Connection.

Support. Encouragement. We all need it. The Oklahoma Baptists organization recognizes that need more than ever for its ministers’ wives.

The organization, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention has a support system in place which addresses the unique challenges for its ministry wives who serve in over 1,700 Oklahoma Baptist churches.

Its mission is to encourage and support ministry wives towards healthiness and family wellness through connection, care and biblical encouragement.

Kingfisher’s Shelly Watkins has been leading that effort since October as the Ministry Wives Ministry Partner.

Over the years, Shelly said she’s been blessed with a close friend support group, but that isn’t always the case for ministers’ wives and she’s looking forward to helping others build those connections in her new role.

“I’ve always had a really good support group and that’s what I want to do is help ministry wives have that connection with people and help connect them to each other,” she said.

Walking alongside her husband, Scott Watkins, lead pastor of Kingfisher First Baptist Church for the past 11 years, Shelly is well attuned to the needs of ministry wives.

During their 26 years of marriage in which Scott previously served as a youth minister in Tulsa and Spring, Texas, and spent seven years as the pastor at Terlton First Baptist Church, Shelly fulfilled many different roles.

She also spent four years serving in overseas ministry.

During that time, Shelly helped share the gospel in Hungary, Venezuela, the Czech Republic, Germany and Switzerland.

In addition to her role as a minister’s wife, Shelly has spent the past eight years as secretary at Kingfisher High School.

She will be stepping down from that role at the end of the year to focus on the Oklahoma Baptists Ministry Wives program.

The couple have three adult daughters - Taylor (24), Sydney (20) and Emiley (19).

With over 30 years in ministry, Shelly said she hopes to be able to use the experiences God has led her through to benefit others.

“We’ve had great times and we’ve had hard times at all the churches we’ve been at and we’ve loved all of them,” Shelly said.

Referring to those experiences as tools that God has added to their toolbox, Shelly said it allows them to minister to other people going through similar situations.

Of the multi-faceted responsibilities as the Ministry Wives Ministry Partner, Shelly said one of the biggest roles she’ll have is to plan retreats for the ministry wives, which she hopes to be able to connect with them and make them feel like they’re part of a community.

“What I would love to see the Lord do…is I want everybody to have friends,” Shelly said.

“We’ve gotten to be such a lonely society and I would love to have an avenue for ministry wives to connect with each other.”

As she considers a theme for the year, Shelly said she’s thinking of something along the lines of “Let’s be friends - come as you are and let’s do this together.”

Reflecting on scripture, Shelly said Jesus gave us an example of how we are better together.

“You see in scripture throughout they did things together,” she said.

Even Jesus had a close group of friends.

He could do everything by himself and He doesn’t have to include us, but He chose to use us and have us do it together, she commented.

“The Lord doesn’t intend for us to do it by ourselves. He wants us to be a team,” Shelly added.

“It’s an honor that we get to be part of his ministry.

“How lucky can we be that He still chooses us and He wants to be with us? The King of Kings and the Lord of Lords and the King of the Universe wants to do things with us.”

Although she doesn’t know the full extent of her responsibilities yet, Shelly said she’s excited to be a part of this new chapter.

“Just to think that out of all the people in the entire world, out of all 1,700 of our churches, that the Lord has allowed me to do this is just the coolest thing ever,” she said.

“I just want people to have friends and I want them to be closer to Jesus.

“I feel like if we have healthy ministers and healthy ministry wives, then they’re going to have healthy families and they’re going to be able to love their church as well.

“And that people will come to know the Lord, because that’s why we do what we do.”