Ministry is not easy. Marriage is not easy. Trying to keep a thriving marriage in ministry can sometimes feel impossible. Working for the church often means your day isn’t over at 5 p.m. A traditional job doesn’t always come with late night emergencies, direct feedback from parents, lack of gratitude from kids, and weekly, recurring deadlines of Sunday. Most importantly, there’s the constant pressure of living a life on display.
On Episode 23 of the Think Orange Podcast, our guests Doug Fields and Ted Lowe discuss the realities of being married in ministry and share how we can protect and strengthen our marriage while serving in the church.
Topic Timeline:
Dave discusses how work in ministry and leadership often feels like your life in display (5:06)
Doug talks being married in ministry (8:23)
Doug shares the real, emotional tension of working in ministry (10:02)
The weird part about marriage in ministry is that our life is on display (12:00)
The biggest issue facing marriages today is busyness (13:07)
Meet with your spouse weekly to talk calendar, business and family life (14:30)
Give your spouse calendar veto power (17:44)
Put ‘light-is-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel’ days on your calendar (18:59)
Why weekly date nights matter (20:37)
Determine the signs and gauges of busyness in your life (22:10)
Create realistic, unplug rules (23:52)
Reflect on the ‘why’ of your busyness (25:59)
Brooklyn Lindsey interviews Ted Lowe (28:14)
What it means for churches to have marriage strategy (29:16)
How protecting marriages serves the next generation (30:32)
Why marriage ministry is an effective outreach tool (33:00)
With marriage, prevention trumps intervention (36:49)
Your marriage is your first ministry (41:07)
How to start supporting marriages in your church (45:14)
How to start strengthening and protecting your marriage (50:34)
Final thoughts from Dave and Ashley (1:01:36)
