It was our absolute pleasure to have Karl and Shelley Vaters join us for this podcast, which focuses on ministry marriage. Shelley shares that she never gave much thought to marrying a pastor. She also shares some eye-opening experiences that have accompanied her serving alongside Karl for all these years.
Karl and Shelley pull back the curtain and allow us to see some of the difficulties they’ve worked through together over their ministry journey. It would be great to listen to this special podcast with your spouse. It may even be possible that you’ll hear a lot of your story in theirs.
Links to Resources Mentioned or Related
- Website: KarlVaters.com
- Email Karl
- Email Shelley
- 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) Preparing for the stress and expectations placed on a young pastor’s wife is challenging. Shelley was surprised at what she experienced at a pastor’s wife’s retreat.
2) Personal attacks are always devastating for anyone in ministry. However, the impact on your family when the attack turns towards your children unleashes different emotions.
3) Karl decided from the early days of his ministry to always choose his family above ministry, even if that meant walking away from it.
4) While some folks in the church can be the source of your pain, Karl and Shelley received unexpected healing and restoration from the people in their new congregation. This blessing released them into where they are today as they minister to leaders and their spouses worldwide.
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