May 2, 2024
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The way Mary Cox sees it, the job of pastor’s wife can be one of the most difficult and most rewarding in ministry.
“There are times when not everyone will like what you do, what you say, or even how you dress,” Cox said. “There can be a lot of pressure, but God gives us the strength and grace to push through so that we can enjoy the blessings that come with the role.”
For nearly two decades, Cox has led the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s ministry to pastors’ wives, a role that allowed her to serve as their confidant and supporter. Now, the joyful Christian lady with the effervescent smile has retired from the role she pioneered in Georgia to give her full attention to being a pastor’s wife, mother, and “Gigi” to five grandchildren.
“We’re sad to see her go,” said W. Thomas Hammond Jr., executive director of the state Mission Board. “She has sacrificially championed our pastor’s wives with honor and grace. “For years, Mary’s ministry has been an example for other state conventions to learn from and follow. She has been a true friend and encourager to pastors’ wives in good times and bad. When the tough times came, they always knew they could count on Mary. Without exception, she was there for them, and she understood what they were dealing with because she has been a pastor’s wife herself for more than 35 years.”
Cox’s husband, Frank, is pastor at North Metro Baptist Church in Lawrenceville.
“I love being a pastor’s wife,” she said. “It has always been my desire that every pastor’s wife would love her role as I do. Of course, the position comes with its ups and downs. Are churches perfect? No. Will people disappoint us from time to time? Yes, because we don’t live in a perfect world. But the impact a pastor’s wife can make can be life changing. It is a high calling.”
Cox joined the Mission Board in January 2004, becoming the leader of the ministry to pastors’ wives on an interim basis, agreeing to stay only as long as it took to find someone else. She fell in love with the role and stayed permanently.
“It’s been a real blessing to serve pastors’ wives over the years,” she said. “I feel like God has a great role for the wife to play in the church, to serve and support her husband. He needs that one person he can go to who will be positive and encouraging, and that’s his wife. It can be exhausting. But the reward is so fulfilling.”
Catherine Jackson, president of the group Georgia Baptist Convention Ministers’ Wives, said Cox has been a mentor and encourager to many.
“She’s just the sweetest thing,” said Jackson, whose husband Jeff is pastor at First Redeemer Church in Cumming. “Everybody loves Mary. She has a heart for pastors’ wives. She knows what they’re experiencing, what they’re going through, and she’s there for them.”
Pastors’ wives are uniquely positioned, Cox said, to be positive role models for the churches they serve.
“God calls us to reflect His character,” she said. “If we put Him first, everything else will fall into place.”
Cox believes the greatest asset any pastor has is his wife.
“She knows her husband best,” Cox said. “She knows the highs and lows, the hills and the valleys. She’s his No. 1 encourager, his best friend, the one he can talk things out with, knowing that he can fully trust her.”
The decision to leave the Mission Board, Cox said, wasn’t an easy one.
“I have always trusted that God would make it clear when it was time to end this chapter in my life,” she said. “I felt like he said, ‘It’s time.’ I will greatly miss ministering in this role and the many friendships that I have made along the way.”
