Dear Ministry Wife,
I know October is Pastor Appreciation Month, and I want you to know my appreciation extends far beyond the scope of his ministry. My gratefulness extends to you as well. Here are just a few things I’d like to make sure I communicate:
1. I’m grateful for your friendship. I know you can’t be best friends with everyone in our congregation and there are times friendship at arm’s length seems much safer with lots of people. I know you’ve often said, “I’m not a typical pastor’s wife.” I’m not sure what that is because I’ve had the privilege of knowing ministry wives who are completely unique and wonderfully made by God. Whether they’ve been an introvert or extrovert, athletic or in the marketplace, I’m a better woman because I’ve had the privilege of knowing you—the one-of-a-kind woman that you are.
2. I’m praying for you. As a woman in ministry, I get an inside look at some of the ways your family faces challenges. I’ve seen your vacation interrupted because of a death in the congregation. I’ve seen your children observed and scrutinized because they are known and watched. I do pray for your husband, but I pray especially for you—your heart, your family, and your own relationship with the Lord.
3. I want your house to be a home. I pray your home will be a place of peace, joy, and laughter. I pray it will not just be a place where your husband comes home to eat and sleep, but it will be a place where he can break away from the demands of ministry and find that his first ministry is always you.
4. I want your marriage to be healthy and strong. Each time I hear of a pastor who has morally failed in this area, my heart grieves. It grieves not just for the brokenness of the nuclear family, but it grieves for the church body. I will be your biggest cheerleader for your marriage, and I’m glad he chose you.
Above all, please know my gratefulness extends way past October. I’m grateful for you all year long.
Kelly King is the Women’s Ministry Specialist for LifeWay Christian Resources and oversees the YOU Lead events. Join her this year and get to know her heart for ministry leaders. Follow her on Twitter @kellydking.
