The 2026 Pastors’ Wives Retreat is scheduled for November 6-7 at Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca with Rev. Dr. Harold Ristau, who will be presenting on Strengthening Pastors’ Wives in the Two Estates of Church and Home.
It can be tough being a pastor’s wife and living up to the standards applied to a pastor’s family. Only fellow pastors’ wives can really understand the unique challenges intrinsic to this vocation, such as unreasonable expectations possibly held by a congregation regarding a pastor’s family life, or dealing with the downside of her pastor being her husband or her husband being her pastor. By discussing the importance of Individual Confession and absolution, essential yet flexible home devotions, and deliberate Lutheran education, Rev. Dr. Harold Ristau — married 29 years, and father of 5 — will discuss spiritual strategies and survival, as well as sharing what worked for him and his wife, and what didn’t. His hope and prayer is that attendees will return home refreshed and encouraged, knowing that although we sinners never do anything perfectly, God’s grace remains sufficient (2 Cor 12:9). After all, our Lord loves our families more than we do, and He promises to bless our labors and forgive our failures, as we wrestle and rejoice in the various vocations that God has assigned to us.
Rev. Dr. Maj (ret’d) Harold Ristau has served the Church faithfully for over twenty years. A native Canadian, Dr. Ristau has served as a parish pastor, military chaplain, seminary professor, missionary, president and professor at Luther Classical College, and, presently serves as senior pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Dr. Ristau, author of several books and is married to his wife Elise, is the father of five children, and grandfather of 2.
