When Ministry and Marriage Collide: Honest Conversations on Thriving through Conflict

Ministry is sacred-but it can quietly erode the marriage meant to sustain it.

More than one in four marriages among today's ministry leaders experience significant strain. The pressure to lead publicly while surviving privately often creates a collision between calling and covenant that few are prepared to navigate.

In When Ministry and Marriage Collide, Jack A. Taylor brings these hidden struggles into the open through honest conversations drawn from seven composite couples serving in ministry. Their stories reveal five common relational quagmires that quietly capture the souls of devoted leaders: Identity, Attachment, Calling, Family, and Intimacy.

Grounded in training from the Thriving Relationship Center, this book offers a practical framework for growth, including:

• Five stages of thriving relationship development
• Six foundational pillars for healthy intimacy and communication
• Over fifty practical tools designed to help couples move from striving to thriving

Written especially for ministry leaders and their spouses, this book acknowledges a difficult truth: loving God and serving others does not automatically protect a marriage. After the vows, in the middle of real life, intentional investment in one's most important earthly relationship is essential.

While the couples described here are fictional composites, the struggles they face are real, familiar, and deeply human. This book is designed to foster meaningful conversation, courageous reflection, and lasting change, whether read individually, with a spouse, or alongside a relationship coach.

Jack A. Taylor (PhD) combines his forty-seven years of marriage with Gayle; his forty-three years of leadership in missions and faith communities; his award-winning authorship of fifteen books, articles, and short stories; and his experience as a Certified Thriving Relationship Coach to support others in their relationships. His academic and international experiences uniquely equip Jack to assist executive leaders in Africa through his work with Kurumbuka. He raises tropical fish as a hobby and loves to read.