If you’ve ever felt the weight of discipling your kids—but struggled to stay consistent—you’re not alone. In this episode of the Ministry Wives podcast, host Amy Petersen sits down with Melissa Kruger, Vice President of Discipleship Programming at The Gospel Coalition, to talk honestly about a common tension among many ministry families: wanting to lead your children spiritually while feeling overwhelmed, inconsistent, or simply worn out.

What does it look like to keep fighting for your marriage when life gets hard? In this powerful episode of the Ministry Wives podcast, host Amy Petersen sits down with Steven Curtis Chapman and Mary Beth Chapman to talk about the reality of marriage after more than 40 years together.

In this episode of the Revitalize & Replant Podcast, hosts Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss practical, gospel-centered ways churches can minister to children with autism and special needs. Whether your church is revitalizing, replanting, or simply seeking to become more inclusive, this conversation offers actionable guidance for creating a welcoming, supportive environment for families of individuals with special needs.

Mark Clifton and Mark Hallock talk honestly about why many pastors’ kids (PKs) struggle spiritually or walk away from the faith, using Chuck Lawless’s article, “10 Reasons Preacher’s Kids Strayed,” as a starting point. If you’re a pastor, ministry leader, or parent in church leadership, this episode will help you better understand the unique pressures pastors’ kids face and how to care for their hearts with wisdom and grace.

Life in ministry can feel like constant chaos—balancing church responsibilities, family needs, and the everyday mess of raising kids. If you’ve ever felt the tension between ministry demands and motherhood, you’re not alone.

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst talk about some ways to pray for children who have strayed from the faith.

Do you ever feel like a volunteer in your marriage to the minister? Today, I get to spend a little time chatting with wife, mom, clinical psychologist, author, speaker, and founder of Authentic Intimacy, Dr. Juli Slattery. In our conversation, we walk through finding your place within God’s design for marriage and sex. We also discuss the intimacy and connection to be found through intentional community with those in the family of God.

Mark Clifton and Mark Hallock talk about how you can protect your family from the uglier sides of church revitalization and replanting.

Mark Clifton and Mark Hallock discuss some things they would tell their younger selves about what it means to be a husband.

What realistic goals or milestones can families begin to implement as they desire more freedom in their budget? Today, I am chatting with Angie McClain, a certified financial planner with GuideStone. When you feel like you’re on a limited budget, how can you handle your money effectively, live as a good steward, practice financial thoughtfulness, and teach your children well? We’re going to dive into all these areas of financial planning here in this episode!

How do you manage the regular rhythms of ministry while caring for your family and starting a new church? In this episode, I chat with church planting wife Joy Ross. She currently serves church planting families, has been married for over 20 years, and is a mom of six. Joy and I dive into the nuances of family life within the first few years of marriage and ministry, specifically in the church planting context. So, if you wrestle with your role in ministry and are facing tough questions, I pray that this conversation will bring your concerns into the light and help diffuse their false power over you as we tether our hearts to Jesus and pursue His calling upon our lives in each new season.

Download The second step within the Examine phase is to Examine Your Family and learn why the health of the home influences every area of…

What are some practices that you and your husband have established to help you maintain mental wellness? In this episode, Janet Dance, wife to Guidestone’s Director of Pastoral Wellness, Mark Dance, talks specifically about loving your husband through his mental health struggles. So, if you find your minister husband struggling and feel that you have to hold it all together and do so alone, I really hope this conversation will encourage you.

How do you encourage your kids to share Jesus in creative ways that are authentic to them? In this episode, Catherine Renfro, the National Director of Women’s Evangelism at the North American Mission Board, shares creative ways to weave evangelism into your kids’ lives. If you are a ministry wife who talks about Jesus at your church and to your church people but don’t know how to with your kids, we hope you’ll find encouragement in this conversation.

How do you manage ministry and your family during busy (or even just normal) seasons of life? In this episode, we chat with Aimee Joseph, a church-planting wife in California and a mom to three sons. She discusses ways to manage chaotic family life in a ministry family. It’s so easy to get swallowed up in the chaos, especially when it seems like life will never slow down. Aimee shares some great practical ways to enjoy the crazy chaos of a “full” life.

How do you discern the fine line between speaking up and remaining quiet with your kids as they are adulting? In this episode, Christine Hoover, the Women’s Ministry Associate at The Austin Stone Community Church’s Northwest congregation in Austin, Texas, shares insights on navigating the delicate balance of sharing information about your family while serving in ministry. Christine shares practical advice from her current season in life, guiding you on how to balance being honest about your struggles as a mom and being wise with how much you share about your kid’s life.

In this episode, Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss some tips to make ministry transitions easier on your family.

Ministry often stretches us to grow in ways we never imagined, some that are hard but many that can bring us deep joy. Raising children in a completely different culture for missions is no different. Missionary wife, author, and podcaster Keri Folmar joins me to shine light on the joys she experienced raising missionary children. She shares how God used their upbringing on a different continent to teach them about hospitality towards all and the unity that comes from Christ alone.

Clint and Jennifer Clifton spent their lives planting churches as well as pouring themselves into training and encouraging planters and their wives all over the globe. Jennifer joins the podcast to talk about the legacy of her late husband and how she sees the Lord opening opportunities for her to continue to encourage ministry wives just like us. Jennifer also shares her unique perspective on helping marriage and family thrive within the framework of full-time ministry.

In this episode, Mark Clifton and Mark Hallock discuss some ways pastors and church leaders can minister to kids in their primary worship gathering.

In this episode, Mark Clifton and Mark Hallock call an audible from their original topic and discuss why ministry to children matters in revitalization.
1. Kids matter because they are created in the image of God.
2. Kids need to experience intergenerational worship.
3. How the pastor treats young kids will impact young families’ involvement in church.

The iconic family scenes we see in classic TV are not the norm for most people in American society today. Divorce has disrupted more families than ever before in our history. And the ripple effects go beyond the obvious heartache and loss, affecting even the banalities of annual rituals and traditions. Challenges to family life aren’t new. But the challenges in our day have multiplied. And these problems aren’t unrelated to the difficulties we face as God’s people, especially since we see in the New Testament how the church is to be the family of God. On this episode of Reconstructing Faith, join Trevin Wax as he considers the church’s responsibility in the era of family breakdown.

In this episode, Mark, Mark and Dan continue their discussion of Barnabas Piper’s article about why pastors’ kids struggle with doubt and disbelief.

It’s no secret that pastors’ kids often have a bad reputation. But what’s not as commonly known is how often pastors’ kids struggle with doubt and disbelief. This is the first of a two-part series discussing an article from Barnabas Piper.

What should churches do with kids on Sunday morning? Should they have a separate “children’s church?” Should the kids join in the main worship gathering every week? Once a month?

Life as a ministry wife doesn’t always look like radical revivals. Often it’s staying home while your husband leaves to minister to others or answers nonstop phone calls that interrupt family time. Unless you’re constantly lifting your eyes heavenward, it can be difficult to see eternal reward in the daily grind. Grace VanMaanen joins me today to share how prayer, intentionality, and a heavenly perspective protect her from bitterness as a ministry wife.

Life coach Tony Rose introduces the “change factor deception” and highlights the misconceptions of expectations. He also emphasizes that by embracing God’s wisdom and extending…

Life coach Tony Rose emphasizes embracing curiosity as essential to marriage. He shares how sin impacts God’s design for marriage and explains how seeking, owning…

1. Don’t undersell the reality of the church.
2. Listen to them.
3. Pray for them and with them.
4. Find ways to involve your kids.
5. Seek partner churches that can minister to your family.

The busyness of ministry and life’s ever-changing rhythms can make us feel like we are struggling not only to keep Jesus first but also meaningfully connect with our husband regularly. Today, author Jani Ortlund opens up about the rhythms and mindsets that have seen her through over 50 years of ministry and marriage.

Sunday mornings can feel incredibly stressful, especially when you have young kids. Lindsey Carlson, pastor’s wife and mom of five, shares how she manages the chaos by having appropriate expectations of her kids, seeking the Spirit’s guidance, and relying on grab-n-go breakfasts.

Uses three circles to explain the gospel message of salvation clearly to children and can be used to train children in evangelism.

The North American Mission Board (NAMB) Activity Book for Children will acquaint elementary-age children and their leaders with a overview of North American missions and…

Designed to help children understand their salvation, “Welcome to God’s Family: Learn How to Live for Jesus” helps new believers learn what it means to…

Clint Clifton has made a digital version of his book Church Planting Thresholds available for free for Send Network subscribers. To access the book, please enter…

Hi, friends! It's Christine. Recently my husband and I did a webinar for our church about marriage during quarantine, and I thought, “Why not share this with my podcast audience?” We talked about both the challenges and the opportunities we have in our relationships during this time, covering such topics as communication, conflict, handling emotions and stress, making time for one another with kids underfoot all the time, and best practices we can all incorporate to help our marriages thrive during this stressful time.

College students come alongside church planting missionaries and see what is really means to live on mission for Christ.

College students come alongside church planting missionaries and see what is really means to live on mission for Christ.

Christine chats with D.A. & Elicia, church planters in Long Beach, California, about the dynamics and often blurred lines pastors and pastor's wives experience in marriage because of ministry. They share about how they're proactive in helping one another thrive.

Every believer can pray, and every church can help plant churches. Take the first step by choosing a location and committing to pray for church…

Kathy Litton, NAMB’s national consultant for ministry to pastor’s wives, hosted the panel consisting of Pam Wolfe, Angie Lewis, Gala Andrews and Cindy Lake—all of…