A Pastor and His Wife
Perhaps the most important decision a pastor makes in his life and ministry is choosing the woman who will become his wife. Through my years of pastoring and leading churches, I have always found that a pastor and his ministry will not surpass his marital relationship in terms of healthy growth. If his marriage is healthy, his ministry has a much greater probability of being productive and effective. Conversely, if his marriage is unhealthy, his ministry will be extremely limited and affected greatly.
Jeana and I have been married over 36 years. I became a local church pastor in September 1976, and we were married on Dec. 31, 1976. Jeana was a piano major in college and I am convinced I received the call to my first church because they needed a piano player!
I want to share a few practical things for every pastor and his wife to consider and act upon in life and ministry:
You Are Partners
You are partners in marriage and in ministry. Yes, I wrote that statement correctly. Partnership in marriage many understand, but partnership in ministry is becoming a unique quality for a pastor and his wife.
Jeana and I have always been partners in ministry. We have walked together hand-in-hand through all our years in ministry. She is fully involved in the life of the church. Every pastoral candidate that I call to serve on our Cross Church team is joined by his wife at his final interview. That interview is more about her than it is him.
During that interview I talk to her and ask her:
*Do you go to worship?
*Are you involved in a ministry of the church?
Then I proceed to tell her along with her husband:
*If you come here I expect you to be in worship weekly.
*If you come here I expect you to be involved in a ministry.
*If you come here I expect you to be involved in our monthly staff wives luncheon that Jeana leads.
*If you come here I expect you to be involved in our annual staff advance.
At Cross Church, we expect a pastor and his wife to be partners in ministry. More importantly, God expects a pastor and his wife to be partners in ministry.
Live Life Together
A pastor and his wife need to live life together. Yes, ministry is busy and at times very demanding. Every job has challenging seasons.
However, a pastor and his wife need to live life together. When time away from ministry occurs, this should not mean that he goes his way and she goes her way. Go together! Live life together.
The strongest testimony of a pastor and his wife comes when your people see you together, enjoying life together and living life together. This also keeps both of you from becoming vulnerable to the enemy’s attacks of sexual temptation. When people see you and your wife living life together this lets all others know: She is mine and I am hers. If you are not together or you are rarely seen together, you are sending signals that are very unhealthy for your people. Therefore, live life together!
Be Consistent
Be consistent in your walk with Christ and your calling to ministry both at church and at home. Do not be a hypocrite! The last thing the wife of the pastor needs to see is a different man at home than she sees in the pulpit. This is especially true when children enter into your life. Equally, the pastor does not need to come home to a wife who is personified at church as a great woman of God, but at home is a tough lady.
Both a pastor and his wife need to be consistent in their daily walk with Jesus. Consistent in their daily time with God. Consistent in praying together daily. Consistent in their family life and church life.
The anointing of God cannot be fooled! God knows if you are real and consistent daily, wherever you are. Usually, the anointing of God is strongest to those who live consistently wherever they may be, whether at home, at the ball field, within a restaurant, or at the church.
Many More Thoughts
Yes I have many more thoughts on this, but let’s just think upon and pray about these for now:
*You are partners
*Live life together
*Be consistent
May the Holy Spirit empower you to be these things and more!
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
This Week at Cross Church: It’s a Big Day on June 30th, “When Jesus Comes to Church” miniseries from Acts, and Cross Church School of Ministry
Fear Not, America: Sunday morning, June 30
Be sure to join your Cross Church family and me on Sunday, June 30, for our annual Summer Freedom Celebration. During this time of worship we will honor America, our service men and women, and celebrate the hope we have in Jesus Christ. For this special Sunday, your ministry team has prepared a message called “Fear Not, America…There is Hope!”
There are times when we all deal with uncertainty – but all too often many experience uncertainty with great frequency. But, thankfully, as believers we can rest in the promise that God’s faithfulness provides us HOPE for all aspects of life. This June 30 message will, prayerfully, encourage us all to remember the HOPE we have for our world, our nation, our church, and our lives through Jesus Christ.
Fireworks at the Crosses: Sunday night, June 30
Also on Sunday, June 30, our Pinnacle Hills campus will host the 6th annual Fireworks at the Crosses event. This phenomenal evening is full of live music, outdoor baptisms, and an outstanding display of fireworks at sundown. I encourage you to invite your family and friends to this special evening of fun and praise. Last year, an estimated 7,000 people were on our campus, plus people watched the event from along the interstate, the Promenade and other nearby places.
Baptism at the Crosses: Sign up and be here
As part of our “Fireworks at the Crosses” celebration, many of you have the opportunity to take part in a highly spiritual time of commitment. Those of you who have not taken part in Believer’s Baptism can be baptized in the beautiful outdoor baptistry located at the base of the three soaring crosses on our Pinnacle Hills campus. Each year I have the pleasure of baptizing many of my Brothers and Sisters in Christ at this phenomenal event. You will experience true joy when you obey your Lord’s command to be baptized, and what better way to celebrate our country’s independence than by celebrating the personal and spiritual freedom that only Christ can give us!
If you have trusted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, but have not been baptized, the time is NOW to follow the Lord’s commandment and make your commitment public. Click here for more information and to register for Baptism at the Crosses. Please report to the Pinnacle Hills Worship Center at 6:30 p.m. and we will prepare you for baptism. You can bring additional clothing or we have what is needed for you.
“When Jesus Comes to Church:” a new Acts mini-series begins on July 7
On Sunday, July 7, as a church family and across all campuses we will dive into a new mini-series called “When Jesus Comes to Church.” I’ve been working for the past three days on what I will teach on July 7 and I am fired up NOW about it! I promise you, this mini-series will take us up personally, adjust our thinking, change our lives, and make us a much healthier church in every way. Do not miss it!
I hope you have enjoyed the time we spent studying the great men of iNFLUENCE from the Book of Acts. If you missed a Sunday or wish to review any of the messages from our iNFLUENCE mini-series, find video files here.
Cross Church School of Ministry: We are equipping the next generation to share the Gospel around the world
We are mere weeks away from welcoming the inaugural class of Cross Church School of Ministry students. The Lord has been kind and blessed us with seven students thus far! Cross Church family, please continue to pray over this new initiative and the young men and women that will comprise our first class of students.
During this one-year residential ministry experience, our students will learn how to become spiritual leaders for life from me and many of the Cross Church staff team. This is a totally new, innovative concept in training the next generation of spiritual leaders, so be in prayer for our Cross Church School of Ministry President, Dr. Jeff Crawford, and the men and women that will be pouring into these students.
The Supreme Court’s June 26 decision
Dr. Russell D. Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, commented on the Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage rulings from June 26. Click here to read Dr. Moore’s statement in its entirety.
Yours for the Great Commission,
Ronnie W. Floyd
Dr. Ronnie Floyd is the President & CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.