{"id":4638,"date":"2019-02-28T11:31:49","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T17:31:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nafwb.org\/?p=4638"},"modified":"2019-02-28T11:31:49","modified_gmt":"2019-02-28T17:31:49","slug":"where-do-i-fit-in-my-husbands-ministry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/where-do-i-fit-in-my-husbands-ministry\/","title":{"rendered":"Where Do I Fit In My Husband\u2019s Ministry?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Donna Crabtree<\/strong><\/p>\n

Am I a pastor?\u00a0 Biblically, I would not be given that title officially, but when my husband (Jeff Crabtree) and I married we became one.\u00a0 He is a pastor, so does that make me one?\u00a0 I have thought about this question and wondered what God expects of me as a pastor\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n

Looking back on my life, I saw many times where God used me when Jeff was not able to be there.\u00a0 My personal belief is that women should not preach or pastor churches, but I do believe God has given us a special place in our husbands\u2019 ministries.<\/p>\n

Counseling<\/strong><\/p>\n

I do not have a degree in counseling, so I am careful in this area, however,\u00a0 there are times in ministry when I need to counsel the older and younger women of the congregation.\u00a0 This is sometimes a challenge, considering the problems people face today.\u00a0 Spending one-on-one time with women helps us grow spiritually as we watch the young Christians grow in the Lord and those more mature realize that God can be there in their older years.<\/p>\n

This ministry can be of vital help to our husbands, particularly if they pastor larger congregations.\u00a0 It takes a lot of time to work one-on-one with new converts.\u00a0 Church families sometimes have marital, spiritual or physical problems, and these usually do not go away overnight. Sometimes the mature women in your congregation need to talk or need you to visit them, especially the widows.<\/p>\n

This does not mean that your husband should never counsel or visit the women in your congregation, but there are times you can fill in when his calendar is full or when a visit by him would be inappropriate.\u00a0 What better way to be an encouragement or a witness?<\/p>\n

Visiting the Sick<\/strong><\/p>\n

I remember times when my husband was out of town and I was at the hospital all hours of the night with a church member who was sick or had a family member near death. You can be there to pray and give moral support during these difficult times until your husband arrives.<\/p>\n

If your congregation is small, you may see yourself doing this quite often, because there may not be deacons available all the time or possibly no deacons in your congregation at all.\u00a0 The scriptures tell us that one of our duties is to visit the sick (Matthew 25: 36-40).<\/p>\n

Knowing Your Congregation<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is sad to say, but I know several pastors whose wives are uninvolved in their husbands\u2019 ministries.\u00a0 We need to be aware of all aspects of the church.\u00a0 We do not have to fill every job available but we should know what ministries our church offers.\u00a0 Teaching may not be your calling, nor working in the nursery, but God has given all of us talents.<\/p>\n

Your gift may be playing the piano or singing.\u00a0 You may decorate or maybe you like to administrate.\u00a0 Whatever your gift or talent, you need to be aware of all the ministries your church offers.\u00a0 How can you pray for the teachers, nursery workers, musicians or custodians if you are not aware of what is going on or who has filled these positions?\u00a0 Be available at all times for support or backup.\u00a0 Sometimes just a smile, a handshake or a word of encouragement goes a long way.<\/p>\n

I have been in churches where I entered, worshiped and left never knowing who the pastor\u2019s wife was or if she was present. I always try to speak to as many people as I can in every service.\u00a0 I want them to know I love them and am glad they are there whether they have attended for years or they are visiting for the first time.\u00a0 What better way to help your husband when he has been cornered by someone after service and cannot get away to greet a visitor?<\/p>\n

There will always be other ways to help your husband minister to the people in your congregation.\u00a0 The above three examples are just the beginning.\u00a0 Remember, the two of you are a team.\u00a0 Team members work together to get the job done.\u00a0 In order to accomplish your goals, every member of the team must do his part.\u00a0 Be there for him when he needs you the most.\u00a0 God called your husband into the ministry, but God also knew it was not good for him to be alone.\u00a0 That is where you come into the picture.<\/p>\n

So am I a pastor?\u00a0 Not by title, but there are times when I can help hold the shepherd\u2019s staff until he arrives.<\/p>\n

About the Writer:\u00a0 Mrs. Donna Crabtree is a member of Serenity Free Will Baptist Church in Fredericton, New Brunswick (Canada), where her husband Jeff pastors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Donna Crabtree Am I a pastor?\u00a0 Biblically, I would not be given that title officially, but when my husband (Jeff Crabtree) and I married we became one.\u00a0 He is a pastor, so does that make me one?\u00a0 I have thought about this question and wondered what God expects of me as a pastor\u2019s wife. Looking back on my life, I saw many times where God used me when Jeff was not able to be there.\u00a0 My personal belief is that women should not preach or pastor churches, but I do believe God has given us a special place in our husbands\u2019 ministries. Counseling I do not have a degree in counseling, so I am careful in this area, however,\u00a0 there are times in ministry when I need to counsel the older and younger women of the congregation.\u00a0 This is sometimes a challenge, considering the problems people face today.\u00a0 Spending one-on-one time with women helps us grow spiritually as we watch the young Christians grow in the Lord and those more mature realize that God can be there in their older years. This ministry can be of vital help to our husbands, particularly if they pastor larger congregations.\u00a0 It takes […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pastors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4638"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4639,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4638\/revisions\/4639"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nafwb.org\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}