It’s not often that one spouse inherits a big ministry from the other spouse. But when it has happened, history shows it’s been a good idea.
The transition of a major ministry from husband to wife is a rare occurrence in the history of U.S. Pentecostalism. In fact, in modern history only two cases stand out from the 20th century.
In 1907, Marie Burgess started a local mission in New York City. Two years later she married Robert Brown, and together they grew the mission into what became Glad Tidings Tabernacle, a leading congregation in the Assemblies of God. When Brown died in 1948, Burgess became the sole pastor and remained in the position for 23 years until her death in 1971 at age 91.
In 1973, Gordon Lindsay, co-founder with his wife, Freda, of Dallas-based Christ for the Nations Institute (CFNI) died. Freda Lindsay immediately had to take over the day-to-day operations. She was opposed at first, for being a woman, but the 10-man board of directors unanimously elected her as the new president of the ministry. She greatly expanded the ministry’s outreach until her retirement at age 94.
The leadership shift at Victory Christian Center from the late senior pastor Billy Joe Daugherty to his wife, Sharon Daugherty, as the ministry’s new pastor and corporate president is the first instance of major succession in the 21st century. Pentecostal ministry leader Roberts Liardon believes it eventually will prove to be historic and the best thing for the church’s impact. “What we are witnessing at [Victory] is like that of Christ for the Nations,” he says. “I believe that Sharon Daugherty and the Victory Christian Center family will bear more fruit for the kingdom than anyone could imagine.”
Charismatic historian Eddie L. Hyatt says that although such transitions are rare, they usually are successful. “Historically, wives have done very well in filling the shoes of their husbands because the people already know and respect them and identify them with their deceased spouse,” he says. “I think of how Freda filled Gordon’s shoes when he died and CFNI exploded in growth. She is one of the most prominent Christian leaders in the last 100 years, just because of the influence Christ for the Nations has had in missions.”
Please follow these guidelines before commenting on our website:
- Please be considerate and respectful of your fellow posters. If Jesus and your mother would not approve of your writing, you should revise your comment before submitting.
- Use standard writing style and punctuation. Complete sentences and proper grammar will help others understand you.
- Do not use profanity, obscenities, abusive language or otherwise objectionable content (as determined by Charisma Media moderators, in their sole discretion). Comments should not harass, abuse or threaten another's personal safety or property, make false statements, defame or impersonate someone else.
- Do not post personal information including phone numbers, email or mailing addresses, or credit card information belonging to you or others.
- Do not include copyrighted content or other intellectual property that you do not own or have the explicit rights or lisenses to distribute.
- Do not post, directly or through links, viruses, misleading, malicious or off-topic content.
Please consider the following statements pertaining to comments posted by you and other visitors to our website:
- Appearance of comments, advertisements or hyperlinks made by other commenters on this site do not necessarily indicate or constitute acceptance of or endorsement of the products, companies, corporations, ministries, organizations or agencies in whole or in part by staff members and/or the members of the editorial board of Charisma Media.
- Comments are not pre-screened before they post. Charisma Media reserves the right to modify or remove any comment that does not comply with the above guidelines and to deny access of your Disqus account to make additional comments to the website without any notice. If you have been denied access to comment due to a violation of these terms please do not create multiple accounts in an attempt to circumvent the system. The correct course of action is to request a review of your account status by contacting webmaster@charismamedia.com.
- Charisma Media is not responsible or liable in any way for comments posted by its users.
- If you believe a comment is in violation of the above guidelines, U.S. law or International treaties, please contact webmaster@charismamedia.com. Include a link to the comment, along with a statement explaining what you believe the violation is and any evidence backing your claim. Charisma Media moderators will consider your request and decide on the most appropriate action.