09/22/2026
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1404404835170387&id=100068026507665
āIn 2015, Andrew became the lead pastor of his parentsā church, and I quickly found ways to fill my new role as lead pastorās wife,ā wrote Kayla Stoecklein in 2020. āI served on the womenās ministry team, set up for the MOPS group on Wednesdays, and arrived on time for the very first service every single Sunday.
Ministry was everything. Our entire world revolved around the local church and the calling God had placed on Andrewās life. His calling became my calling; his passion, my passion; his purpose, my purpose.
Then on August 25, 2018, after battling through a season of burnout, depression, and anxiety, my beloved husband Andrew tragically died by su***de.
Life as I knew it changed forever and I was handed a brand-new life as a widow and single mom to our three young boys.
The truth Iāve found through my former role as a pastorās wife is that pastors are people too. They arenāt superhuman; they are human. They arenāt invincible; they are just broken vessels giving it their best shot to be a bright light in a really dark and desperate world. But to keep shining bright and leading from a place of strength, pastors must be deliberate about how they care for themselves too.
Pastors need community, they need to share the heavy weight of the mantle, and they need to give themselves permission and margin to heal and rest.ā
https://chrst.today/4gdJycU