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[rue2you]

Hi! I haven't posted in awhile - I can't seem to find the time!! Anyway, I am asking for your prayers. My husband was just voted in as Pastor at First Baptist Church in West Union, OH. This will be his first pastorate. I am a PK but am a new PW. We are very excited about serving and are starting with a wonderful gruop of people. We will be moving at the end of this January. I covet your prayers that we will be vessels through which the Lord can use. I would also like any suggestions on being a first time pastors wife, ideas about anything...I am just open and excited. Thank you for praying!

Alicia
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"But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so do I." Jn 14:31a

[Bethany]

Congratulations, Alicia! That's so exciting! My husband was an associate pastor when we got married. Six years ago he took his first pastorate. We're now in the process of searching for a new church.
My best advice to you is - don't try to be the "PASTOR'S WIFE", by which I mean, what everyone else thinks the pastor's wife should be. Concentrate on being a support and help to your husband first of all, then look at areas where God has gifted you. Pray about an area where He would have you serve Him. Then work in that area(s). Don't feel that you have to do everything, be involved in everything, lead everything. And last, but not least, show lots of love!
Remember what Paul told Timothy: "Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example to the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." I tended to concentrate on the first part, "let no man despise thy youth", but that tended to be the case a lot of times. But you have to remember the last part, "but be thou an example..." You can't control what others think of you, or what they think you should be doing. Just keep your own life right before God, and be a good example of what a Christian woman should be.
I have a wonderful, godly pastor's wife teaching me right now and boy, has she shown me some areas I need to work on. It is so easy to get caught up in the emotions of the ministry. What she has taught me is that I don't have to live based on my emotions. Emotions can be very misleading and will often take you to the wrong conclusions. You can CHOOSE to live right, to not live in the emotions, and you will make better decisions. That has been a really important lesson for me, one that needs to be emphasized over and over. Being in the pastorate is a tremendous roller-coaster ride, and if I live in my emotions I will either be very excited or very depressed. It's important to not let emotions make the decisions, but use God's Word as the basis for what I do.
I hope that's helpful to you. There's ladies here with a lot of wisdom that I'm sure will be able to help and encourage you, and pray for you. I'm sure that God will greatly bless you in your new ministry!
In love,
Bethany
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God bless,
Bethany

[Startrek]

How exciting for you! I so well remember when we moved from 15 yrs in youth ministry to the senior pastorate. I was nervous & excited both. Don't worry about what to do - just be your hubbies wife & helpmeet like you always have & as doors of opportunity for service open up to you - if hubbie & you agree - walk through them. We moved here to this sr pastorate position almost 9 yrs ago. The church was dying - had about 30 people in it, no children's ministry - no outreach ministries - just dying. Along w/ my dh, I rolled up my sleeves & jumped in w/ both feet to help rebuild the work. I tried to have the same vision my dh had for the ministry and tried to use my eyes to see needs. At the same time I homeschooled 3 children. My son & I started a bus ministry w/ the old delapadated van they had, we worked in jr church, joined the choir, worked in the nursery, taught SS, & steered the ladies ministry in a new direction. I was also my dh's secretary (unpaid). After a few years of that pace - whew! the deacon board surprisingly voted to give me a weekly salary. Over the years, the work has grown to a steady 180 & we have a thriving children's ministry, teen ministry (w/ salaried youth pastor), several community outreaches & many, many church ministries for folks to get involved in. Once folks started joining the church & learning to serve I was able to back off a little bit on the amount of work I had to do. I no longer teach SS or sing in the choir - I still work in the bus ministry - didn't for quite a while, but it started to lag, so I jumped in again & tried to help where I could. I just try to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and what I can do to best encourage my dh. It's been that way for almost 9 yrs now and I have no compaints! I'm not superwoman by any stretch of the imagination. But recently I had a conversation w/ our new youth pastor's fiance'. She said, "I thought I knew what ministry was about and how the pastor's wife was supposed to conduct herself, by watching my pastor's wife back home (her home church), but then I come here and I see what you do and now I'm confused! All I know is I want to do things the way you do them because you stay busy in the work and I like that!" I guess all she saw her pw do was stand around looking pretty and talking to people. Ummm.... excuse me - but the ministry is w-o-r-k, and I would never ask my ladies to work in the kitchen and not volunteer to do it myself. I don't do that in people's homes and I certainly wouldn't do it in the House of God. (that's just my private opinion, publicly expressed! hehe)
Anyway - relax, enjoy what God has for you in this new ministry, be a good wife, good support & helpmeet to your dh and you'll do GREAT!
I'll be praying for you!
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"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the LORD forever, for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength." Isaiah 26:3, 4