Jun 24, 2025
In the New York Times Bestselling "Becoming the Pastor's Wife", Beth Allison Barr draws on her academic expertise to trace the history of the role of the pastor's wife, showing how it both helped and hurt women in conservative Protestant traditions. While they gained an important leadership role, it came at a deep cost: losing independent church leadership opportunities that existed throughout most of church history and strengthening a gender hierarchy that prioritized male careers.