Last week I kicked off a series of posts called “The Four Loves of a Church Planter.” Here’s a link to the first post in case you missed it:
http://www.churchleaderinsights.com/blog/2009/04/02/the-four-loves-of-a-church-planter-1/

The next love of a successful church planter is their (drumroll please)…

SPOUSE

We have all read and spoken about the painful and damaging ravages of divorce, and how the divorce rate in the U.S. is at 50% or above. Many of us have even shared the more painful statistic that the divorce rate within the church is equal to that of the rest of the country. However, did you know that the divorce rate among pastors is also 50%?

Does that bother you?

It should.

Here are a few other jarring stats for you from a 2006 study:
- Almost forty percent of pastors polled said they have had an extra-marital affair since beginning their ministry.
- Eighty percent of pastors’ spouses feel their spouse is overworked.
- Eighty percent of pastors’ spouses wish their spouse would choose another profession.
- The majority of pastors’ wives surveyed said that the most destructive event that has occurred in their marriage and family was the day they entered the ministry.

These statistics are not an indictment on serving in ministry so much as on how we choose to serve in ministry. Failure to prioritize your marriage and cherish your spouse is a recipe for disaster in ministry and especially in church planting, the consequences of which reach far beyond your family to your church, your community, and our collective witness for Christ.

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her – Ephesians 5:25 (NLT)

Church Planter:
- What boundaries have you set up to protect your marriage and your spouse?
- How are you intentionally and regularly cherishing your spouse?
- What needs to change in your life and routine to “love your wife as Christ loved the church”?

P.S. Are you preparing to plant a church? Recently planted? How is your spouse feeling about that? Here’s the link to “Is My Husband’s Call My Call,” a resource that my wife Kelley and I put together specifically for you (the downloadable version is 50% off this week):
https://nelsonsearcy.infusionsoft.com/cart/store.jsp?view=4&i=p165&navicat=53&navisubcat=111&naviprod=165