Faith to Follow: The Journey of Becoming a Pastor's Wife

by Kate Meadows

While her husband pursued a four-year Master of Divinity degree from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Kate Meadows wondered how she fit into the process of her husband becoming a pastor. In the Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod, only men can be ordained as pastors. The men who come to the seminary have a well paved road ahead of them. The women who come with those men don't. As women, we ask ourselves, "Who am I in this process?" and "Where do I fit?" Kate never envisioned herself as a pastor's wife; in fact, she wasn't sure she wanted to be one. Yet, if God was leading her husband into the ministry, who was she to say "No?" And what was it about that term "pastor's wife," that made her uneasy, anyway? What did it even mean to be a pastor's wife in the modern day? At the seminary, Kate started talking to other women who had faithfully followed their husbands on the path to ministry. Through a series of more than fifty interviews, she learned that the journey of becoming a pastor's wife is rich with questions, discovery, and joy. Faith to Follow chronicles the woman's experience of preparing to become a pastor's wife. It also may be a springboard for dialogue within churches across America, about the importance of encouraging and cultivating future church leaders and raising up strong families in the Christian faith.

244 pages, Paperback

Published February 26, 2021

About the author

As a seasoned writer and editor, I aim to tell real life stories and help others tell their own stories. Be it through publishing essays, ghostwriting or editing and proofreading manuscripts, my goal is to help people leave legacies. Kate Meadows Writing and Editing aims to bridge people through story and expression.

I began writing for my hometown newspaper at age 15, launching a column, “Neighbors,” which profiled people in my rural community of Pinedale, Wyo. I have since written hundreds of news and feature articles for local, regional and national publications. I have worked as a journalist, a freelance writer, an editor and a consultant. I have ghostwritten an autobiography of a 93-year-old former Detroit auto worker. I have published stories on small businesses and enjoy helping small businesses and individuals share their life stories in effective ways. I lead writing workshops. My essay, “Artmaking,” about the merging paths of writing and motherhood, was published in the March 2012 issue of Writer’s Digest.

I earned my Master’s Degree in Creative and Professional Writing from Western Connecticut State University in 2010. My book, Tough Love: A Wyoming Childhood, was published by Pronghorn Press in 2012. The book recounts my experience as an only child growing up in western Wyoming with raw, uncivilized characters like Uncle John, who tacked a sign reading “Boar’s Nest” to the outside of his tiny log cabin; Aunt Faye, who keeps whoopie cushions on the couch to startle guests and bakes sugared orange rinds; and Grandpa Bucky, who taught my dad how to shoot a gun by setting up cardboard targets against the living room couch.

All in all, I live for human interest stories – those memories and experiences that shape who we are and how we influence others. Particular topics of interest include family, mountain living, the West, outdoors, travel, parenting, motherhood and mental health.

If I can be of service to you, be it through writing the history of your small business, collaborating on a manuscript, or helping you tell your own life story, please visit www.katemeadows.com and get in touch. I would love to hear from you.

Reviews

[Lisa Kay]

Kate has performed a great service to women everywhere who are following their husbands into a life of God's calling. Thank you, Kate, for demystifying the seminary experience and giving women a sense of sisterhood, even as each of us travels her unique path.

[Kimberly]

What an excellent well researched book. Kate Meadows writes so well and expresses so honestly her experiences and feelings as she describes the seminary process. I’ve had the extreme privilege of having some very dear friends who were Pastors wives and this book helped me understand so much better all the things they do to support their husbands when they go into ministry. Faith Follows isn’t just for women who are Pastors wives or on the journey to become one. It is so enlightening for any member of a congregation who would like to understand the process and the emotional spiritual and physical commitments that those called to the ministry experience. Highly recommended.

[Tara]

Even though I’m not in bullseye of the admittedly small target audience for this book, I enjoyed reading about the experiences of the lives of the women shared within. This would be an immensely helpful book on both an inspirational and practical level for future or current pastor’s wives. A lot of the territory explored had relatable overlap for a military family like mine (formerly).

[Coreen]

Excellent research and writing, a very encouraging message - check how this podcast all about the book!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

[Joy Schneck]

I’m so grateful for this book. This book may be directed to a specific group of people that I’m now a part of but it was such a gift. I feel a little less alone, a little more understood and like I have a group of friends as I start this unique (and what sometimes feels like crazy) journey. ❤️❤️