Recently, I was considering the biblical role of a pastor's wife. Because of long-established traditions, it is easy to have strong feelings derived primarily from observation and opinion, rather than biblical principle.
The main role of a pastor's wife is to be the wife of the pastor. As a result, her focus is to be on the home (1 Timothy 5:14; Titus 2:4-5). As she fulfills those responsibilities, she should also serve in her church, like any other believer, using the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 18-20).
The pastor's wife is not the pastor for the women. She is not the de facto supervisor of day to day church activities. When she tries to take on too many ministry roles, her husband's ministry will suffer, along with her children. The pastor must be careful to guard his wife's time, as he is the best judge of her strengths and weaknesses. The church must also be careful to benefit from her spiritual gifts, without exhausting them by unreasonable expectations. In this way, the pastor will have the support at home which he desperately needs, and the church will follow the biblical pattern of being led by godly men.
For further help on this topic, see a helpful series of articles which can be referenced here.
No comments:
Post a Comment