Side by Side: Supporting a Spouse in Church Service

Your sweetheart has just been called to serve as bishop (or Relief Society president, elders quorum president, or Young Women President). What now? Does this mark the end of life as you have known it? Is there any way your marriage can survive the demands of this weighty responsibility? What of your relationship with your spouse, now that you must share him or her with others?

As the wife of an LDS bishop, author JeaNette Goates Smith knows all about those late-night phone calls from ward members, the disappointment of having to cancel personal or family plans, living in the spotlight and under the scrutiny of the whole ward, sitting alone in the congregation with restless children while her husband/bishop is sitting on the stand, and watching her spouse wrestle with difficult situations and hard decisions.

She also knows about the joy of service and the blessings that can come to a devoted Church leader and to his wife and family. She has had the satisfaction of being a supportive spouse and experiencing the closeness that comes when a couple works together in a righteous cause.

Candidly addressing both the challenges and the rewards, and also writing from the perspective of a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Sister Smith shares her experiences and provides helpful tips on taking care of your spouse, taking care of yourself, taking care of your children, and taking care of the flock your spouse has been assigned to shepherd.

Filled with insight, practical advice, expressions of faith, and a joyful testimony of service, Side by Side provides welcome encouragement to the man or woman whose spouse has been "called to serve."

JeaNette Goates Smith brings unique understanding and perspective to her topic, with experience as a licensed marriage and family therapist, the daughter of a bishop, and the wife of a bishop. She holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of North Florida. A popular speaker, she has served as an early-morning seminary teacher and regional affairs director for the Church. JeaNette and her husband, Bret, are the parents of four children and reside in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.