As individuals, we struggle daily with life issues. As a pastor’s wife, my heart has encountered many challenges. As a servant of God, I had to endure the realities of life and the expectations of normalcy. Being a pastor’s wife for twenty five years and serving God for thirty, I have learned that I am not exempt from the trials of life. My hearts feels. It loves and experiences joy. But it also hurts and can be deceitful. As a pastor’s wife, I found it extremely difficult to talk about my struggles and failures. I feared being judged. But I realized that sharing my inner struggles could help others. From The Heart of A Pastor’s Wife was written out of a deep need I saw within the body of Christ. We are living in a world where we are open to almost anything. We encounter daily issues in our lives. Yet some people find themselves in desperate need of a Savior. They need to know that God sees us. We are not alone. My heart is with every pastor’s wife and every child of God that is quiet. This book is for those who won’t share their struggles because they fear rejection and judgment. I am here for you! God is with you and will never ever love you less. Let’s allow God to give us the ability to face our daily challenges.

"Nothing in my life goes untouched by my husband’s calling." Christine Hoover’s words in the first chapter describe so well the life of a church planter’s wife, which is enormously difficult yet extraordinarily rewarding. To be married to a church planter is a calling of its own with a richness of its own. In The Church Planting Wife, Hoover explores and encourages the hearts of her readers while teaching what it means to have heart prepared for this unique ministry. She knows the challenges: A church planter's wife must develop a job description, be a wise helper to her husband, develop friendships within the church and community, deal with stress and discouragement, handle wounds, and more. Christine speaks candidly about these challenges while urging readers to grow a heart that wholly reflects Jesus. Spread throughout these pages are stories and interviews from church planting wives. Christine Hoover empathetically and pointedly builds from these testimonies to uplift the reader and offer lessons of hope in the midst of a challenging ministry.

Although their calling is joyous, pastors' wives encounter special challenges because of the nature of their husbands' work. These letters from the wives of experienced and well-known pastors provide empathy, wise counsel, and encouragement.

What’s it like when the man you married is already married to God? asks Pastors’ Wives, an often surprising yet always emotionally true first novel set in a world most of us know only from the outside. Lisa Takeuchi Cullen’s debut novel Pastors’ Wives follows three women whose lives converge and intertwine at a Southern evangelical megachurch. Ruthie follows her Wall Street husband from New York to Magnolia, a fictional suburb of Atlanta, when he hears a calling to serve at a megachurch called Greenleaf. Reeling from the death of her mother, Ruthie suffers a crisis of faith—in God, in her marriage, and in herself. Candace is Greenleaf’s “First Lady,” a force of nature who’ll stop at nothing to protect her church and her superstar husband. Ginger, married to Candace’s son, struggles to play dutiful wife and mother while burying her calamitous past. All their roads collide in one chaotic event that exposes their true selves. Inspired by Cullen’s reporting as a staff writer for Time magazine, Pastors’ Wives is a dramatic portrayal of the private lives of pastors’ wives, caught between the demands of faith, marriage, duty, and love.

Ministry is hard. And every ministry wife needs—and deserves—encouragement. A woman marries a man, not his ministry. But all too often her husband's calling complicates their life together. What if ministry life isn't what she bargained for? What happens when her children make mistakes? How does she deal with church gossip, or even slander? As a pastor's wife of almost fifty years, Jani Ortlund addresses these questions, along with many others, as she offers encouragement and guidance to ministry wives. Jani reminds readers that God works out his delightfully good purposes in and through their sacrifices.

Pastors' wives are in a privileged—yet often difficult—position. Various challenges make it is easy for ministry wives to feel discouraged about their relationship with God, lose their wonder at the mystery of the church, and forget the joy of serving alongside their husband. In this encouraging and humorous book, Gloria Furman offers pastors' wives a breath of fresh air, reminding readers that Christ stands ready to help regardless of the circumstance—whether it's late-night counseling sessions, unrealistic expectations about how they spend their time, or complaints about their husbands' preaching. Filled with life-giving truth from God's Word regarding the privilege of ministry in Christ's name, this book will help women joyfully treasure their Savior, serve their husbands, and love their churches.

Women in pain populate every congregation. Left to themselves, many will become discouraged and leave the church. But pastors cannot adequately care for the needs of everyone. Beverly White Hislop has written Shepherding a Woman's Heart to challenge pastors to infuse to women in their churches with the same spirit that moves them to care for their flock. This amazing resource provides substantial guidance on how to properly equip healthy women to come forward and nurture hurting women.

This book consists of letters I wish I had received when I was a new pastor's wife. They are the words, wisdom, short stories, and lessons learned on-the-job and on my knees. Although written expressly for pastors' wives, these letters also hold great benefit for all women of faith. The letters are divided into five sections. At First Glance covers how we're seen and how we often see ourselves. Upon Closer Inspection deals with the duties and dilemmas of ministry life. Up Close and Personal takes an honest look within and highlights personal growth while serving others. The Journey Continues offers hope while fighting the "good fight of faith." And Jesus is the Reason for the Season shares how to honor God during the holidays, along with a sweet surprise at the end. Instead of lamenting my lack, I wrote letters with you in mind. It continues to be my hope and prayer that through them you are encouraged, enlightened, and eternally convinced that you're not alone! Meredith Sheppard's encouragement letter, Wives In Touch, now in print! Meredith and I were married eight weeks after I became the assistant pastor of our home congregation in Philadelphia. Think about all the women you know. How many of them would choose to become a pastor's wife? Probably few, if any at all! But Meredith is no ordinary woman. As a youngster, she fell in love with Jesus and wanted to do His will, no matter the cost. And years later, when she accepted my proposal of marriage, she committed to being the best companion a servant of God could ask for. Fortunately for me, she has always lived up to that commitment. The letters contained in this book are rich with insights, candor, loving guidance, and encouragement. Meredith's heart desires to strengthen the hands and hope of pastors' wives everywhere. May that desire be fulfilled in your life as you read and apply the wisdom shared herein. Pastor Paul E. Sheppard

A book about the test, trials and triumph of the pastor's wife. The woman has long been in the shadows is brought out in the open to be seen and appreciated.