Teresa and Jeff Metzger
Teresa Metzger met her husband, Jeff, while both were students at Cincinnati (Ohio) Bible College in the 1970s. They traveled throughout the United States representing the school with the Come Alive Singers before entering a lifelong career in ministry. Now the Metzgers are preparing to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary and their three children are grown. Teresa is director of worship and arts at River Hills Christian Church in Cincinnati where Jeff serves as the senior pastor.
You headed off to Bible college right out of high school. Did you want to marry a minister?
Either a minister or a farmer. I’ve always liked the idea of the harvest so I was fine with either one (laughs).
After marrying a minister, was life what you expected?
It really was. My father was a businessman when I was growing up, but he was also a minister. He preached a lot of revivals in our area. I would sing at the revivals, so that gave me a chance to be involved. He owned his own real estate and auction company. Then just the right opportunity came up for him to get into ministry.
What has been your biggest surprise about life in the ministry?
It’s interesting to me how within the same congregation you can be treated the best you’ve ever been treated and the worst you’ve ever been treated.
Did you ever just wish Jeff had a regular job?
Sure. I don’t think there’s a pastor’s wife in the world who hasn’t wished that. The hours are long for him and it’s hard for the kids. But I can’t imagine us not in ministry. We just wouldn’t be happy.
Does being a minister’s family feel like you really are on stage?
It really never has. We work very hard to make sure that our public life and our private life are the same. We made it clear to our kids that they went to church because they are Christians, not because their dad was the minister.
If you could advise people in the church about how to treat the minister’s family, what would you say?
First of all, just get to know them. Find out who they really are, not who you perceive them to be. Treat them kindly and realize they are going to make mistakes just like you. Love and support them and encourage their children.
How do you choose priorities?
My priorities would change based on who or what had the greatest need at the moment. There was one overriding principle as far as my children were concerned: there were many people who could handle the needs of the church, but they had only one mom.
What was the “behind the scenes” view for the kids?
They saw the good, the bad, and the ugly. God was preparing them for life, giving them a wisdom ahead of their time, because they saw what other people experienced. Because they have seen so much, they truly understand God’s grace. I am very grateful for that.
You and Jeff are obviously passionate about evangelism. What kind of things did you do as a homemaker to express this passion?
Lifestyle evangelism has been our primary method of reaching people for Jesus. We have cared for our neighbors. We’ve become friends and do friend things. At most of our ministries our neighbors have come to Jesus as a result of that. They see you; they’re in your home.
What do your kids say about their mom?
They mostly tell us they are very grateful to have been raised in our home. I tell them all the time how good they make us look. They all love Jesus. They are people who pray, and they are involved in their churches. Our children have gotten into their share of teenage difficulties just like everyone else’s kids, but they have come through it well. They make us look good!
Brad Dupray is director of public relations and advertising with Provision Ministry Group, Irvine, California.
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