A Survey of Ministers Wives
The wife of a minister for twenty years, Pat Valeriano takes the results of a LEADERSHIP survey of ministers' wives and comes to some intriguing conclusions about the joys and struggles these wives face.
Pat Valeriano
October 1, 1981
I had just sent the children off to school; now I could relax after a hectic Sunday. The telephone rang.
"Hello, this is Mrs. Smith. May I speak to the pastor?"
"I'm sorry, he's not here now," I say.
"Well, can I see him today?"
"He won't be back until this afternoon. Why don't you call him later at the church office?"
"Well, maybe you can help me. I don't know what I'm going to do about my son. He refuses to obey us. We tell him to do one thing and he does another. What should I do?"
I'm concerned. I'm flattered. I'm bothered. I realize it's going to be another typical day in my life as a minister's wife. Three phone calls later, I'm so immersed in counseling, encouraging, and listening that I forget I wanted to take time for a nap this morning.
* * *
The joy of being a pastor's wife was a common theme in the comments I read from 166 ministers' wives who responded to a survey sent out by LEADERSHIP journal. Fifty-four percent are under 40 years of age, and 41 percent are between the ages of 40 and 60.
An interesting breakdown shows 53 percent of the wives serve in churches with 100-500 members; 23 percent in churches with less than 100 members; 14 percent in churches of 5001,000; and 9 percent in churches over 1,000.
Respondents were fairly evenly divided among urban, suburban, and rural locations. In longevity of service, the largest group (41 percent) has been in the ministry for under 10 years; the next highest group (27 percent) for 20-29 years; and the third highest group (22 percent) for 10-19 years. Another interesting statistic is that 61 percent feel their husbands' salaries are adequate.
Part One: The Joys
Most ministers' wives are happy in their roles.
Ninety percent said they "always" or "often" enjoy being a pastor's wife. ...
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