Ministry Leaders and their families live in a “glass house”—an environment where they are left vulnerable to the stress of ministry, the criticism of others, and feel the spotlight on their personal weaknesses. Lifeway's "The Glass House" is a space where ministry leaders will shed light on the challenges they often don't feel permission to talk about. Listeners who work in the trenches of church life will feel seen and gain tools to navigate ministry and life. Those who live outside this "g ...
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I’m Christine Hoover. Welcome to The Ministry Wives Podcast. Being a ministry wife is a vocation without a job description… and let’s be honest — sometimes it seems like ministry might be easier if we did have one. If you are a ministry wife like me and are looking for hope, perspective, and a little bit of practical advice regarding your role, you’re in the right place. Join me as we hear from women in various ministry contexts for authentic conversations about our shared joys and challenge ...
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Chapel Services from Union University during the 2008-2009 academic year
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Send us a text We'd love to hear more from you about what you would like to hear on the Glass House. Take the survey HERE to be entered to win the amazing giveaway Ben & Lynley mentioned at the top of the show. Check out more about the Luke in the Land Bible study HERE. TAKE OUT LISTENER SURVEY-We'd love to hear more from you about what you would l…
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How do you discern the fine line between speaking up and remaining quiet with your kids as they are adulting? In this episode, Christine Hoover, the Women’s Ministry Associate at The Austin Stone Community Church’s Northwest congregation in Austin, Texas, shares insights on navigating the delicate balance of sharing information about your family wh…
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Send us a text The church building was built in the 40's, and it's really starting to look like it! The new pastor has a vision for making it more visually appeasing, first time guest friendly, and updating the security for the sake of children. But there's a big problem, how can he get the congregation on board with a project that has a minimal bu…
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Send us a text Happy Monday Friends! Filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick have an incredible discussion with Ben and Lynley about their latest movie, The Forge. This film focuses on discipleship and following Jesus, and Alex and Stephen share their hearts behind making this film. They emphasize the importance of having a strong foundation in Christ…
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Send us a text In every pastor's ministry, there comes a time when they must walk through a transition and hand over leadership to the next generation. Is it possible for pastors and congregations to navigate these waters smoothly? On today's episode of The Glass House, Ben and Lynley discuss succession planning with Bryant Wright and Clay Smith du…
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Send us a text Last summer at the Southern Baptist Convention, Ben and Lynley got to sit down with pastors and wives from all over the country and have them choose one of four different questions to answer. On today's episode, we asked two couples "what is one thing you would change about your brain?" In this conversation, ministry leaders Brandon …
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Send us a text Have you ever been listening to someone spew out their feelings and you immediately want to "fix" it? Have you felt the need to tell them everything is going to be okay and to look at the positives? Now imagine what it would feel like to simply sit with them in their feelings. To simply let them experience the depth of their emotions…
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Send us a text In a field where you are constantly pouring out and meeting the needs of others, it can be easy to neglect yourself. However, caring for yourself as you lead a ministry shouldn't just be a well-intention, it is critical to make it a way of life. Today's show is for all of you that have had the well-intentions, but have struggled with…
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Send us a text If you're a regular listener to The Glass House, then you've heard plenty of wives speak to the topic of supporting their husbands in ministry. But what you haven't yet heard is how a husband can also be their wife's biggest cheerleader and supporter when she is the one in vocational ministry. Jen Wilkin and her husband Jeff, join Be…
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Send us a text Happy Southern Baptist Convention Eve! Over the next few days Southern Baptist Churches from around the country will come together in Indianapolis and will debate about key issues involving our churches. Recently Ben preached a sermon from Romans 14 and we thought it would be perfect to publish it on The Glass House. It is not uncomm…
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Send us a text Today on the Glass House we are surprising you with a really special Friday episode. At Lifeway we have some really fantastic podcasts that we want to make sure you know about. Angie Elkins is our producer on the Glass House, but she also has her own show called Let It Shine. Lynley has been a co-host with her this season and they ha…
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Send us a text Emotions are created by God as indicators of how we are processing the environment or circumstances around us. Most people identify themselves as emotional or not by how much they cry; however, there's a lot more to emotions than crying and it's important that we experience the emotions God has given us. On today's episode of TGH, Be…
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Send us a text After every Sunday church service, the biggest thing on the pastor's mind, is how quickly the following Sunday's message is coming. Sermon preparation doesn't just effect the pastor, it also effects the entire family. On today's show Ben and Lynley share with a live audience filled with student ministry leaders at the Lifeway Headqua…
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Send us a text One of the best tools young parents have, is the tips from older parents a little further down the road! On today's episode of The Glass House, Ben and Lynley share with you practical tools for being intentional in your parenting while serving in ministry. From family closers to teaching your kids how to return a question, you'll hea…
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In this Season 4 finale episode of the Ministry Wives Podcast, sit down with my husband Kyle Hoover and me for another Q & A episode. We wanted to give you more details following our episode with the Mandrells. We share about how God transformed our marriage during the COVID season, how that time served as a catalyst for my new book, as well as how…
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Send us a text There is no typical work week for a pastor. Unforeseen life events, people in crisis, or administrative tasks will always be ever-changing week to week. While being flexible is necessary in ministry, so is establishing healthy boundaries and time management skills. On today's show, Ben Skipper, Senior Pastor of Carterville Baptist Ch…
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Wisely navigating relationships between men and women is a vital but sometimes difficult conversation we need to be having with one another and our husbands. In this follow-up episode, long-time ministry wife and Ministry Wife Ministry Partner Amy Petersen helps walk us through the specifics of wisely cultivating these relationships. She stresses t…
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Send us a text We cannot believe we are already at our 100th episode! It’s been quite a journey and we are so thankful for the guests who came and shared their life and story with us. This show wouldn’t be what it is without vulnerability and transparency, and we’re thankful to create a space where ministry leaders can experience both. To our liste…
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The Lord gifts each of us and our spouses so differently, and sometimes those giftings require sacrifices of different kinds as we respond to the call of the Lord in a given season. Singer/songwriter Caroline Cobb joins me today to describe her husband’s volunteer position as a lay elder at their church and how she supports him and the local church…
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Send us a text Head to college, get married, land your dream job, have kids, go to church, and live the American Dream. It's the reality most American Christians are living in, and it's where the Ley Family found themselves when they experienced a calling from God asking them to leave it all behind. On today's episode, Michael and Naomi Ley share t…
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Walking into a church for the first time can be a very scary experience for newcomers. Sometimes it feels just as scary for us to approach and invite them into our circle. Pastor’s wife, author, and podcaster Jen Oshman shares her practical tips for creating a culture of welcome within the church. Jen tells us how welcome helped draw her to Christ,…
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Send us a text A recent study discovered that over 1/2 of pastors over the age of 50 had less than $50,000 in their retirement fund and no expectation they would ever retire. On today's episode of The Glass House, Ben and Lynley dive into a topic that no pastor likes talking about: finances! Dr. Hance Dilbeck from GuideStone joins in this conversat…
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We live in a broken world full of pain and suffering. We are bound to suffer trauma and grief; how do we navigate that pain as believers? Pastor’s wife, writer and podcaster Danielle Kelly joins the show today to share how God invited her into biblical lament as a lifestyle and how choosing to trust God’s character in the process transformed her li…
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Send us a text Too often pastors and their wife feel pressure to step into any role necessary and serve the church. However, we all have different personalities, gifts, strengths, and yes, even weaknesses. On today's show Ben and Lynley discuss Clifton Strengths Finder with Ed O'Neal. Ed O'Neal is an American Veteran, leadership developer, and exec…
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On this special episode of the Ministry Wives Podcast, Christine hands the microphone over to Lynley and Ben Mandrell as special guest hosts. Christine and Kyle open up about a very vulnerable time in their life and marriage, the lessons God taught them, and the book that was born out of that season, “You Are Not Forgotten,” out April 23. QUOTES “I…
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Send us a text Ministry leaders typically spend time caring and discipling their congregation, and often times forget the very people they're in the trenches with. Caring for your staff and team is crucial for the overall health and impact of a church's ministry. On today's show, Pastor Mark and Jenna Hallock share ways they've created a healthy cu…
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In theory, we should always desire to serve God in ministry to honor and obey him, but in practice, we may sometimes find ourselves struggling with our motivations in ministry. We struggle with what we think we “should” do, wanting to please others, even wanting recognition for our service. Pastor’s wife Krissie Inserra shares how God has worked on…
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God calls us to serve in so many different ministry contexts. Sometimes we’ll be called to serve in large spaces with hundreds of people, and sometimes God calls us into small environments with less than 10. Church planting wife Wendy Ortiz shares her experiences serving in small churches both in the US and Puerto Rico. She explains the joys and ch…
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As believers and ministry wives, we will experience times of spiritual dryness, times where we struggle to experience the truth of God’s presence in our daily lives, times where our spiritual walk feels stagnant and emotionless. We live in a world full of distraction and fatigue; the battle to focus on Christ is ever present. Author, mother, and pa…
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There is no escaping the reality that women within our church will experience the loss of their spouse at some point in their lives. The Bible instructs us to take care of widows, but how do we practically live that out? Melissa Swain lost her pastor husband Chris unexpectedly in 2021 and joins the podcast to tell her story. Melissa shares how spec…
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Send us a text We all know that living in the glass house is hard, but growing up in it can be even harder. Today Ben and Lynley are concluding this 3 part series on what it's like to grow up in the glass house. Today's conversation is two Lifeway employees, Tyler Litton and Heather Burczynski. Tyler is the manager of Media Creative and Heather ser…
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Sometimes unmet expectations seem to pop up everywhere in our lives. We experience hardship or failure in life and ministry over and over again. Today, author and pastor’s wife Lisa Hughes teaches us how to reshape our thinking regarding unmet expectations. She shares that we need to not only expect the hard things, but also accept that the Lord is…
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Send us a text One of the most common feedback we hear is how much you love hearing about raising kids in the glass house. You've spoken, and we've listened! We're so excited to share this series with you! Over the next few episodes you'll hear from those who grew up in the glass house. And even though all of these people were pastor's kids, they a…
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Life in a parachurch ministry often looks very different from life in other ministries, but the goal is always the same: live as a minister of the gospel. Rachel Shelton and her husband were called to minister full time at TBarM Camps in Texas. Rachel describes the joys and challenges of camp life, and how her family focuses on doing life with othe…
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Send us a text One of the most common feedback we hear is how much you love hearing about raising kids in the glass house. You've spoken, and we've listened! We're so excited to share this series with you! Over the next few episodes you'll hear from those who grew up in the glass house. Today's we're kicking off this series with Kelly Minter. Kelly…
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Ministry often stretches us to grow in ways we never imagined, some that are hard but many that can bring us deep joy. Raising children in a completely different culture for missions is no different. Missionary wife, author, and podcaster Keri Folmar joins me to shine light on the joys she experienced raising missionary children. She shares how God…
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Send us a text The Glass House is starting a new series interviewing pastors' wives! We will hear from the different generations what it required of them to be a pastor's wife when they were younger. On today's show we have Veronica Geear, wife of JD Greear, Senior Pastor of The Summit Church in North Carolina. Veronica shares some incredible wisdo…
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Clint and Jennifer Clifton spent their lives planting churches as well as pouring themselves into training and encouraging planters and their wives all over the globe. Jennifer joins the podcast to talk about the legacy of her late husband and how she sees the Lord opening opportunities for her to continue to encourage ministry wives just like us. …
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Send us a text Have you ever asked your spouse a simple question, like, "whats for dinner?" and all of a sudden they're making a snarky comment back to you? Have you ever found yourself responding out of irritation and frustration when your spouse or kids simply ask you a question? On today's show Nicole Zasowski describes to us what happens when w…
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Finding your place in ministry as a pastor’s wife or ministry wife can leave you feeling frustrated and stuck. You might feel constrained by expectations in your church, confused about where you are being called, or feeling stuck because a role you used to fulfill is no longer needed. Pastor’s wife and podcaster Angie Brown Elkins joins me today to…
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Send us a text On August 23rd, 2005 people all over the country were glued to the television watching the largest hurricane in recent history move towards the Gulf Coast. As if a category 5 hurricane wasn’t enough of a threat, the levees that protect New Orleans, Louisiana from incoming water, collapsed. On today’s show Dr. Fred Luter shares his ex…
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Send us a text What happens when we hide who we really are? What happens when we let God do a work in 90% of our life, while trying to hide the other 10% from Him? It's so incredibly powerful to come clean to people in your life and confess your sins to others. Typically, it's where the healing that needs to take place begins. In today's episode yo…
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Send us a text Today, on this special episode of the Glass House, we are dropping into your feed on a Friday to bring you an important re-air of an episode that means a great deal to us at the Glass House. This episode on transitioning church, with our guests, Adam Mason and Dr. Phil Jett, is especially dear to us because of Dr. Jett's recent passi…
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Send us a text In today’s episode, The Glass House shares a sermon Ben preached recently at Sagemont Church in Houston, Texas. The message is from Luke 16, where Jesus tells of a shrewd manager who used worldly wealth to gain friendships. Ben shows how the most important thing a church can do – including both staff and members – is to invest in its…
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Send us a text With only 20 days left in the year many of us are reflecting on the past and looking ahead to the new year. This season is often seen as an opportunity for reflection, gratitude, renewal of commitments, and the setting of new goals. But what does a new start really bring us? Do we have more excitement in the anticipation of a new sea…
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Send us a text Over the last several episodes we’ve talked about the unique challenges of ministry leaders living in the glass house of church leadership. We’ve recently received a letter challenging one of our episodes addressed to small churches, and the lack of relevancy to the "super small church", a category of churches we didn’t realize we we…
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As ministry wives, it’s far too easy to put ourselves inside a glass bubble with expectations that God does not desire for us. First and foremost, God calls us to be faithful Christians and church members. Pastor’s wife Jeanine Sanchez shares how she teaches other ministry wives to examine the motivations behind their internal and external expectat…
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Send us a text Picture yourself in a situation where telling a small lie could potentially save someone from a great deal of harm. Is it ever morally justifiable to deceive for the greater good? Welcome to another thought-provoking episode of "The Glass House" with Ben and Lynley Mandrell. It’s a special episode this week as our producer, Angie Elk…
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It can be difficult to fully understand the life of a pastor’s wife without being a pastor’s wife. But understanding this role can help us not only be more compassionate with one another as ministry wives, but also show us how we can better serve one another. Caroline Saunders has been a pastor’s wife for the last 14 years and shares with us the di…
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Send us a text Ministry is complex and making mistakes is inevitable. On today’s show Ben and Lynley sit down with three ministry couples who are transparent about their biggest mistakes they’ve made and learned from over the years. Jarrett and Debbie Stephens, Corey and Melody Caine, and Mark and Janet Dance share with us how they have navigated t…
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