Tips to Thrive

Survival tips for pastoral spouses

Here is a tip that has helped me, although I cannot recall where I read it.

A particular ministerial spouse would go to the church when it was empty, sit in an empty pew, and pray for the people who sat there during church services (whether regular members who sat in the same pew each week, members who sat in different pews each week, or visitors). I have done this myself, and it lifts me up. Sometimes I know of particular needs to include in my prayer, and other times I do not. Just praying for another person helps.

I have taken this further, and some years ago I started praying for vehicles. When I would see a vehicle on the road that I knew a church member owned, I would pray for that person or family. Soon I realized that not every member had a car, so when I saw a bus, I would pray for members taking public transportation.

Both of these ideas have increased my prayer outreach and given me survival benefits.

Mary Sailo

Pastoral spouse in SNEC

Have a survival tip that someone shared with you once upon a time, or that you have learned along the way? Send it in to share here at: [email protected]