Whitney Shafer is a pastor’s wife, biblical counselor, certified mental health coach, and the co-founder of G6 Allies, a ministry that exists to support pastors and their families. She holds a degree in counseling and is passionate about integrating biblical truth with emotional and mental health support. With more than twenty-five years of experience in local church ministry, she has served in large churches, small congregations, and church planting contexts. Her wide range of experience gives her a compassionate and grounded voice for women serving in ministry.
She lives in Oklahoma with her husband, Michael, and their daughter, Regin. She is also a proud dog mom to two mischievous schnauzers. When she is not offering encouragement or coaching, she enjoys reading, traveling, and sipping good coffee with friends.
Through Vibrant, a branch of G6 Allies focused on pastors’ wives, Whitney offers coaching, connection, and resources to help women walk in freedom and purpose. You can learn more at G6Allies.com.
After more than 25 years in church life, she has seen how easily pastors’ wives lose themselves in expectations they were never meant to carry. That’s why she wrote Burn the Boxes! Whitney wants to help you rediscover who you are in Christ and start walking in freedom again.
Today’s podcast conversation is peels back the curtain to the secret struggles that many wives of pastors deal with on a daily basis. You’ll easily sense Whitney’s sincere desire to come along beside any wife of a ministry spouse to walk with them on their journey.
Links to Resources Mentioned or Related
- Website: G6Allies.com
- Website: G6Allies/Vibrant.com
- Website: Burn The Boxes
- Whitney’s Book: Burn The Boxes
- Email Whitney
- Link to NEW! Soul Care Essentials Online: 3-Session Video Series
- Link to NEW! Soul Care Essentials Cohort: 6 Weeks of Guided Conversations for Post-Conference Groups
- 95Network – Soul Care Essentials
- 95Network – Healthy Church Assessment
- Read Stalled: Hope and Help for Pastors Who Thought They’d Be There By Now
- Watch Podcast on YouTube
Key Takeaways
1) Many pastor’s wives feel emotionally trapped not knowing where to turn for help. They often don’t have anyone in the church with whom they feel they can be completely honest.
2) The weight of expectations placed on us by ourselves as well as those we serve in the local church can be overwhelming.
3) Vibrant Ministry was created specifically for a pastor’s wife to have safe place to reach out to when you’ve reached the end of your rope.
4) It’s the responsibility of the pastor and the local church body to invest in the health and wellness of the pastor’s wife and children. There should even be resources allocated in the church budget to provide continuing ministry to the pastor’s family.
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