Prayer – Ultimately, your husband needs the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, even more than your encouragement. In the end, Christ will save him, not you. He is personally accountable to God. Bathe him in prayer daily, knowing that God loves him beyond what you can imagine.
Example – Model Christ’s love for him. Let him see true Christianity first in you. (1 Peter 3:1-2)
Gentle encouragement – Look for moments where he is open to talk about spiritual things, such as times of crisis, health situations, times when he needs or asks for prayer, etc. At those moments when he is open, share truth with him in love as much as he is willing to receive, even invite him to church, but back off when he begins to resist again.
Respect – If he senses you do not, he will usually respond opposite of your desired result.
These are my best suggestions. I have never seen begging, manipulation or even asking the pastor to “drop in on” the husband work effectively. Certainly, God can and does use other people, situations and circumstances of life to draw a man to Him, but those are hardly ever forced happenings. As for the wife’s specific role in this process, these four are where I have seen the most results.
Watching the desire of a wife and mother wrestle through this issue is one of the most difficult parts of ministry for me, but I am so encouraged to have seen hundreds of men others had given up on come to know Christ as a personal savior and many of those are now actively serving in our church. I know it is totally possible and no man is without hope.
