This study researches the recently increased conflicts between pastors and their wives and defines the factors of the conflicts as well as provides effective solutions focused on pastors wives. This study makes us aware that pastors wives are sufferin...
This study researches the recently increased conflicts between pastors and their wives and defines the factors of the conflicts as well as provides effective solutions focused on pastors wives. This study makes us aware that pastors wives are suffering from emotional trouble, mental disorder, depression, and physical and psychological ailment due to role expectation, which meets with churches characteristic and tradition. The results of the study are as follows:
First, pastors wives are newly-made social beings by introduction of protestants and they brought a great deal of impact on missionary works. However, their existence and functions have been disregarded. As time goes by, the conflicts, they are suffering, are coming up to the surface; the main one being the role conflict. Those conflicts of the pastors wives are categorized into three being, the conflict from pastors expectation, the conflict from lay believers expectation, and the conflict from pastors wives themselves expectation.
Secondly, the author researches the causes of role conflict and indicates the indwelling patriarchal custom in the bible and Korean churches, individualism of women, and distorted religious faith as the main structural factors. Also, lack of self-esteem, character disability, absence of education, and missing of calling are presented as personal factors.
Thirdly, the author researches the reaction to the conflicts and finds out that the pastors wives are suffering under emotional troubles such as the feeling of guilty, anger and hostility, loss, loneliness, depression, enervation, autism, and a delusion of persecution.
Fourth, a women-centered counseling and a trans-personal counseling for pastors wives are presented to help them solve the conflicts. Also, the instructions for pastors and wives are provided and they were informed to the denomination.
Protestantisms core message is love. There isnt any condition in this love. It is God who changed Gomer into the wife of a prophet even though she was a symbol of corrupted Israel. God experienced her the infinite love and forgiveness. If so, the phase of pastors wife which suffers pastors wives is needlessness. It is really a matter for regret that we are pursuing a false image. It is a carrot and a rest that a exhausted horse needs. A horse will run again when she is refreshed and filled with food because she is created to run. Now is the time we have to give real rest to the pastors wives.
Flowerers containing odor can easily attract bees and butterflies. Hopefully, pastors wives emit the odor of Jesus Christ from deep in their heart, so their life will be festive with a colony of bees and butterflies.
The conflict due to a personality of a pastors wife is helpless. If, however, the conflict is by the phase of the pastors wife and it is such a burden weighing down pastors wives, we have to help them free themselves from this burden because it is Gods commission.
Hoping that the day comes soon when the position of the pastors wife is not the one people avoid but admire.