What happens when serving the church starts costing the people closest to you?

In this episode of Back Row Revival, TJ, Bucky, and John Mark look back at the impact ministry had on their wives, children, marriages, and families.

As former pastors and pastor's kids, we've experienced both sides of ministry life. There were meaningful relationships, opportunities, shared purpose, and experiences we wouldn't trade. But there were also expectations we didn't recognize until much later.

Pastor's kids were expected to fill whatever role needed filling. Wives carried responsibilities they never signed up for. Family schedules revolved around the church calendar. And too often, keeping church members happy felt more important than protecting the people waiting at home.

We talk honestly about people-pleasing, burnout, boundaries, the pressure placed on ministry families, mistakes we wish we'd handled differently, and the relationships that sometimes paid the price.

And we ask a difficult question:

Did we spend so much time trying to take care of the church that we failed to take care of our own families?

If you're a pastor, pastor's spouse, PK, former ministry leader, or anyone who has experienced the pressure ministry can place on a family, this conversation may feel familiar.

This is Back Row Revival. No scripts. No pretending. Just three guys figuring things out in real time.