Paul-Timothy Training Menu

Spouses need to talk over the wife's role in ministry, after marriage and whenever there is a significant change in the family status (new child, children leave for school, a change in the husband's place of work, etc.). Lack of such understanding is a major cause of failure in the ministry, especially for new churches.

Find in Ephesians 5:21-33 guidelines that help a husband and wife plan their ministries.

Find in Exodus 15:20-21 examples of women leading and participating in worship.

Find in Acts 1:15 and 12:12 examples of women participating in prayer meetings.

Find in Acts 21:9 an example of women communicating messages from God.

Find in 1 Corinthians 11:5 the apostle's tacit approval of women speaking messages from God.

If you work cross-culturally:

• Learn from local people what are the normal expectations of wives at various ages, and what are the exceptions.
• If your wife has gifts and roles that are not within those cultural norms, then ask trusted nationals how to explain the fact in ways that make sense to local people. For example, one can sometimes justify a woman's role by asserting that her husband "expects those things from her."