I was asked in one of my classes to interview a great team leader in the church that leads by example both in the ministry and in their personal life. I chose my wife and wrote the following three lessons she has taught me and many others by her Christ-like example in leadership. I hope you enjoy them and will be encouraged by her amazing love and dedication to Jesus Christ!
I interviewed my wife who is the co-founder and co-pastor (apostolic elder) of the church I work at. We started Metro Praise International in the heart of Chicago’s northside on March 2005 with a handful of people in a rented Methodist church. We had gathered about six people in our home Bible study prior to our launch and basically have grown the group to over 200 attendees over the last 10 years. We currently average around 155-175 each Sunday and have 125 people in our discipleship program- which includes 101, 201, and leadership (elders/deacons). Our goal is to build a church of 100,000 disciples in Chicago with 50 churches and to plant 500 church around the world.
Along with being a stay at home Mom to our four children (Bethany 5, Hannah 4, Lucas 2, & Zoe 4 months) Nancy has also earned a B.A. in Biblical Studies from SUM Bible College and Theological Seminary. Plus, her main responsibilities in the church have been; (1) Developing the children’s ministry, (2) Leading the women’s discipleship classes, (3) Marriage and situational counseling with the disciples in the church, (4) Overseeing the Bible College students (10-15 at a time) who attend an SUM cohort at our local church, & (5) Leading the staff meetings with myself.
The Three Greatest Lessons I Learned from My Wife
- Strict Scheduling: Since Nancy is a Mom, Wife, and Pastor she has to keep everything she does in a very strict and well organized calendar. Little things like meals, cleaning, and going to the gym can quickly become chaos if she doesn’t live a disciplined life.
- Pentecostal Passion: Nancy prioritizes her private devotional life each day. Though sometimes she may have to shorten it or skip it because of unexpected circumstances, however, she still remains consistent and dedicated to continually being refreshed in God’s presence with singing, study, and silent meditation.
- Sweet Service: Everyone who knows Nancy considers her to be one of the kindest and most loving people they have ever met. She is always willing to shed a tear with the hurting, help a mother in need, and stay late to counsel one of her leaders if they need encouragement. At the same time, she is like a busy bee who would rather do for others than let someone do it for her. She is always the first to come and the last to leave. This kind of servant attitude is contagious to all those who watch her.
In conclusion, I was greatly blessed to learn from my wife and co-pastor how she does what she does because literally it is a mystery to me how she gets so much done everyday without every complaining or wearing herself out. She is without a doubt my number one hero and greatest inspiration.
