Episode 227: Hannah Kurtz Interview - Divine Detours From College Campus to Church Home

·37 min·3 clips

A youth pastor's mission trip bus breaks down twice, stranding them in Illinois and sparking a life-altering divine redirection.

In this episode of Pastors' Wives Tell All, hosts Jessica, Jenna, and Stephanie interview Hannah Kurtz, a pastor's wife and homeschool mom of five with a sixth child on the way. Hannah and her husband Thor serve at Open Arms Church in Lincoln, Illinois, where Thor is the youth pastor. The episode begins with Hannah introducing her family, including her children Ava, Ella, Lydia, Elijah, and Greta, and sharing the humorous origin of her husband's name, Thor. The core of the conversation revolves around Hannah's testimony of a divine detour: in 2023, Thor was leading a youth mission trip to Florida when their bus broke down twice, the second time in Lincoln, Illinois. This breakdown led them to connect with Open Arms Church, which had recently acquired part of a college campus. Despite initial reluctance, they felt God calling them to move there, and they relocated from Minnesota within three months. Hannah describes the difficulties of living in a two-bedroom dorm apartment with five children and the added stress of an unexpected pregnancy while renovating a fixer-upper house. She opens up about the emotional and spiritual struggles, including feelings of abandonment and grief over leaving their previous life. Hannah references the book 'Tired of Trying' by Ashley Morgan Jackson as a source of comfort and insight. The discussion touches on the church's history, from a home church to acquiring a 100-acre campus with 11 buildings, and the ongoing challenges of ministry. Hannah emphasizes the need for pastors' wives to have supportive friendships, like those formed at a retreat, and for congregations to pray for their leaders. The episode concludes with rapid-fire questions where Hannah advises her pre-pastor's wife self not to believe lies, shares her family's leisure activities, and calls for prayer support for pastoral families.

As heard by us

A ministry detour becomes a grounded family story about prayer, grief, and learning to trust an unexpected church home.

Pastors' Wives Tell All follows Hannah Kurtz through a ministry move that begins with a missions trip to Florida and turns, unexpectedly, through a breakdown in Illinois.

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Why you'd press play

You can follow Hannah and Thor's unlikely path to Lincoln, Illinois, where a missions-trip breakdown became the first step toward serving the church that helped them.

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