For decades, I have had the profound privilege of walking faithfully beside my husband in ministry. Together, we have celebrated births, comforted the grieving, and poured our hearts into building a community of faith. It has been a beautiful, shared calling. Yet, behind the scenes of any public ministry is a very private reality: the daily choice of how to manage what God has provided. Early on, we realized that living by faith did not mean living without a plan.
As a pastor’s wife, I have always been keenly aware that my husband would not work in full-time ministry forever. God did not create our physical bodies to work in a full-time capacity forever. Because we knew a transition would eventually come, we made a commitment to work as a team, making wise financial choices today to protect our peace tomorrow.
In ministry, it is easy to adopt a mindset that says, "God will provide, so we don't need to worry about tomorrow." But there is a vast difference between trusting God and being careless with His blessings. Our culture constantly whispers that we should spend everything we earn, chasing immediate comfort. However, scripture offers a stark warning about this lifestyle.
Proverbs 21:20 (NIV) reminds us, "In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and olive oil, but a foolish man devours all he has."
Over the years, we mentored many families in our churches, gently steering them away from this trap. Devouring everything we make leaves no room for God to use us in unexpected ways. By choosing to save rather than spend every dollar that came in, my husband and I created a buffer; not out of fear, but out of obedience.
Mentoring others on the importance of saving is a vital part of discipleship. When we counsel younger couples, we emphasize that financial wisdom requires partnership. It takes two people agreeing to live below their means, to say "no" to temporary worldly desires, and to say "yes" to long-term stability.
When we model this discipline, we teach our congregations three essential truths:
Preparation Provides Peace: Unexpected trials: illness, car repairs, or ministry transitions are inevitable. A savings account turns a potential crisis into a manageable bump in the road.
Margin Enables Generosity: We cannot effectively bless others if we are financially drowning. Saving creates the margin necessary to give cheerfully when a brother or sister is in need.
Honor in Retirement: By preparing for the future, we ensured that when my husband stepped down from his full-time service, we did not become a financial burden to the church or to our sons.
The example of the ant in Proverbs 6:6-8 (NIV) has always resonated with me: "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest."
If God designed even the smallest creature to gather provisions during the harvest for the seasons ahead, how much more should we, as leaders in His church, do the same?
My husband eventually stepped down from his full-time pastorate a few years ago. We could not have made this decision if we had not faithfully contributed to his Servant Solutions account for 42 years. By doing so, we were blessed to be able to move near our sons and their families for the first time ever! After having served in other states for decades, it is such a complete blessing to be able to now pour into our grandchildren in this last season.
But our roles as faithful stewards will never end. We believe God called us to continue influencing others by walking hand-in-hand, making wise life decisions, prioritizing saving, and teaching others by example. By doing so, we are honoring the Master. I pray we can inspire the next generation to do the exact same.
Ellen Daniels, Director of Engagement
Ellen serves in the position of Director of Engagement. She assists the Servant Solutions team by developing and carrying out strategies to increase engagement with current and potential members so that our constituents are served in the very best way. Her position also focuses on growing our employers and members by onboarding, educating and engaging people according to their specific needs. Ellen received her BA in Education as well as her MBA from Anderson University. Prior to coming to Servant Solutions, Ellen was the Director of Adult Studies at Anderson University. She is very happily married to Rev. Dr. Rolland Daniels. They have recently retired from full-time pastoral ministry after 40 years. They have two sons, Tyler and Seth, two wonderful daughters-in-love, Morgan and Catherine, and four absolutely precious grandchildren, Raelyn, Tripp, Annie and Hazel.