Posts in Ministry Wife
Lessons From Ten Years in Ministry

By Liz Roy

Ministry wife, take heart and know that God is growing you too. Maybe the lessons God has taught me will spur you on to think about what He has been teaching you through vocational ministry. And may the lessons learned for all of us not only settle in our minds as information, but may these lessons transform us to be more like our Savior as we journey together.

Read More
He Hears Your Prayer Against the Lie

By Glenna Marshall

When we are perplexed about those who come against our ministry without merit, we can know that God will not hear the lie against us. Rather, He listens attentively to our prayer against the lie! When your ministry is denigrated, criticized unduly, slandered, or unfairly judged, let your vindication come from the Lord who sees, knows, and understands. If people are lying about you, the Lord will not hear it because He knows what is true. But be certain that He hears your prayers to Him for help. One day, He will right every wrong.

Read More
Contentment in a Difficult Ministry

By Glenna Marshall

Ministry isn’t a race. It’s not a sprint through a few tough Sundays and a fast-approaching finish line where we bask in the glow of our successes. No, ministry is life of slow plodding in quiet faithfulness, trusting Jesus for every step. Ministry involves dying to your dreams, standing firm through trials, and entrusting every endeavor to Christ.

Read More
Receiving Criticism in Ministry

By Glenna Marshall

Though that awkward dinner took place more than a decade ago, I’ve never forgotten the wisdom my friend spoke to me over lunch the next day. I’ve had many occasions to apply her advice in my relationships within the Church. When we are given candid (and sometimes hurtful) criticism from another believer, there are few things we need to do on these occasions.

Read More
Conflict in Ministry: Questions to Ask Yourself

By Kellye Carmack

Conflict is inevitable in Christian circles but in Christ, peace and reconciliation are always possible. The love of Jesus covers over the multitude of sins that we commit against each other. His grace is sufficient for all of us. Battles within our churches are disheartening but be encouraged—Christ won the victory before the battle even began.

Read More
The Ministry of Presence

By Glenna Marshall

When I realized that my hope must be in Christ and not other’s opinions of me, I stopped praying for my church to love me back and began praying that they would love Jesus the most. It is unfair to hang our contentment on the people with whom we worship and serve; they were never meant to be the anchor for our hope. Only Christ can shoulder the weight of our souls’ satisfaction.

Read More
Embracing Seasonal In-Person Friendships in Ministry

By Glenna Marshall

Safe in-person friendships in ministry are gifts to celebrate, even if they only last for a season. These bursts of friendships are often gifts of God’s grace to us during times of extreme suffering and isolation. Regardless of the length of the season, safe friendships are expressions of the Lord’s care for us. When we view friendships as gifts from God rather than rights to be claimed, we can cherish them deeply while holding them loosely.

Read More
Friendship Within the Church

By Cara Croft

So, what are some of the limitations with friendships within the church? I think we need to start with the fact that there are some topics we cannot talk about with church members. We risk causing division in our churches if we are discussing other members or complaining about decisions being made (among other things that we need to talk about regarding the church). These conversations are best had with a safe friend who is outside the situation. The other part of this is that we often need people on the outside to help bring some prospective as to what it is we need to share.

Read More
Between Winter and Summer: Longing for Fruitfulness in Ministry

By Glenna Marshall

The friend seemed reluctant to admit it, but he told my husband that every day of ministry for him thus far had been sweet. “It’s like every day is summer,” he said. I remember how that statement mystified my husband. His friend had exuded excitement and passion about his church, but we were completely worn down and burned out.

Read More
Ministry Wife: Look for the Gifts

Ministry wives, as we wrap up a month that sometimes makes us painfully aware of our shortcomings and perceived failures in ministry, we encourage you to look for the gifts. If you’re really struggling right now, consider making an actual list of the gifts God has given you in your ministry. Dig deep. Think of ways God has sprinkled in spots of joy into your ministry, even on the toughest days. Thank Him for sustaining you thus far, and pray for Him to keep upholding you as you serve Him by serving your church. He loves you, He sees you, and your ministry matters to Him.

Read More
Ministry Wife: You Are Seen

By Cara Croft

As a child, I remember watching my pastor’s wife. For some reason I was fascinated with all she did. She was a woman who played the piano on Sunday mornings, she taught classes on various crafts that she enjoyed, she organized women’s social events and she sat on the front pew at every service. Yet for all of my watching her, I did not “see” her.

Read More
Ministry Wife: Your Ministry Matters

By Glenna Marshall

From where I sit, most of my ministry as a pastor’s wife has been unseen. If you asked church members what it is that I actually do, they’d likely reply with the things that are visible: I play the piano every Sunday, I volunteer at our weekly outreach program to kids in our community, I get the bulletins ready each week. Simple, visible stuff.

Read More