Pastors’ Wives is not Christian fiction, but rather fiction about Christians, which is quite a different thing. The characters are Christians, and they work at a church, but it’s better classified as a typical workplace drama than Christian fiction, which generally serves to encourage or instruct in some way, in addition to telling a story.
The novel’s point of view alternates among three women, all wives of pastors at Southern mega-church Greenleaf. Candace isn’t just a church lady, she’s the church lady, wife of head pastor Aaron Green. The saying “behind every good man is a good woman” definitely holds true of her. Candace keeps office hours of her own, using the time to keep an eye on Aaron’s schedule, make hiring decisions, and involve herself in the board. She’s written a bestselling book about a woman’s role as a wife, and her latest project about a woman’s purpose is her most personal to date.
Ginger is married to Candace’s son Timothy, who has recently planted New Leaf church a few miles down the road, appealing to a younger, more tech-savvy issues-oriented crowd. Ginger knows she loves him, but worries that she’s losing him to his work. When Candace uncovers something about Ginger’s past, she must decide if she’s willing to stick it out and continue to sacrifice or if she wants to take the opportunity to escape.
Ruthie’s husband Jerry left a Wall Street job when he heard God’s call and decided to pursue a church ministry job. He and Ruthie have always agreed to disagree about religion, but can a lapsed Catholic play the role of evangelical pastor’s wife? If she doesn’t, will she lose him? Ruthie enjoys doing some PR work with Candace, but can she promote what she’s not sure she believes?
An interesting setting that helps tell the story, such as the community of Greenleaf, always propels a novel to a different level, in my opinion. The interwoven lives of the three women who each have different feelings about what it means to be married to man of God gave the novel that level of interest, while defly avoiding stereotypes.
Author Lisa Takeuchi Cullen was inspired to write Pastors’ Wives after doing a feature story on pastors’ wives for Time magazine. She was somewhat surprised to find that they were very much “their own women. They were smart. Angry. Passionate. Resentful. Complicated. And fascinating.” Candace, Ginger and Ruthie embody those qualities to differing degrees, and in reading this novel we see them as our mother, sister or friend.