Thursday, March 20, 2008

Ministry Wives #1

My husband just returned from one of the 9Marks Weekenders at Capitol Hill Baptist. He learnt so much, and since his return, so have I. He brought me a few books back, books that I sense will be invaluable. I've already made good headway with two of them. Here's a quote from Mary Somerville's, One with a Shepherd: The Tears & Triumphs of a Ministry Marriage, something that I, as well as others, need to be mindful of.
Scripture does not give a job description for the wife of a man in ministry. So how do we know what God expects from us? What is our role? Paul gives us some character qualifications that are necessary for a deaconess or wives of deacons. "Likewise, their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things" (1 Tim. 3:11). As wives of men in ministry, you and I must be sure that we have this kind of exemplary character...our calling is exactly the same as that of every other woman in the church - to be a godly woman, wife, mother, and a faithful member of the body of Christ...

...The role of a wife of a man in ministry is no different than any other exemplary woman in the church... Keep in mind that you are not on a pedestal because of your position as the wife of a man in ministry. You and I are sinners saved by His matchless grace, not having to prove anything in ourselves.

2 comments:

Annette said...

very true.

Anonymous said...

Some of the problems ministry wives face is not in how they think of themselves, but how others in the church and community view them. I had a family member who accused me of thinking I was better than her because my husband had recently become a pastor. I was shocked. I treated her nor anyone else any differently when my dh became a minister. However, she perceived that my *position* must have elevated me somehow. I lovingly set her straight. It was one of the first challenges I faced when my husband took on his calling. A minister's wife's first calling is to be his wife. I just wish others would understand that.