Not long ago I had an interesting conversation with a woman whose husband had enrolled in seminary to prepare for ministry. “He can take classes all he wants but I didn’t sign up for the preacher’s wife thing.” Since she didn’t believe her husband would actually follow through, she went on to tell me she planned on humoring him until the day his calling affected her. And if that day ever came? Well, she’d just cross that bridge when she came to it.

In the same span of time, I attended a ministry wife conference where there was a panel discussion at the end. Five women, each in different seasons of life and ministry, lined across the stage. The question was asked, "What is one of the most difficult things you deal with in ministry?"

I'll never forget the youngest woman's response. She was the mother of toddlers and basically shared that she felt like everyone wanted a piece of her husband and that she was just there to be his babysitter. That she was dispensable. That his ministry was just that. His ministry.

Which leads me to the next discussion question in our series of surveys for the 'Married to the Ministry' book.

* As a ministry wife, do you feel a sense of calling? If yes, what do you perceive it is?

* Were you a reluctant ministry wife? Are you now? If you felt that way in the past, what changed it? If you still feel this way, how do you perceive it has affected your husband's ministry?


Lay People:

* Are you able to sense when a ministry wife isn't fully engaged or supportive in her husband's work? How do you see that manifested?

I want to thank you all again for sharing so openly with me during this process. Your input is KEY. These current conversations are ones I feel will make this book relevant to what ministry wives are truly experiencing in this post-modern culture.

Keep your thoughts coming....Don't hold back!

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