Awkward Lives of Clergy Husbands

This past March, Crossway introduced Pastor’s Wife Appreciation Month, a campaign designed to “encourage and honor pastors’ wives.” There is no doubt that pastors’ wives have a demanding role. Traditionally, many churches expected their pastors’ wives to fulfill any number of roles, from organist and choirmaster to church secretary to Sunday School director, all without pay and while raising their own family in the public eye. The often unspoken expectation was that a church paid the pastor and got his wife for free. But what happens when your pastor’s wife is a husband?