Question and Answer

Question and Answer

Have you ever sacrificed a great career opportunity in order to follow your pastor-spouse's calling?

By various authors

Have You Ever Sacrificed A Great Career Opportunity in Order to Follow Your Pastor-Spouse's Calling?

Cynthian Burrill

I missed many opportunities to work and follow my career, and my certification to teach ran out because of our constant moving due to the pastorate and evangelism. It was very difficult to make ends meet because of our one salary and the extra expenses entailed in evangelism. And then it took more schooling to get my certification back when I finally got a chance to go to school. On top of it all, I had a difficult time finding a job. Yet it really wasn't as bad as it sounds. The conference did hire me on a small stipend for the work I was already doing in assisting my husband with evangelism. It was enough to keep us solvent, and I thoroughly loved that involvement with the ministry. And when we settled in a church, I learned much from other teachers on how to handle any type of classroom. I knew each one of our children in our grade school well because of substituting in our school. To me they were not just our members’ children but my children in the church. I got to visit members with my husband and learned what it felt like to be out of work and searching for a job. It was a lesson that enabled me to be more compassionate to those without jobs in our churches. Then we moved again. This time I was hired full time to teach and assist my husband. All these experiences prepared me for a job that became the joy of my life—teaching student spouses in the seminary.

Latonia Schmidt

This is a great question! I am presently struggling with this and  would love to see more comments about this. . . . My whole experience being married to my pastor-husband (at the beginning he taught academy) was always one of finding my niche at each move and sensing that God had always kept a role in mind for me, but this last move has been quite different.

Jodine Azzopardi

 Being a stay-at-home mum at this point, I did not sacrifice my career of teaching when my husband changed careers and went into ministry. . . . However, I have sacrificed friends, family, and living in my home country of Australia for us to go to Andrews and re-train. Now we work in the ministry in Canada. There have been great sacrifices and great blessings. . . . I do feel we are walking in the center of God’s will, and when homesick I cling to that!