“We are all guilty of foregoing some of the civilities of life simply because we lack time. Don’t assume that others will make the time to speak blessings into your husband’s life. You must do that.”

Inspired by popular leadership expert Michael Hyatt and his post about the importance of speaking well of your spouse in public, the wife of the senior pastor Christ Fellowship of Tampa recently chimed in on how vital that advice is for church leaders’ wives as well.

Heather Moore, whose husband is Bruce Moore, told The Christian Post that speaking affirming words to a spouse, no matter their vocation, is important. However, in the busy lives of those in ministry, encouraging words said publicly and privately can be vital, she stressed.

“We get so busy and often neglect the most important ministry God gives us – our spouses,” Moore said. “But also, pastors need to hear affirmation from their wives because ministry is hard. It is hard when things are going bad in a church, but it is also hard even when things are going really well.

“A well-spoken word can be the very thing that uplifts and encourages a weary heart to not give up and to continue to press on toward the call of God,” she said.
Moore said that as a pastor’s wife, she is placed in a position to be a leader within the church community.

“Being a pastor’s wife gives me the opportunity to see firsthand and behind the scenes what God is doing at our church. It is an exciting and humbling role as a pastor’s wife, as an encourager and role model for every woman that steps through the doors of the church,” she said.

“No pastor’s wife is perfect, but she has the opportunity to model God’s grace and mercy through her own mistakes and difficulties.”

Moore wrote in her blog post at Pastors.com that it is crucial for pastors’ wives to give encouragement to their husbands because church members may often forget to do so.
“People live busy, hectic lives. I don’t think people neglect to encourage the pastor out of spite or because they disagree with his vision, as much as I think people just forget,” she stated in her post. “After wrestling the kids out the front door on Sunday morning and then rushing out the church doors after service to make sure the crock pot dinner hasn’t burned the house down, people are just plain hurried.

Moore knew the topic of honoring your spouse with kind words must have struck a chord when she posted Hyatt’s article to her Facebook page.

“I had many pastors’ wives thank me for the gentle reminder that their words have a huge influence over their husbands,” she said.

Moore said that she hopes that pastors’ wives will be “empowered to use her words to encourage and affirm her husband.”

“Whether she realizes it or not, it is her kind and gracious words that have the biggest and far-reaching impact over her husband’s heart and life,” she said.

Hyatt, who is the chairman of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the largest Christian publishing company in the world and the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the United States, stated in his blog:

“Affirming your spouse in public is an investment that pays big leadership dividends. In a world where fewer and fewer marriages last, it can be a difference-maker.”

[Editor’s note: One or more original URLs (links) referenced in this article are no longer valid; those links have been removed.]