and life changing way! The ultimate and fulfilling reward for us is a guaranteed place in Heaven as we’ve accepted His gift for our lives through salvation and relished in the many blessings He’s bestowed upon us!