Proclaimer Blog
Marriage and Ministry #2
It's now a little while since our Autumn Minister's Conference and I never got around to posting some of the main points from John & Ann Benton's talks on marriage and ministry. Here are John's headings – all self-explanatory really. They are based on a survey John did of couples no longer in ministry where there had been marriage problems and/or breakdowns. Pretty sobering, really, but necessary….and a reminder that praying for our own marriages, and encouraging our churches to pray for our marriages is a top priority. Where headings need a little expansion, my comments are in italics.
"Some men can be their own worst enemies. With the ongoing failure of ministry marriages, we will look at how a minister might, consciously or unconsciously, undermine his own marriage."
- Your flesh – i.e. your sinful nature and its capabilities
- Your Background – what has gone before in your life
- Your thinking
- Early years in ministry – and the temptation to do too much and set yourself on an unachievable trajectory
- Your planning – or lack of it!
- Your psychology – i.e. your make up and susceptibility to certain things
- The Devil’s Lies
- The Devil’s Targets
- The Devil’s Agents
- Your prayers
- Your marital relationship
- Your fellowship in church leadership