I love this book. I have always believed women were essential in leading the Church, but my knowledge of women's place in leading the Church was limited. In the years since my training in church history, I have learned more about women in ministry, but Dr. Barr has helped me put the final touches to my understanding of the role in the Christian Church. Paul said there was no difference between male and female, and Jesus gave the most significant message of his resurrection to women. I am thankful for her research and presentation of that research to help the modern Church realize what the Church down through the ages has known and lived, and hopefully put into practice how we allow everyone to use God's calling in their lives in the life of the Church. Thank you, Dr. Barr, for such a great gift to us!

The question has never been whether women are fulfilling the function of ministry in the church - they always have been. The question has always been whether their function of ministry is recognized as paid, professional ministry. - Beth Allison Barr, Chapter 7

Becoming the Pastor's Wife is a timely, much-needed resource that traces the development of the pastoral office, the concept of ordination, and the creation, evolution, and implications of the pastor's wife function. Beth Allison Barr includes personal anecdotes from her own experience as a pastor's wife as well as engaging narratives of the lives and ministries of historical female figures, and this combination makes the church history survey (the first half of the book) engaging and widely accessible. Barr argues that several pivot-points in church history, alongside economic and moral concerns, motivated male leaders to restrict and redefine the ministries of women.

The second half of the book zooms in on the SBC as a case study for these dynamics, revealing:

-how leaders changed their stances on women's callings when it suited their purposes

-ways the role of the pastor's wife both carves out ministry opportunities for women albeit in a dependent way, and simultaneously limits women who might otherwise serve in a paid, professional capacity

-the troubling ways unchecked male-dominant power enables abuse.

The specificity of the second half of the book made for an interesting read, and I also found myself wishing for one additional chapter that would help readers outside of the SBC (like myself) connect the dots between SBC specific dynamics and broader church trends. Barr's conclusion hints that this is the beginning of an ongoing conversation, so I eagerly look forward to future installments.

This book is not just for Pastor's Wives! If you are interested in a Biblical discussion about women's roles in the church, this is a must read. Dr. Barr's book is well-researched-- weaving historical resources, personal stories, Biblical context, and SBC archives to shed light on the limits of leadership placed on women in the modern church and how the role of a "pastors' wife" evolved to become the pinnacle ministry calling for women in conservative Christianity. I found it to be a validating, thought provoking, (at times infuriating!) and, ultimately, a hopeful read. We need Dr. Barr's voice in this conversation.

I definitely recommend reading Dr. Barr's book, "The Making of Biblical Womanhood" as she does reference it several times here. It will give you a deeper explanation and more thorough dive into the theological and historical resources that this book builds upon.

Excellent book that looks into the history of Women leading and pastoring evangelical churches. Dr.Barr explores the changes that have occurred over the years that have led to restrictions on women's paid rolls in the church and why these changes occured. This book is important in understanding how something touted as Biblical in reality is a function of culture and society determined to keep women in subordinate positions.

Ever since Beth Allison Barr announced she had begun to write Becoming the Pastor's Wife, I knew it would peel back the layers to expose secrets behind the closed doors of church ministry that so many worked hard to keep hidden. But this book was so much more!

Tracing the history of females in ministry since the time of Christ, Barr is masterful at revealing how women have always been respected as leaders in the church. She pinpoints times in history where changes took place, and brings it all to the present day.

My husband was a pastor for more than a dozen years, and I grew up as a pastor's daughter. Most of my life has been spent in ministry in one form or another. Becoming the Pastor's Wife really resonated with me. I was, as the book clearly states, an unpaid "universal spare part" for the church my husband pastored.

This book needs to get into the hands of every pastor's wife, every female pastor, and every woman in ministry. Then it needs to go farther! It needs to go to the men. It needs to go to the seminaries, the Bible colleges. It needs to go to the congregations!

Please. Read this book. Let it open your eyes to what has happened, not just in history but especially in the last 40 years. Then share it!