Written By: Patti Pierce
Over twenty-five years ago (more than half my total lifetime so far), I met my future husband. At the time I met him, I knew he felt called to be a minister. What that entailed for me, I was not sure. My then husband-to-be belonged to a Primitive Baptist church his paternal grandfather and some other family members started. Ministers are called elders and do not receive a salary so they have other jobs they do to make the money necessary to support their families. When we first began our journey as man and wife, certain challenges and blessings presented themselves. One challenge was my husband had to juggle a full-time job along with his ministerial responsibilities. We were blessed that our church had three ministers – my grandfather-in-law, my father-in-law, and my husband. This allowed for flexibility to visit or help out at other churches as needed or desired.
During the first years of our marriage, any time my husband went out visiting friends and family I was able to go with him. As the size of our family grew, that flexibility disappeared to a certain extent. But we still tried to go out together as a family when possible. I think one of the most important things a spouse of a minister can do is be involved in the ministerail activities. At the same time, it is not always possible or practical. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made. For our family, this has included time apart and recognizing limitations.
Roughly twelve years into our marriage, we made a choice that changed our lives. My husband decided to go full-time in the Army Reserves. We were blessed that our first duty station was right in his hometown. This allowed him to continue his ministry at our home church. However, 2008 brought additional changes for our family. We were relocated from North Carolina to southwestern Pennsylvania. One of the hardest parts of the change came in finding a new church to attend. We were blessed to find a church where my husband was allowed to continue preaching at times. We then changed churches and found one where we were able to serve as Sunday School teachers and he also still had the opportunity to speak. When we had to move again, we were once again on the hunt for a church home. I think finding a church home can be one of the biggest challenges to face a pastor and his family when relocating.
For our family, we knew that going active duty in the military was the right decision. However, challenges come with that choice. We have to actively pray for God to reveal His will for us. We need intercessory prayer for us to make wise choices. Having relocated to Texas recently from Pennsylvania means we are once again on the hunt for a church. With a spouse who had a clear calling from God to preach and knowing others saw that call, we want to find a church that will allow Dennis, my husband, to use the gifts God has given. This means we need a church that is open to us. Some churches we have found are quite willing to open their doors to us. Others find it more of a challenge. The only thing we can do is pray for God’s will to be done.
About Patti:
My name is Patti Pierce and my husband and I have been married for over 23 years. My husband has been an ordained Primitive Baptist preacher almost that entire time. We are a Military Homeschooling Family who lives in North Central Pennsylvania. We put our faith in the one true Sovereign God. We have been on our homeschooling journey for over 10 years now. We have four children – three sons ages 19, 17 and 15 along with a daughter who is 13. I blog about our life as a family, as homeschoolers, and our faith which guides our daily lives.
My blogs are:
https://truthandgracehomeschoolacademy.wordpress.com/
and
https://truthandgracewritingandlifecoaching.wordpress.com/
where I blog about the very beginning of journey to blog about my journey about being a writer and about working on my masters degree in Human Services with a concentration in Life Coaching. I never dreamed this is where I would wind up, but this is where I find myself being led to go.
Uniquely Yours Ministries 