What can pastors do to affair-proof their marriages? I’ve had the opportunity to talk with a number of pastors whose marriages seem to be healthy. They are certainly long-lived; the most recently married of the pastors to whom I spoke has been married 31 years. The longest marriage was 41 years in my sample group.
From them, I learned some important lessons. We will look at eight ways pastors affair-proof their marriages over two episodes. Here are the first four:
1. Put your family as the highest priority of your ministry. Don’t create a dichotomy between family and church. View your family as the church members with the highest priority for your ministry.
2. Pray with your spouse. You pray with and for church members every day. Make certain you take time to pray with your spouse daily.
3. Pray for your spouse. It’s not easy being a pastor’s spouse. Expectations can be high, and the glass house syndrome can be real. Pray for your spouse daily.
4. Date your spouse. Make every effort to have a date once a week. There will always be ministry to be done, and members will expect your time. Make certain you make time for your spouse on a regular basis.
Resources:
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