This article was originally printed in the April 2001edition of “fellowship!,” a monthly publication of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship.
Only through the grace of God, say Russ and Amy
Jacks Dean, has their dream come true. It is the same for Mark and Mary
Driskill, for Bill and Mary Dell Sigler, for Steve and Carla Street.
It is a new model of ministry: married couples
serving together as pastors. “Our being here is a real testimony to how God
works,” said Mark Driskill. He and Mary were called a year ago as pastors of
Cornerstone Baptist Church in Hartsville, SC.
Like the other couples serving together, the
Driskills have had to find their own way, discover for themselves the secrets,
the rewards, the potential pitfalls of working together.
Amy and Russ began work last October as pastors of
Park Road Baptist Church in Charlotte. “This had been our dream since
seminary,” said Russ. “And it has been absolutely fantastic.”
Having spent more than 10 years thinking about how
they could make a joint pastorate work, the Deans were ready when Park Road
showed interest. They came to their first interview with a detailed plan of
working together, a plan that showed how their individual strengths could be
best utilized to maximize their ministry. He would concentrate mainly on
worship planning, administration and outreach. She on discipleship, pastoral
care and missions. They would share the preaching.
The Driskills found their way to Cornerstone in much
the same way, coming from New Hope Community Baptist Church in Jackson, KY,
where for 10 years he had been pastor and she minister of education. “We
decided that sending two resumes would be confusing,” said Mary. “So we
designed a brochure/resume that listed our individual and combined gifts,
education and experience. We also sent a video that included one sermon by each
of us.”
The Driskills seek to utilize their individual gifts
to strengthen their ministry, that also includes home-schooling their four
children, ages 2-10. Mary is the worship planner and administrator. Mark is
outreach and counseling. They’re both schoolteachers for their children and
preachers for their congregation. “Our church is very flexible,” Mark said,
“and gives us a lot of leeway to do what we need to do.”
At Kilmarnock Baptist Church on the Chesapeake Bay
of Northern Virginia, Bill and Mary Dell Sigler found their place of service
five years ago. The Siglers, in their second careers, were just out of Baptist
Theological Seminary at Richmond when they were recommended by BTSR president
Tom Graves.
A retired Marine, Bill takes a different approach to
ministry than Mary Dell, a former special education teacher. “They definitely
augment one another,” said John Texter, who along with his wife Joy joined the
church two years ago primarily because of the Siglers. The Texters also
appreciate the positive role model the Siglers provide. “They are a good
example of what a marriage can be and how a couple can work together,” said
Joy. “They show our youth, especially, what a happy marriage is.”
“The benefit for us personally,” said Mary Dell, “is
that we have a shared calling that we can play out together in one church.”
The journey to a joint bivocational pastorate for
Steve and Carla Street has been a little different than for the Deans, the
Driskills, and Siglers. They are pastors of Rivercrest Fellowship in Jackson,
MS, a church they started in 1993. “Some people assume that we started the
church so that we could work together,” said Carla. “But actually we started it
because we saw a need to reach out to unchurched people.”
“For us, our journey here began with the struggle we
have felt since we became engaged: How is it going to work for us as a couple
if we are both called to the pastorate?” said Carla. “Even after we decided to
start this church, we still struggled with what our roles should be.”
They decided they would both be pastor. They have
settled into their particular areas of giftedness, Steve on administration,
Carla on education. They share preaching and visiting duties. They are parents
of twin two-year-old sons which occupies much of Carla’s day while Steve runs
their auto-glass business.
“I feel the church gets more than just two people,”
said Steve, the moderator-elect for CBF of Mississippi. “It’s more than one
plus one equals two. It is a multiplication of gifts. We have a synergy that
develops because we are each operating from our own strengths and complementing
the weaknesses of the other.”
The downside – which can also be an upside -- to
joint ministry with a spouse is that it becomes very difficult to leave the job
at the office. “We never escape the pressure and pangs of ministry,” said Mary
Dell. “The church is our life.”
“It’s hard to come home and not talk about church,”
said Russ Dean.
But, says Mark Driskill: “I see it as a benefit to
have someone in the house who understands being a pastor. We can talk about
issues, fears, and ideas. It takes a lot of the loneliness out of being a
minister.
Overall, concluded all four couples, the benefits of
joint ministry far outweigh the few negatives. “It is all we had hoped for but
really, honestly, didn’t expect to find,” said Russ Dean. “We are in a place
where we can both be pastor ‑ where we can share our gifts for pastoral
ministry in an equal way. It is true equality.”