How Church Can Stress Out the Pastor's Wife

By Raul Rivera

Based on a true story!

Like many start-up churches, Pastor Johnson's church did not have an expert bookkeeper; but it did have Pastor Johnson's wife, who labored faithfully each week at the task of keeping the books, ensuring she did her best job in an area that, well...frankly, left her feeling quite inadequate!  There were some weeks she wondered if the church books were really a mess.  Pastor Johnson, although grateful for his wife's hard work, truly did not understand why she felt completely stressed out over the job... until one Saturday night several months later, when he would learn the surprising truth about why his wife was always so edgy when it came time to work on the church books.   

Confessions of a stressed out pastor's wife

It was a late Saturday night in February when their revelatory conversation began, triggered by shocking news they had learned earlier that afternoon, that their corporation had been administratively dissolved because they did not file the previous year's annual report.  Pastor Johnson was upset because his wife had not filed the report.   She was stressed out because she did not even know that they were supposed to file an annual report, which all the more convinced her of the high probability that a whole slew of other things were most likely out of compliance.  At this point she felt she was fighting a battle without ammunition, a battle she could in no way win.

It took a while for Pastor Johnson's wife to articulate the mountain of stress she was under.  But once she did, the gravity of her feelings deeply moved Pastor Johnson's heart.  He had not even been aware that she was carrying such a burden, and truly felt saddened that he, supposed to be a source of strength and covering for her, was the very one who had laid this heaviness upon her.  As they prayed together, he pledged that he would help her find the resources she needed to empower her to do her job with confidence.

You probably feel like Pastor Johnson's wife

What Pastor Johnson and his wife learned that day is that most church bookkeepers feel inadequate to do the job, but press forward because there is no one else available to do it.  It certainly is a struggle and one that you probably find familiar.  The good news is that you do not have to feel that way.  There is help available to you.

How I met the Johnson's

It was in March of 2010, after a wonderful conference, that I met the Johnson's and spoke with them.  They were grateful to have attended the Church Compliance & Ministry Empowerment Conference because they finally felt empowered with the information they needed to do a good job.  All it took was a one-day investment for them to know they were finally on the right track.

My curiosity was intrigued as we spoke together, and I asked them one question: "What did you learn today that you did not know before you attended?"  I expected an answer consistent with what most people tell me; which is that they did not know that they were so far out of compliance.  Though their answer was somewhat consistent with what I expected, she also included that the conference had reawakened their audacity to dream big dreams. 

What they experienced that day could be the very thing you need; to be empowered in the areas of administration that would otherwise keep you paralyzed with feelings of fear and inadequacy.  The knowledge and freedom gained releases you to dream again the dreams that God put in your heart when you started the ministry.

Closing thought

If that is you, you are not alone.  We at StartCHURCH are very familiar with the struggles of Pastor Johnson’s church and that is why, through our conferences and personalized support, have had the privilege of helping thousands of churches. We invite senior pastors to invest in their bookkeepers and to help “bear their burdens”, by attending one our conferences with them .  As always, our policy allows you to register once and attend twice.