The Qualifications of a Preacher's Wife

I follow the blog of another preacher's wife and in her blog she has so many encouraging words for us wives. While reading her latest post I was reminded of the many preacher's wives that I have known throughout the years.

I grew up in the Christian church that was located in my little hometown in Indiana. My family was very involved, they taught Sunday School and youth groups, and my father was an Elder for as long as I could remember. As an Elder's daughter I was introduced to many preachers and their families who ministered to our church. Some were very good friends with my parents, therefore, I had the privilege of getting to know several preacher's wives who were good role models for me and the women of our church.

This is how I remember those Preacher's wives

These women sat in the front row, they played the piano, they taught Sunday School and they stood by their husbands every Sunday shaking the hands of everyone leaving the service that day, and many other duties that were expected of a preacher's wife in those days. Their training to become a preacher's wife came way before their husband ever stood behind a pulpit.

When I was young, a girl who grew up in the church was expected to go to a Bible college. There you could study to become a teacher, a nurse or a secretary, but the degree you were really expected to obtain was the MRS. degree. I felt like all Christian parents hoped and prayed their daughters would become the wife of a preacher.

Now after being a preacher's wife for 26 years and knowing several preacher's wives throughout our ministry, I believe that there are really only three qualifications that you need to have to become a preacher's wife:

One --- she needs be a a woman who loves the Lord and has a personal relationship with Him. Without this she can not be of any help to her preacher.Second --- she needs to love her preacher, she needs to fully believe in him, she needs to stand beside him, not just to shake the hands of his congregation, but to stand with him through the good times and the bad; the days that feel like he is on heaven's doorstep and the days when heaven feels so far away.Third --- she needs to believe in the preacher's call, whether that be the call to a pulpit ministry, youth ministry, missionary work, or any of the many other ministries that are available.

I do not play the piano, but I love my Savior, I love my preacher and I fully believe in him and the call that he has heard from the Lord!

If your preacher's wife is not teaching a children's class or a ladies Bible study, try not to be so hard on her. She just needs to be, figuratively, standing by her man. Love her for that!

Love from the Preacher and I

This little girl decided that she needed to sit on my lap while I wrote this post. If there are any typo's I'll blame it on her!