This book is subtitled “The Tears and Triumphs of a Ministry Marriage”. It is a practical, simple and straightforward writing particularly aimed at wives of those in the churches who are either pastors or leaders. Probably every woman married to a man in public ministry should read and heed the wise counsel contained in it. Mary Somerville writes from thirty-five years experience of service with her husband in two churches in USA. They have also ministered in other parts of the world and raised a family and now have five grandchildren. There is good balance in the chapters that are written with a wealth of experience of one who knows the difficulties, disappointments, discouragements and joys of the life of a woman whose husband is in the ministry. Encouragement and enlightenment are available here, especially to those embarking in service for the Lord. Perhaps, at times, the book becomes a bit ‘preachy’ but the overall effect can only be blessing and improvement of our understanding as to what constitutes the trials and blessings of a ministry marriage. It deals with things in an uncomplicated way, there is helpful advice to wives and mothers, how to regulate their time and the changing eras of family life are handled well. The issue of rebellious children in a pastors household is dealt with in a commonsense and biblical manner, there is little that is faced by a husband and wife involved in ministry not touched upon. I am not sure that there are many books on this subject available but there is a helpful bibliography at the back of the book to assist in further reading. We could ask whether this book captures the heart of what it means to be the wife of one of God’s shepherds, whether it answers questions concerning the family life of leaders in God’s church. I think that the answer is that it accomplishes these things in a straightforward way and without flashiness and thereby God is glorified.
