By Faith With Christine Hoover

Being a ministry wife is a vocation without a job description. So often, we know exactly what our husband’s roles will be within the church, but are uncertain about how we should be operating daily in our ministry roles. Tara Dew, Director of Thrive, a training program for ministry wives at New Orleans Seminary, joins me today to discuss the importance of being a lifelong learner and the joy that comes from learning to thrive. EPISODE GUIDE If God is encouraging you to pursue training, trust Him, even if you don’t know what the end result will be. Dedicate yourself to being a lifelong learner: utilize resources that help you thrive in the ministry God placed you. You are gifted and indispensable, essential to the work of the church. BEST QUOTES “I believe wholeheartedly that if we can encourage and equip ministry wives, then they’re going to help encourage their husbands, and their husbands will stay in ministry and the churches will stay as lighthouses in their communities.”  -T

The challenges of navigating friendship as a ministry wife can make us want to shrink back from forming these life-giving relationships. Clancey Garcia joins me today to talk about how we can identify and develop friendships with other women in the church, intentionally grow them, and manage the hurts that can arise from friendship in a broken world. EPISODE GUIDE When seeking to make friends in the church, listen to the Holy Spirit and watch for good character and good conversation. Pursuing friendship requires intentionality and vulnerability. Friendship can come with hurt, but instead of closing yourself off, look for what God is trying to teach you. BEST QUOTES “When trying to make new friends, I look for consistency of character and good conversation. What were we talking about when we were together? Was it glorifying God? If I continue to see good character and good conversation, I push for more time with that person.” -Clancey Garcia “It sounds a little impersonal, but honestly

As ministry wives, we often find ourselves in situations where women come to us looking for counsel. It can be difficult to know how to point them to God while effectively journeying with them through struggles. Counselor Kristin Kellen joins the podcast today to share introductory How-To’s of counseling women. She shares when and how to speak, when to be silent, and when to seek outside intervention for the women in our lives.  SHOW NOTES You don’t have to have the right words. Sometimes you just need to sit and listen in silence. We cannot always provide a solution, but we can bring God’s Word into the midst of their struggle, reminding them of who He is, and that He sees them and is near. We help one another carry burdens for a season, with the intent to lay them at the feet of the One who has the answers. QUOTES “Give yourself the grace to not necessarily have to have the words, because it may be that this woman just needs to sit and process and think out loud. She may just need to h

The busyness of ministry and life’s ever-changing rhythms can make us feel like we are struggling not only to keep Jesus first but also meaningfully connect with our husband regularly. Today, author Jani Ortlund opens up about the rhythms and mindsets that have seen her through over 50 years of ministry and marriage.   SHOW NOTES Our life as a ministry wife is not a performance. We should minister because of Him, out of His fullness, not duty. Your relationship with Jesus must be first and most important. Be the type of woman who feels the lack in her life when you aren’t regularly connecting with the Lord. Rhythms constantly need adjusting as life and ministry change. Communicate with your spouse and look for creative ways to connect during those times. QUOTES “I’m not ministering for Jesus. I’m ministering because of Jesus. I’m not trying to return favors or earn anything from Him. It’s just because of who He is.” -Jani Ortlund “I think the thing that has

When God calls you to a new place, it won’t always be a smooth transition. There may be hurt and heartbreak over who or what you have to leave behind. Lynley Mandrell joins me today to share her story of a tough ministry transition, what she and her husband did well, what they did poorly, and how much the Lord taught them in the midst of the mess.  SHOW NOTES Just because the Lord calls you to something doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Find the balance between seeking counsel and allowing too many voices to pollute what God is saying to your family. Ministry is hard, no matter how healthy you think you are. Check-in with a Christian counselor on a regular basis. QUOTES “You take the things people say very heavily and then it makes you question, ‘Is that God speaking through this person? Are we doing the right thing or are we doing the wrong thing?’ This is when trust and faith in God comes in.”  -Lynley Mandrell “There’s a sense of ownership, right or wrong, that p

We long to have deep friendships with other pastors’ wives in our church. But how do we go about initiating and building those relationships amidst the busyness of ministry? Pastors’ wives Meredith Miller and Bailey Leitch share today how they have cultivated a deep friendship with one another by focusing on trust, honor, and Jesus.    SHOW NOTES Cultivate a culture of honor in the way you speak to and about one another. Building a team of ministry wives in your church requires safety, security, and support. Center your relationship around Jesus and loving each other as friends, not the church. QUOTES “It is a huge blessing because there’s mutual encouragement. We are experiencing the same things as pastor’s wives, both of our husbands are on staff and there’s a uniqueness to that that we get to go through and encourage one another and pray for one another. I think having this relationship and getting to go through the seasons of ministry together has been really sweet.” -M

The responsibility of ministry drains us emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Rest is a vital component for our overall health, as well as the health of our ministry. Pastor Gregg Matte and his wife Kelly explain how they have created individual and family rest rhythms through scheduling their days, Sabbaths, and sabbaticals. SHOW NOTES Dedicate a portion of your day to the Lord, a portion to your ministry, and a portion to family and rest. Create an environment of peace and rest by allowing the peace of Christ to rule in your heart. Taking time for rest moves your ministry from fatigue to fired up with renewal. QUOTES “Responsibility is stressful, and this is one of the challenges of having a job with responsibility, and it happens to be ministry. I’m going to blame responsibility, not God for putting me in ministry. That’s where you end up with that spiritual burnout where people are at the end of their ministry,  and they don’t like their Christianity. I tell our staff all

If God calls you to work outside the home or church, you may experience guilt or fear because you are filling a role that looks different from the traditional ministry wife “mold.” Pastor’s wife and business owner Macy English explains how she overcomes these misgivings by communicating with her husband and practicing open-handed stewardship before the Lord. SHOW NOTES Scripture teaches that all work is sacred, whether it’s inside the church walls or outside the church. Don’t allow the guilt or fear of being different from the “mold” keep you from being a faithful steward of what He has gifted and called you to do. Practice open-handed stewardship by regularly going before the Lord with your spouse, laying down your life, work and ministry before Him. QUOTES “When we start to look at all of work as sacred, the Lord can redeem and birth something really beautiful out of the Excel spreadsheet I’m building. In conversations around being gospel centered in our homes, there̵

The weight of ministry can be heavy. We are often journeying with others through hardship and disappointment. But amid the hard, the Lord gifts us with sweet spots of lightness and fun. Pastor’s wife and teacher Tanya York joins the podcast today to share how she finds joy and fun even when circumstances are hard. Tanya intentionally pursues the buckets of joy and wins the Lord gives, and gives practical tips on how we can do the same.   SHOW NOTES Take your sin seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. You cannot change the character of people who are giving you hard, but you can change the way you perceive them. Choose to see their uniqueness and have fun with them. Don’t use personality as an excuse to live negatively. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you see the wins and pursue life with a God who is as good as He says He is. QUOTES “I take sin very seriously, confronting sin in my own life and heart, but I don’t take myself too seriously. I’ve learned to laugh about thi

Mental illness can be very confusing as a Christian. We are followers of Christ, we know Scripture, so how could we feel hopeless? Today, Julie Busler candidly shares her journey through depression and PTSD. Julie has learned that medicine and faith go hand in hand, and that a mental illness diagnosis does not disqualify you for ministry.  SHOW NOTES Being a Christian does not mean you have to be happy all the time. Joy and sorrow can coexist. Telling someone your struggles may feel overwhelming, but until we bring things into the light, healing cannot happen. Medicine and faith go hand in hand. You may truly need medical intervention, but you also need Jesus every minute of every day to bring your soul to life. QUOTES “I actually went to another missionary and told her enough that she knew I needed help. This was so important because I think sometimes in ministry it can be pretty lonely, and it’s hard to find safe friends who you can be real with, because you feel like you have to have it a

Marriages can be strained by attacks from the enemy and the pace of church ministry. How do we balance the demands of ministry with the proper honor God calls us to give our spouses? Pastor and husband James Roberson explains how men can uplift their wives, how wives can approach hard conversations, and how the marriage partnership is a blessing from God.    SHOW NOTES Husbands: Slow down and consider the state of your own soul. Then you can assess and address the overall health of your wife, who is your partner and equal investor in ministry. Spouses: You are not just a tool for one another’s ministries. God chose you for one another for your life, growth, and sanctification. Wives: Approach your husbands with observations, not accusations. Remember that Satan would love to turn you into enemies. Saturate hard conversations with prayer. QUOTES “I think the navigation of my wife’s gifts is a broader holistic navigation of her mind, soul, and body. I need to budget time to assess all of tha

Criticism is inevitable in the life of a ministry wife, but learning to respond to it well takes patience, practice, and peace from the Lord. Author and teacher Ann Swindell joins me today to share how reframing her views of criticism and immersing herself in God’s Word allows her to navigate criticism with grace and love.  SHOW NOTES Your job is not to fulfill what other people want. Your job is to fulfill what God wants. Criticism always offers us an opportunity to grow, whether the remarks are valid or not. The Word provides peace to carry us through the emotions that arise with criticism and righteous conviction. QUOTES “It’s hard to let people down. Behind my back, people could be saying, ‘Ann seems inaccessible or isn’t doing what I think a pastor’s wife should do.’ But my job isn’t to fulfill other people’s aims for my life. My job is to follow and walk with Christ in the season I’m in, trusting He will give me grace to do what I’m called to do.”  -Ann Sw

Loneliness can be a very troubling feeling for us as ministry wives. How can we be surrounded by people and yet still feel totally alone? Rivers Partin joins me today to explain how acknowledging loneliness and its gifts has allowed her to become more connected to herself, others, and most importantly, God.  SHOW NOTES Loneliness is a gift–our soul signaling to us that we need to make some changes. Acknowledge the loneliness and try to identify which of the three types you are experiencing: with self, others, or God. Sometimes God allows seasons of loneliness to drive us to Him. QUOTES “The answer to why loneliness exists would be that we were created for relationship. We were created for intimacy. We were created to be known and to know others. You can’t escape it because it’s what we were designed for. What loneliness does is it drives us. It’s a signal to us that we aren’t in strong, solid relationships where we’re known, where we feel like we belong. There is good

We want our kids to love God and the church as much as we do. But when we force-feed faith, especially to teenagers, they can wind up resenting the church and losing interest in Christ. Author, mom, and pastor’s wife Kristie Anyabwile shares how she’s learned to take a step back, giving her teens space to choose the Lord for themselves while providing spiritual opportunities that fit each child uniquely.  SHOW NOTES Don’t try to force feed your teenagers into faith; cultivate their hearts, provide opportunities, and ask good questions. Do what works for your family to grow spiritually together, and do what works for each individual child to grow. When you feel fear or a need to control, take it to the Lord. It likely has nothing to do with your children, but something in you that needs addressing. QUOTES “We don’t want church and church activity to feel forced, to feel like something they have to do. We want to cultivate in them a desire to do it. Certain things are non-negotiable, lik

Sunday mornings can feel incredibly stressful, especially when you have young kids. Lindsey Carlson, pastor’s wife and mom of five, shares how she manages the chaos by having appropriate expectations of her kids, seeking the Spirit’s guidance, and relying on grab-n-go breakfasts.   SHOW NOTES Recognize Sundays will be chaotic. Preparation and clear expectations help minimize the chaos. Remind your kids that they are not coming to church to be looked at or to impress anyone. They are coming because they are participants in the Body of Christ. When disciplining your kids at church, ask the Spirit to help you focus on what you are trying to teach your child, not on what everyone else is thinking. QUOTES “As a pastor’s wife, you have to reconcile the fact that Sunday is going to be the craziest day of the week. How can I minimize the chaos and show up as a servant to my husband, and my church body, but also to my kids that are along for the ride? While there are things that I can’t control

Welcome to Season 2 of the Ministry Wives Podcast! We kick off this season with a very special guest, my husband Kyle Hoover. Kyle joins me for a special Q&A session. You had questions about our life and ministry together, we sat down and openly answered them. I hope you enjoy getting to know us a little bit better and find encouragement from our journey! BEST QUOTES “It’s not about me impressing people, it’s not about my kids being well behaved and impressing people. I want to be faithful in my being faithful. And hopefully people see that that’s what I want them to see: the Lord in me and not myself. I also don’t wanna get into this impressive mindset because I think that’s not helpful to people who actually are watching. I don’t want them to think that’s what faith in Christ is about, that it has to be this mold or this perfection. I want to just be me. I just want to be present with people and, as a sinful person, I’m not gonna do that perfectly, b

The joys and challenges of ministry in a transient place are different from those in a traditional church context. Transient ministry requires detailed intentionality and remembering that God has entrusted people to you for only a short period of time. Brittany Brown understands transient ministry well, having walked alongside her military husband for nearly twenty years. She joins me today to provide insight into transient ministry and how embracing the movement has aided her in leading others towards Christ. EPISODE GUIDE 1. Embrace the unique challenges and movement of transient church plant ministry. 2. There are many joys in a transient church. BEST QUOTES “I think a challenge for us is raising up women to minister to the other women. At any given time, our church could be filled with 75% women and tons of little kids. Seeing that their needs are filled well can be a challenge. We have to walk alongside the elders to help minister to them.” — Brittany Brown “Our vision is to embra

Sometimes God calls us to serve in a culture that is unlike our own. Navigating multicultural church planting can feel overwhelming and isolating. The expectations of serving those whose lives look different from our own can leave us feeling as though we don’t measure up. Andreina Fasolino joins me today to share how she has learned to manage expectations and grow closer to Christ while planting a multicultural church. EPISODE GUIDE 1. When planting a multicultural church, understand there may be very different expectations of you in a different culture and you may not be able to meet all of them. 2. You are not alone in the planting journey. God wants to teach you and grow you as you teach others. BEST QUOTES “They expect the pastor’s wife to be there in everything, doing everything. But at the moment, I had to also teach them in love and God helped me do that. First of all, we were church planting, we were just starting. I also had a child and my second one was on the way. I had to let them know

Living in long-term ministry requires a stamina that only comes from the Lord. Donna Gaines knows the secret to longevity in ministry lies in our intimacy with Christ, having spent the last 41 years as a pastor’s wife and ministry leader. She shares today how that intimacy has kept her going, even in the darkest times. EPISODE GUIDE 1. Longevity is achieved through intimacy with Christ, a support system of friends and mentors, and prioritizing your relationship with your husband. 2. The Lord has prepared work for you, not only alongside your husband, but of your own ministry as well. 3. When you feel discouraged, make it a priority to meet with God everyday. BEST QUOTES “When I receive my basic needs for love and significance in my personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I’m able to love my husband, my family, and my neighbor out of the overflow. When I love Him with my whole being, He fills me with His love for others. I’m able to love them out of that overflow instead of sucking life out of the

We often think the call to engage in ministry requires established groups, curriculum, and a clear plan. But what about the single mom next door we feel God tugging our hearts for? In my conversation with Elisa Medina today, she shares how God transformed her idea of what women’s ministry should be. Rather than focusing on quantity, Elisa has learned to focus on the one. EPISODE GUIDE 1. Women’s ministry isn’t for someday; it is right now. 2. Your family is meant to be a part of your ministry and a core area that you seek God’s transformation. 3. It’s not about numbers. Even if one woman is changed by Christ, you’re accomplishing God’s work. BEST QUOTES “I want to encourage every woman out there that is trying to build a ministry: I am sure there is one woman at her church already. Maybe not even at her church, because it doesn’t have to be at your church. Maybe it’s your neighbor. Maybe it’s the woman at the market that you see often. Maybe it’s a woman you see