Cheryl always knew when someone had an agenda they wanted to push rather than simply wanting to be her friend. Don’t be afraid to treat her as a normal human being. If she says no to your invitation don’t hold it against her either.
Never repeat what she says without permission.
Ever. If the pastor’s wife happens to share personal information with you about the church or her life, keep it to yourself. Always. There will be temptation to share her words as “juicy news,” but you will honor her by remaining silent. And, over time, you will build her trust and her friendship. Most pastors’ spouses have been burned many times by what they thought they were saying in confidence.
Pray for your pastor’s family.
Daily would be awesome, but certainly as much as needed or they come to your mind. There really is no better way to bless a pastor’s family than to pray for them.
As a bonus suggestion, if your church really wants to honor the pastor’s wife, find ways to give her time away with her husband and/or family. This is probably what she needs most.
Feel free to give a shout-out to your pastor’s spouse here and share practical ways you can honor your pastor’s spouse. If you are a pastor or pastor’s spouse, I would love to hear your thoughts.
(Closing note: I’ve been told numerous times, since I first posted about this issue, that in certain churches the pastor’s wife IS the problem in the church. Or that she stirs or keeps stirred the problems in the church. That’s the subject of another post, but I do understand and recognize that there are times this is the problem. It is very difficult for a pastor to be effective without a supportive spouse.)
This article originally appeared here.
