Family vs. Ministry - the great debate

The dichotomy drawn in this matter of family and ministry is very interesting. Does one have precedence over the other? This has been a question that has been important in overseas ministry for years. Historically, precedence has been given to the ministry to the (apparent) neglect of the family. Notice men such as David Livingstone who sent his family home to England. But this tendency also comes up in the boarding schools of more recent times.

However, the modern trend is to put the family before the ministry. Thus, if there is danger to the wife or kids, we should evacuate and go home till it blows over. Or, we will keep our kids inside so that they are not exposed to the realities of the heathen world around them.
But are either of these right?

Balance must be the key for there are true and godly believers who have been at fault in both categories. The Bible speaks of a love for God that shows "hate" for father and mother, wife and children. We understand that this speaks of our love for God being so dominant in our lives that when it is compared to our love for our family it will be said that we do not love them. The Bible also speaks of Peter who at the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry apparently had a mother-in-law, yet he followed Christ for three years. This is when Christ did not have a place to lay His head. Even in the OT, God required the firstborn son of every Hebrew family, and if the son was not to go into God's service directly, then he must be redeemed. Consider Samuel: his mother gave him to the Lord's service when he was yet a child.

Yet, on the other side, God clearly gives commands and direction for the husband/father in the home regardless of whether he was "in ministry" or not. The leaders in the church were given certain requirements regarding their family that implied direct involvement (I Tim. 3). This is the side that believers tend to err on today. So, how do we know what to do?

A couple of thoughts:
God will not give us roles that conflict. When God calls a person to ministry, he has given them a particular role. When He calls them to marriage, He gives them a different role. When He calls them to parenthood, He gives them a third role. These roles do not conflict: they are all part of God's calling. Therefore, while the individual instances of two roles may conflict, the roles themselves must never be prioritized. To explain: one does not say that his role as father and husband conflict. Consider if the wife and child both have different needs at the same time. When the father/husband fufills one of the needs to the exclusion of the other, it is not because his roles conflicted. His roles as father and husband are complementary. What happened is that the performance of the duties related to the roles conflicted; therefore, he had to make a decision between the particular duties related to the roles. In the same way, home vs. ministry do not conflict inherently; they are also complementary. When a church meeting and a birthday party conflict with each other, this does not mean that the pastor/father must now choose between the role of pastor and father. He can't stop being either one! One of the roles is not inherently more godly than the other: GOD HAS CALLED HIM TO BOTH! Therefore, the individual instances of the duty conflicts within the roles must be examined.

Conclusion: While being a proper wife/mother will limit one's ministry to a certain extent, it will enhance it in other areas (e.g. ministering to other wives/mothers). God has called his people to a task, but He has given us multiple ways of performing this task.
What do you think?