The biggest misconception ? Only one?

People who think my name is "Our Pastor's Wife," really, really bother me. That one's at the top of the list of nearly every clergy wife I know --- and I would be interested whether clergy husbands have the same problem.

Financial misconceptions are probably next on the list. This would be the widespread belief that the Pastor's family can afford the same level of lifestyle as the prominent church members on a fraction of their salary. As if the pastor's family gets some special mortgage rate, and that fantasy "clergy discount" at Kroger, Wal-Mart, and L.L.Bean!
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I suspect some of these "What if's" depend on the specific church or denomination's culture. Beer with dinner? No problem for Presbyterians or Episcopalians. Baptists or Nazarene? That's entirely different. Jeans or suit? In my experience, that might be more specific to the local community.

Involvement with the ministry might be more of an issue that touches all of us clergy spouses. I think it takes a strong personality to withstand expectations about being visible every time the church door is unlocked, and a lot of spouses struggle with that.
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