The Challenges Of Being A Pastor's Wife - Crystal Krachunis | Theology, Things & Stuff #024

J. Christopher McMichael was privileged to be raised in a Christian home, attending church his entire life. He surrendered his life to the Lord as a child while at a summer Baptist youth camp in the mountains of Tennessee. As a teenager on his first missions trip, he began to recognize the call of God to ministry. He earned a degree in earth sciences from Tennessee Tech University and enjoyed a successful career as a geologist in geotechnical engineering and mining. In 2007, he and his wife Manda were installed as the pastors of Engrafted Word Church while continuing to consult as a geologist for the next thirteen years. Today, Chris’ focus in solely on the church and world missions. After authoring six books and learning the ins and outs of book publishing, he launched Petra Press Publishing in 2023, with the goal of helping pastors and ministers publish their God-inspired work with the highest standard possible. Chris and his wife have three children they love raising in Tennessee.

Ben Weaver serves at Engrafted Word Church, where he was born and raised, overseeing the recording, editing, and publishing of Theology, Things & Stuff. He graduated from Middle Tennessee State University with a degree in Video Production and a minor in Audio Production. Ben enjoys photography, audio mixing, and videography, and runs a small photography business on the side. He met his wife, Jessica, at church, where they dated, were married in the spring of 2024, and now continue serving together.

Born in 1971 in Santa Barbara County, California, during the height of the hippie movement, Crystal Krachunis endured a chaotic and traumatic childhood marked by abandonment, abuse, and addiction. Her young adult life eventually led her into the bodybuilding and rock-and-roll scene of the 1980s, where she embraced the promiscuous lifestyle that often accompanied it. During this season she encountered Jesus Christ in an unexpected way and completely surrendered her life to the Lord in 1994. A few years after moving to Texas, where she reunited with her once-estranged mother (now also born again), Crystal met Matt Krachunis, who was serving in the armed forces. After a brief, supernatural, (and humorous) courtship, the two were married six months later. Recognizing God’s call to ministry, the Krachunises returned to Matt’s hometown in 2003 to pioneer Faith and Victory Church (FVC) together in a suburb of Seattle, Washington. Crystal’s powerful testimony of God’s transformative work continues to inspire many. In 2017, she authored her story in a book and companion devotional entitled, Run Your Race. Today she devotes her time to discipling the saints of FVC, loving and supporting her husband in his pastorate, building the Kingdom alongside her grown children—Faith and Gabe (and his wife, Delaney)—and delighting in her first grandson, Paul.