Samo (Pastor's Wife)

Definition and Meaning

Samo (師母) is a Sino-Korean term originally used as an honorific for the wife of one's teacher. In Korean churches it has become the established form of address for the wife of a pastor, and it is also used more broadly for the wives of evangelists and associate pastors. Unlike offices such as elder or deacon, which are defined by the church constitution and conferred through an ordination and installation service, samo is a customary title. For this reason, most denominations distinguish it from official church offices.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Bible does not describe a distinct position of "pastor's wife." Nevertheless, the following passages are frequently cited:

• 1 Corinthians 9:5: Records that the apostles were accompanied by believing wives.
• 1 Timothy 3:2: Lists "the husband of one wife" among the qualifications of a bishop.
• 1 Timothy 3:11: Interpretations differ as to whether the "wives" (or "women") in this verse are the wives of deacons or female church workers.
• Acts 18: Depicts Priscilla and Aquila, a married couple, ministering together.

After the Reformation, Protestantism accepted clerical marriage. Martin Luther's marriage to the former nun Katharina von Bora is often cited as a representative example. From that time onward, the pastor's household and the role of his wife became part of church life. The Catholic Church, which maintains clerical celibacy, has no equivalent position for its priests.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean churches, the samo often takes on a variety of responsibilities without an official position or compensation, such as:

• Accompanying the senior pastor on pastoral visitation (visits to members' homes).
• Caring for newcomers and women in the congregation.
• Serving as church accompanist or Sunday school teacher.
• Preparing church meals.

These roles tend to carry particular weight in smaller churches. On the other hand, some pastors' wives keep their distance from pastoral activities and concentrate on their personal spiritual life or their own careers. Various denominations and organizations also hold seminars and gatherings for pastors' wives that address criticism that churches place excessive expectations on them, as well as the burdens of their role and questions of identity.

Practice varies by denomination:

• Denominations that permit the ordination of women: The pastor's wife may receive theological training and be ordained as a pastor herself, so that husband and wife minister together.
• Denominations that do not permit the ordination of women: The wife's ministry tends to remain in the unofficial sphere.
• The Salvation Army Korea Territory: By tradition, husband and wife are commissioned together as officers, so the minister's wife also holds official status.
• The Anglican Church of Korea: Priests may marry, and the form of address for a priest's wife varies from church to church.

There is as yet no established term for the husband of a female pastor.