How to Work with Your Spouse

Working together is not easy. For the first twenty-five years of our marriage and ministry, we had people who helped us with telephone calls, emails, appointments, travel plans, recordings, production, and much else, for our international ministry. Today, the two of us create and implement almost everything we do, every day. Somehow, we’ve managed to each do our part, even if it’s out of our realm of training or expertise, in order to press-on.

There are many reasons we’ve been able to successfully work together but the main reason is this: We know we are called to a common purpose. We use the gifts and talents God has given each of us as we, hopefully, make a positive difference in people’s lives. We aren’t afraid to learn something new, even if it takes a day or two; sometimes longer. Each day we wake up and ask God what he wants from us. Every night, we ask God how we did.

Most of our conflicts happen when we misunderstand what our roles are, or how we carry them out… differently. Showing each other grace, being committed to our goals and aspirations, while honoring our marriage, have helped us succeed. When we argue, we resolve it quickly, so anger and resentment don’t grow. We’ve also completed temperament and personality analyses, so we know each other’s weaknesses and we understand each other, yet we try to acknowledge each other’s strengths, in order to fulfill God’s call on our lives and our ministry.

If you work with your spouse, it’s helpful if each of you is fulfilling your calling, while working together for common, God-inspired goals.

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Philippians 2:13