The Difference Between Shepherdess International and Women's Ministries
There is some confusion regarding the relationship between Women's Ministries and Shepherdess International. These are two completely different organizations. Women's Ministries is a department serving lay women. Shepherdess International is a support system for the minister's wife under the auspices of the General Conference Seventh-day Adventist Ministerial Association.
Shepherdess International is a paraprofessional organization. It recognizes that the spouse of the minister is not a minister but works closely with the minister. She is trained to serve Christ and the church through her unique gifts.
The preamble of the Shepherdess International Constitution states that Shepherdess chapters, sponsored by local conferences, assist the minister's spouse to grow spiritually and develop personally and clarify her role as a minister's spouse. It helps her develop a team ministry built around her unique gifts and abilities. Through Shepherdess International the pastor's wife receives training as a paraprofessional, finds fellowship in a support system, and is assisted in developing stronger family relationships.
The unique position of the minister's wife places her under special stresses and expectations from the congregation that are not experienced by any other woman in the church. Shepherdess International provides a network of organizations to support and train her as she deals with the unique challenges of her role.
Most ministers' wives are happy in their role but express gratitude for an organization that allows dialogue and provides training in areas of unique concern to them. They long for an opportunity to share with others who experience similar problems and joys.
While many ministers' wives enjoy participating in Women's Ministries and may form some of its leadership, Shepherdess remains a separate organization geared to the specific needs of pastoral wives. Just as the Seventh-day Adventist Ministerial Association focuses on serving pastors and Church Ministries focuses on motivating laity for service, so Shepherdess International focuses on pastoral spouses and Women's Ministries focuses on motivating lay women for service. We at Shepherdess International support both groups but realize that to serve the specific concerns of pastoral wives, we need to clarify the distinctions.