Have you ever experienced culture shock in ministry? Maybe you’ve traveled to another country and realized those mission trip prep meetings did not really prepare you. Or perhaps your family has relocated to a new church or ministry assignment and you just feel like you’ve moved to a foreign country!
Sometimes it’s hard to feel connected to the people at church, especially if you haven’t been there very long. Or when your congregation is growing so fast you can’t keep up with everybody! If you could use some creative ways to connect with your church family, here are three things that have helped us engage with our congregation.
Recently my pastor husband and I talked about some challenging issues that ministry couples face, like the impact that ministry has had on our marriage, ways wives can support our pastor husbands, and how to approach sensitive conversation topics with your spouse.
I like to start conversations with ministry wives with questions like this: Can you tell me something you love about serving where you are now? What’s one aspect of ministry life that blesses you? Their responses inspired me to make my own list of married-to-the-ministry blessings.
Does your money ever run out before the month does? In ministry you sort of have to redefine and think differently, so here are a few creative ideas we explored about how ministry families can stretch their finances.