Ministry, Prayer

What Your Pastor’s Wife Needs Most from You

I’m so honored to have Sandy sharing her heart today regarding a wonderful ministry of prayer that she leads for her pastor’s wife. She is neither a pastor’s wife or a blogger, but she has a sweet and passionate heart for pastors’ wives. I have been blessed to get to know her over the past few months. I was so impressed with her ministry of encouragement to her own pastor’s wife that I asked her to share it with you, my readers. I hope you’ll prayerfully consider whether God would have you to begin a similar ministry for your own pastor’s wife. So without further ado, here’s Sandy!

sandy

Blessings Ladies, my name is Sandy and I have served the Lord my God and Savior in various prayer ministries since 2001.  I am absolutely thrilled to share with you a little bit about me, and what I do as a servant of the Lord.  I live in California with my wonderful husband and our two amazing young adult teens.  My family and I faithfully attend and serve the Lord in our local church where we have been for over 10 years. I have been involved in leading women’s prayer groups in our church, including Warrior Women of Prayer, a prayer ministry dedicated to praying for our pastor’s wife.  Other prayer ministries I’ve been involved with are, Moms In Prayer (formerly known as Moms In Touch), and Prayer for Cities. I currently work for a well-known Christian radio program, where I am pleased and humbled to serve in advancing the Kingdom of God.  And, while the purpose of this introduction is to give you a glimpse of who I am,  I don’t look to exalt myself but rather Jesus Christ.  To Him belong the glory and all the praise!

How it all started….

Warrior Women of Prayer is a ministry that was birthed out of a simple thought, but rooted and inspired by the power of the Holy Spirit.  After leading a women’s prayer group at our church for several years, my pastor’s wife came to mind.  I had wondered if she had a prayer group dedicated just for her, and her ministry as a pastor’s wife. This idea didn’t seem foreign to me, since I knew the men of our church gathered every Sunday mornings to pray for our pastor during his sermons.  Surely, our pastor’s wife had a prayer group too!  I not only purposed in my heart to ask her about her prayer group, but I was also determined to be a part of it.  So, the next time I saw her, I simply asked her,

“Do you have a prayer group that prays for you because I’d like to be a part of it.”

I remember the blank stare in her eyes as she looked at me and said, “No, I don’t have a prayer group that prays for me.”  I was completely baffled, and my mind began to race as I asked myself, how could this be?!

How could the ministry of being a pastor’s wife not be covered in prayer?

How can we as the body of Christ leave the ministry of the pastor’s wife unattended, and ignored? I was perplexed, and I had many questions to ask of the Lord.  At that moment, I looked into my pastor’s wife’s eyes and replied back to her with boldness, “Well, you need one, and we’re going to start praying for one!”  As I began to bring this matter before the Lord in prayer, He made it very clear to me that I was to begin and lead a prayer group for her.  After receiving confirmation from the Lord, I went back to her and shared with her this prayer ministry that the Lord had laid upon my heart for her.  She immediately thanked me, and expressed how humbled she was to know that a dedicated group of women would now be standing in the gap for her through intercessory prayer.  She was filled with gratitude, and so was my pastor.

Since January, 2010 I have seen the work of the Lord in the life of our pastor’s wife through the prayers of the Warrior Women in Prayer ministry.  Our prayers and encouragement have given her a confidence, purpose, and a clearer vision in her role as a pastor’s wife.  The Lord has also opened numerous opportunities for her to minister in and outside our church.  Praise the Lord!  We must intercede for our pastor’s wife, and we need to show her and tell her how much we value and appreciate her and her ministry, especially through prayer.

The attacks on her life from the enemy are disguised in many faces, and her spiritual warfare is much more intensified than ours.

Therefore, we need to pray for her daily.  I am not a pastor’s wife, but it has pleased the Lord to lead me into this ministry to serve my pastor’s wife, as I serve Him.  We are the body of Christ, working together to advance His Kingdom. Therefore, stand united with your pastor’s wife, encourage her, and pray without ceasing for her.

You can bless your pastor by being a blessing to his wife.

Why don’t you be the one to stand in the gap for her?   Ephesians 6:18, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

What our prayer ministry looks like practically:

Warrior Women in Prayer meets on the first and third Saturday of every month.  Our 12 women prayer team is split up into two groups, each assigned to one particular Saturday.  Our one hour prayer focus times are presented from specific prayer requests from our pastor’s wife, but mostly we rely on the Holy Spirit, according to Romans 8:26.

Every quarter we incorporate a week of prayer and fasting for our pastor and pastor’s wife.

We’ve also encouraged her by sending her notes cards, small gifts, and written prayers.  Just this month we presented a “thank you” basket for her and her family with gifts to open throughout the month of November.  In addition, we come together at the end of the year for a Thanksgiving Celebration.  It’s a time of celebration to look back at all the Lord has done throughout the year.
 This prayer ministry has not only been a blessing to our pastor’s wife, but to the women who have faithfully served in prayer for her!  Proverbs 11:25 tells us that ‘whoever refreshes others will be refreshed,’ and indeed, it has been a promise from the Lord that we have experienced for ourselves.  Through this ministry, it has pleased the Lord to use some of the women in our prayer team to launch other women’s ministries in our church as well, including another prayer group on Sunday mornings, a women’s Bible study, and yet another is mentoring young Jr. High girls as she serves alongside her husband in youth ministries.  There has also been amazing growth in our pastor’s wife’s ministry among women, as well as a new confidence in her calling as a pastor’s wife.
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So what does your pastor’s wife need most from you? She needs your consistent prayer support.

Do you feel that God may want you to organize a similar prayer group for your pastor’s wife? Sandy has graciously offered to communicate with any of my readers who might need some tips on getting started. She is available to answer your questions about being a blessing to your pastor’s wife through a prayer group. Just send me a private message through my website {in the menu bar up there where it says “connect with me.} I will then put you in contact with Sandy via email.
Let’s Chat: Do you currently run a prayer ministry like this one for your pastor’s wife? If so, please share how it looks in action, and some of the blessings that have come out of it. Are you a pastor’s wife who wishes that a ministry like this one was in place for you? How do you think a prayer/encouragement ministry would bless you?

6 thoughts on “What Your Pastor’s Wife Needs Most from You

  1. What a wonderful testimony and ministry! May God bless you three folf for your precious ministry to your Pastor’s wife.

  2. I had just posted on my blog about Prayer Warriors then you posted this on your blog! Being a Prayer Warrior is a wonderful, blessed ministry. I’m so thankful for Mrs Amy who prays not only for me every week but all the other Pastors wives she prays for.

    I just wanted to say you are a blessing to me through your blog!

  3. You are blessed, Paula, to have someone holding you up in prayer! I have a few who do that for me as well. Thank you for your encouraging words!

  4. Heya! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 4!
    Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts!

    Carry on the excellent work!

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