‘I And My Family We Shall Serve The Lord’: Reflections on the Identity of the Pastor’s Wife in Ghanaian Charismatic Ministries

Abstract

Pastor’s wives in Charismatic ministries in Ghana face similar challenges like what happened to the Zipporah, the wife of Moses. All these women feel less secure within the worship space and are easily demeaned. These pastor’s wives find themselves caught between substance and liminal identities, acceptance and rejection. Such attitudes towards them is similar to the way Ghanaians treat ntwema (“red clay”) used to maintain, beautify and protect the home. It is very useful yet kept in homes as if it is insignificant or unwanted. This paper uses an ideological reading of Exodus 4:18-26 and 18:1-27 to highlight the life and challenges of Zipporah and uses the findings to reflect on the experiences of the pastor’s wife in Ghanaian charismatic tradition. It presents views of two focus-groups of pastors’ wives in Accra and Kumasi, made up of ten (10) women each. All the twenty women are wives of founders of charismatic ministries and are ordained. It proposes that the pastors must always be grateful to their spouses. The Church should also not downplay the role of in-laws, mediators and wise counsellors who intervene when there are problems. More so, pastors’ wives must draw from their inner strength to affirm their own personality, worth and dignity. Keywords: Zipporah, Moses, pastor’s wife, Charismatic ministries, liminality