Meet Hannah Episcopo, married to Pastor Brian, Alliance Church's Lead Pastor. Hannah's dad pastored in churches moving between Ohio, Kentucky, and finally to Marion, Indiana, in her 8th grade year. She grew up as a “PK” (pastor’s kid), although her dad became a professor at Indiana Wesleyan University when they moved to Marion. Hannah now works as a marriage and family counselor, and she and Brian have two kids. 

ACWBlog: I see you grew up as a pastor’s kid but you always said you didn’t want to marry a pastor. Why is that?

Hannah: I saw how hard my parents worked in ministry and I often thought they worked too hard! It is difficult to say “no” to people who are hurting or when their spiritual life seems to hang in the balance. I wasn’t sure how that ministry life balance would work for us.

ACWBlog: How do you manage the ministry work-life balance in your family?

Hannah: I think we have been able to be more strategic in how we divide up our time. Together we go over the calendar on a regular basis. Regular communication with one another is key in being able to express our needs and expectations so we can together plan our week/month and year. Brian and I are very sensitive to the needs of spending enough quality time with our children and each other especially because both of us grew up in a pastor’s family. 

ACWBlog: What are some other challenges you find as a ministry wife?

Hannah: I realize many people have challenging work schedules to work around, and so do we. Brian having to preach on Sundays makes it difficult for us to plan weekend events or getaways. The kids are in school and only have weekends free, but then that clashes with their dad having to be prepping every Saturday afternoon or evening and then being at church for half the day on Sunday.

ACWBlog: What are the blessings of being a ministry wife?

Hannah: I love being a part of our church family. I see our church as a family that not only we are called to care for, but they care for us too. I appreciate the fact that we have opportunities to involve our children in ministry as well. Brian tries to include them in various appropriate activities by taking them along with him wherever he can. We both bring them to church responsibilities as often as possible so that they can see our family is a team and serving God is a privilege. We try and make it fun and important to them so that they don’t grow up resenting ministry. 

ACWBlog: How do you see your role in relationship to your husband being in full-time ministry?

Hannah: Our church has been going through a series “Designed by God,” and I really see myself as an “Ezer,” a “strong helper,” in making sure I am doing what I can behind the scenes to allow Brian and Addy and Elias to thrive. I want to make our family an oasis for them, a place to be refreshed and encouraged. I also love having people from our church team over and make them feel welcomed and cared for too. I do think that because of the season of life I am in with young children, my ability to come alongside my husband in a more visible way is limited, but as Addy and Elias grow up, I see myself taking more of an active role alongside Brian. 

ACWBlog: You have a vocation outside of church ministry. How do you see this as God’s call on your life?

Hannah: I am a therapist and do family and marriage counseling. I have had such good mentors in my life that have inspired me from an early age to go into the counseling field. I have always desired to help people grow. God leads some people into full-time ministry, but he led me into counseling. 

ACWBlog: How do you sustain yourself amidst the pressures of life and ministry?

Hannah: I am a bit of an introvert, so I definitely need some down time to spend with the Lord and do things that feed my soul. I am also aware that we have an enemy of our souls, and in ministry we come across conflicts and engage in a lot of brokenness. It’s important to be sober minded, remembering that what we do engages us in spiritual battles. Labeling it as a spiritual battle helps me put the challenges in perspective so that I don’t take things personally. Because of this perspective, I am not surprised by the challenges and I won’t look to blame people. We are a team trying to fight the good fight together.